IN celebration of the 80th birthday of the late writer Fan Yew Teng, the inaugural Fan Yew Teng Grant for Independent Writing has been announced.
The Fan Yew Teng Grant for Independent Writing provides support to selected writers towards the completion of a work in progress. The grant aims to encourage Malaysian writers to create literary work (fiction and nonfiction) that affirms the spirit of independence, creative imagination, and freedom of thought and expression.
Each year, one grant recipient will be selected through an open call for applications. The grant recipient will receive financial support of RM5,000 that may be utilised for expenses related to research and writing of the work in progress.
The Fan Yew Teng Grant for Independent Writing commemorates the independent spirit of the late Fan – writer, human rights advocate, teacher, union leader, and member of Parliament. Known for his uncompromising principles, Fan believed in the power of the written word to give voice to humanity, speak truth to power, and encapsulate our human condition.
Eligibility guidelines
Applicants must be:
- Malaysian citizens above 21 years old;
- Published writers of non-fiction or fiction (solely self-published writers are not eligible).
Proposed writing:
- The proposed writing or work in progress must be written in Bahasa Malaysia or English;
- The proposed work should be a work of independent writing – the project should be a writer’s individual pursuit and should not consist of a project under an institution, company or organisation; (Example: A journalist may apply for a personal writing project, but not for a writing assignment commissioned by a media organisation)
- The proposed work should consist of fiction or non-academic nonfiction. It may be written in the form of essay, journalism, book chapters, memoir, short stories, novella, or novel; (Examples: A novel that explores the personal struggles of characters against a backdrop of social-political upheaval; A series of non-fiction essays on significant but under-researched historical figures).
- The topic of the proposed work should encompass, directly or indirectly, the spirit of independence, the human condition, and freedom of thought and expression;
- The completed work must be a minimum of 10,000 words;
- The proposed work does not need to have a publishing contract at the time of application. However, applicants are encouraged to have a plan of potential publishers they hope to approach;
- Priority will be given to works in progress that do not already have financial support.
How to apply:
- Applications should be sent to: [email protected]
- Deadline for applications: July 31, 2022
- Applications can be submitted in English or Bahasa Malaysia.
Applications should include:
- A cover letter
- A proposal or statement outlining the proposed writing or work in progress, including plans for publication and details of how the writer plans to utilise the grant funds. Kindly mention other sources of funding (if any).
- Writing sample of proposed work (min. 500 words)
- Previous writing samples of published work
- Bio, profile or CV
Terms and conditions:
- Grant recipients must officially acknowledge the support of the Fan Yew Teng Grant for Independent Writing upon publication of the work.
- Recipients will receive 50% of the grant upon selection, and the balance 50% upon completion of the proposed work. Completion refers to the completed written work, not to its eventual publication.
- The selection process will take place in August-October 2022.
- The selected grant recipient will be announced in November 2022.
- All decisions of the selection committee are final.
For more information on the Fan Yew Teng Grant for Independent Writing, contact: [email protected]. – The Vibes, May 12, 2022
