Support Schemes for Writers (Arts Council of Northern Ireland) 2024/2025

The Irish Writers Centre (IWC) is pleased to announce a new round of support schemes for writers from or based in North of Ireland, made possible with support from the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. These supports include 20 IWC Course Bursaries, 20 IWC Memberships and 30 IWC Mentoring supports.

In keeping with Goal 2 of our 2022–2026 strategy, these schemes will enhance opportunities for people across all communities to participate in creative writing and enhance their writing practise.

Applicants can apply for all three schemes as long as they are eligible under each individual scheme.

If you have benefitted from one or more of these schemes in the past three years (2022, 2023, 2024) , then you are ineligible from applying to the same scheme(s).

Scheme 1: Course Bursaries Scheme

Scheme 2: Membership Scheme

Scheme 3: Mentoring Support Scheme

Scheme 1: Course Bursaries Scheme

The Irish Writers Centre will provide 20 bursaries for beginner and emerging writers. These bursaries will enable writers to develop their skills through funded places on creative writing courses, and open access to course entry by subsidising costs to individuals who may not otherwise be able to afford a course. Each awardee will receive course credit worth €165 towards a course. The IWC facilitates up to 150 courses a year for writers at every stage of their career. We provide a range of in-person and online courses including novel writing, short story, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Browse our courses here.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, applicants must be:

• Beginner and emerging writers*
• Over the age of eighteen
• Living on the island of Ireland, and are either from or based in the North of Ireland.
• From a background typically underrepresented in the arts in Ireland.**
• If you have benefitted from this scheme in the past three years (2022, 2023, 2024) , then you are ineligible from applying.

*Emerging writers are those who can demonstrate a commitment to writing e.g. creative writing training or courses undertaken, journal publications, awards or notable mentions, or other recognisable achievements.

**We are taking steps to promote equality of opportunity for all those living in Ireland, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller Community, as well as socio-economic background. This scheme is specifically for writers from backgrounds typically underrepresented in the arts in Ireland: Minority Ethnic, Black or Person of Colour, D/deaf, neurodiverse or disabled, LGBTQIA+, Member of the Travelling Community, Roma and Unwaged / Low-Income.

Please click here for the application form for the ACNI Course Bursaries Scheme.

Deadline: Wednesday 9 October 2024 at 11.59pm

Scheme 2: Membership Scheme

The IWC membership scheme connects our community of writers from across the island through a number of member benefits, including access to advice, opportunities and other supports. The membership also includes up to 10% discounts on events, courses and Novel Fair submissions.

Under this year’s Membership Support Scheme, we are offering 10 associate memberships and 10 professional memberships for eligible writers, each valid for one year.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, applicants must be:

• Associate membership applicants must be beginner and emerging writers.*
• Professional membership brings additional benefits including priority consideration for employment opportunities and eligibility for residencies/ bursaries exclusive to professional members. Writers applying for professional membership under our Membership Support Scheme will need to meet our professional membership criteria.
• Over the age of eighteen.
• Living on the island of Ireland, who are either from or based in the North of Ireland.
• From a background typically underrepresented in the arts in Ireland.**
• If you have benefitted from this scheme in the past three years (2022, 2023, 2024) , then you are ineligible from applying.

*Emerging writers are those who can demonstrate a commitment to writing e.g. creative writing training or courses undertaken, journal publications, awards or notable mentions, or other recognisable achievements.

**We are taking steps to promote equality of opportunity for all those living in Ireland, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller Community, as well as socio-economic background. This scheme is specifically for writers from backgrounds typically underrepresented in the arts in Ireland: Minority Ethnic, Black or Person of Colour, D/deaf, neurodiverse or disabled, LGBTQIA+, Member of the Travelling Community, Roma and Unwaged / Low-Income.

Please click here for the application form for the ACNI Membership Support Scheme.

Deadline: Wednesday 9 October 2024 at 11.59pm

Scheme 3: Mentoring Support Scheme

The IWC one-to-one mentoring support scheme offers an opportunity for writers to develop their work under expert guidance, drawing on the support of a professional to bring their writing to the next level.

The IWC will provide 30 emerging and professional writers from or based in the North of Ireland with one free 1.5 hour mentoring session, up to the value of €275. This mentorship includes reading up to 10,000 words of prose or up to 240 lines of poetry in advance by an experienced mentor from our one-to-one mentoring panel, along with written feedback in the form of a 300-word report on their work. Browse our mentoring panel here.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, applicants must be:

• Emerging and professional writers*
• Over the age of eighteen.
• Living on the island of Ireland, who are either from or based in the North of Ireland.
• From a background typically underrepresented in the arts in Ireland.**
• If you have benefitted from this scheme in the past three years (2022, 2023, 2024) , then you are ineligible from applying.

*Emerging writers are those who can demonstrate a commitment to writing e.g. creative writing training or courses undertaken, journal publications, awards or notable mentions, or other recognisable achievements.

**We are taking steps to promote equality of opportunity for all those living in Ireland, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller Community, as well as socio-economic background. This scheme is specifically for writers from backgrounds typically underrepresented in the arts in Ireland: Minority Ethnic, Black or Person of Colour, D/deaf, neurodiverse or disabled, LGBTQIA+, Member of the Travelling Community, Roma and Unwaged / Low-Income.

Please click here for the application form for the Mentorship Support Scheme.

Deadline: Wednesday 9 October 2024 at 11.59pm

About the Irish Writers Centre

The mission at the Irish Writers Centre is unchanged since 1991. IWC exists to ‘support a vibrant and diverse community of writers to develop their craft and thrive as a writer in the world.’ As the leading support and development organisation for writers, IWC carries out its work, online and in-person, on an all-island basis. Supporting writers at every stage of their career, from aspiring to professional, IWC offers a range of year-round courses, mentoring opportunities, residencies and bursaries, as well as competitions, webinars and free events.

President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins has been patron of the Irish Writers Centre since 2016. IWC’s ambassadors are John Banville, Anne Enright, Mike McCormack, Marian Keyes, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne. Joseph O’Connor and Ciara Ní É.

Application Deadline

Wednesday 9 October 2024 at 11.59pm

Selection criteria

Applications will be evaluated by an external selection panel, with reference to your submitted application (and writing sample, in the case of applicants for a course bursary).

Please note: Due to the volume of applicants we are not in a position to give individual feedback to applicants, unless they have been interviewed, depending on the scheme. This policy extends across all of our calls in the interests of equity and transparency, and because, as a small team, we don’t have the capacity to give individual responses.

What is Submittable? 

Submittable is an online platform that the Irish Writers Centre uses to collect and review submissions and applications. To submit your application via Submittable, applicants will need to create a Submittable account. It’s free and easy to use but if you have any issues with Submittable, please email projects@irishwriterscentre.ie.

Applications will be acknowledged via an automatic email. If you don’t receive a confirmation of receipt, please contact us (projects@irishwriterscentre.ie) to check if your application has gone through.