The Miles Morland Writing Scholarships program is now open for applications to Writers from African descents who already have published works or drafts of a completed work either in the Fiction or Non-fiction to apply. The work should be written in English. The Scholars stand to receive grants of £18,000 each for the period of the scholarship, and more supports from the Miles Morland Foundation.
Scholarship Description
It can be difficult for writers, before they become established, to write while simultaneously earning a living. To help meet this need the MMF annually awards a small number of Miles Morland Writing Scholarships, with the aim being to allow each Scholar the time to produce the first draft of a completed book. The Scholarships are open to anyone writing in the English language who was born in Africa, or both of whose parents were born in Africa.
Grant Available
Scholars writing fiction will receive a grant of £18,000, paid monthly over the course of twelve months. At the discretion of the Foundation, Scholars writing non-fiction, who require additional research time, could receive an additional grant, paid over a period of up to eighteen months.
Scholar’s Undertaking
At the end of each month scholars must send the Foundation 10,000 new words that they will have written over the course of the month. Scholars are also asked to donate to the MMF 20% of whatever they subsequently receive from the book they write during the period of their Scholarship. This includes revenues as a result of film rights, serialisations or other ancillary revenues arising from the book written during the Scholarship period. These grants will be used to support other promising writers. The 20% return obligation should be considered a debt of honour rather than a legally binding obligation.
Qualifications
To qualify for the Miles Morland Writing Scholarships, a candidate must submit an excerpt from a piece of work of between 2,000 – 5,000 words, written in English that has been published and offered for sale, you must send clear evidence that the piece you upload as part of your application has been both published AND offered for sale. This will be evaluated by a panel of readers and judges set up by the MMF. The work submitted will be judged purely on literary merit. It is not the purpose of the Scholarships to support academic or scientific research, or works of special interest such as religious or political writings. Submissions or proposals of this nature do not qualify.
Scholarship Requirement
The only condition imposed on the Scholars during the year of their Scholarship is that they must write. They will be asked to submit by email at least 10,000 new words every month until they have finished their book, or their Scholarship term has ended. If the first draft of the book is completed before the year is up, payments will continue while the Scholar edits and refines their work.
Proposed Work
The candidates should submit a description of between 400 – 1,000 words of the work they intend to write. The proposal must be for a full-length book of no fewer than 80,000 words. The MMF does not accept proposals for collaborative writing or short story collections. The proposal should be for a completely new work, not a work in progress, and must be in English.
Please note that if you are shortlisted for a Morland Writing Scholarship, you will be asked to send a 3,000 – 4,000 word “chapter” of the book you are proposing to write on your scholarship year to help the judges assess your ability. Writers will be notified that they are on the shortlist at the end of October. Shortlisters will then have 15 days to return the sample “chapter”. In view of that, please do some advance thinking about the sample “chapter” you will have to provide if you are shortlisted.
Biography
You are also to tell in 200 – 300 words something about yourself and your background. People who reach the shortlist will be asked for further information about themselves and how they propose to write their book.
Fiction or Non-Fiction
The Foundation welcomes both fiction and non-fiction proposals. We are aware that non-fiction Scholars may need extra time for research, so the Foundation may exercise its discretion to offer non-fiction writers a longer Scholarship period of up to 18 months.
Starting times
The Scholars may elect to start at any time between January and June in the year following the Scholarship Award. Their payments and the 10,000-word monthly submission requirement will start at the same time.
Accepted works
The Scholarships are meant for full length works of adult fiction or non-fiction. Poetry, plays, film scripts, children’s books, and short story collections do not qualify.
Mentoring
The Foundation will not review or comment on the monthly submissions as they come in. However, each Scholar will be offered the opportunity to be mentored by an established author or publisher. In most cases the mentorship will begin after the book has been finished and the Scholarship period has ended. At the discretion of the Foundation, the cost of the mentorship will be borne by the MMF. It is not the intention of the MMF to act as editor or a publisher. Scholars will need to find their own agents and publishers although the MMF is happy to offer advice.
Residency
Please note that the Miles Morland Writing Scholarships is not a residential Scholarship. It is up to the Scholars what their living arrangements are during their Scholarship year.
Important Dates
Applications for the Miles Morland Writing Scholarships will be received between 1st July 2024 and 20th September 2024. Applications submitted outside that period will not be looked at.
Application Procedure
- Please go to FAQs to answer any further questions concerning the Morland Writing Scholarships. Do not submit an entry until you have read and observed the requirements set out in the FAQs and enclosed the five things noted below as required.
- All enquiries relating to the Morland Scholarships should be directed to scholarships@milesmorlandfoundation.com
- In order to apply, please click on the blue box that appears on any page of the website, entitled: ‘Morland Writing Scholarship Application’.
Ensure you have enclosed all six things on the below checklist. If not, do not send a submission:
- A submission of between 2,000 to 5,000 words as a Word document of work that has been published and offered for sale. Please send proof of publication.
- Proof of publication and proof of sale.
- A description of between 400 – 1,000 words about the new book you intend to write.
- A scan of an official document showing that you, or both of your parents, were born in Africa.
- A brief bio of between 200 – 300 words.
- Please tell us how you heard about the Miles Morland Writing Scholarships.
