The Miles Morland Foundation awards a small number of annual writing scholarships so published writers connected to Africa can devote time to the first draft of a new English-language book. The 2026 judges expect to select four scholars.
The scholarship is non-residential, so recipients choose their own living arrangements and send the foundation at least 10,000 new words each month. It supports full-length adult fiction and non-fiction rather than academic or scientific research, poetry, plays, film scripts, children’s books, collaborative works or short-story collections.
Benefits & funding
- A £18,000 grant, paid monthly across 12 months.
- The foundation may give non-fiction scholars who need research time an additional grant paid over a period of up to 18 months.
- Each scholar is offered the opportunity for mentoring by an established author or publisher; the foundation may cover the cost at its discretion.
- Recipients are asked to contribute 20% of later income from the scholarship book back to the foundation as a non-binding debt of honour.
Eligibility
- Applicants must write in English and either have been born in Africa or have two parents who were born in Africa.
- A person born outside Africa with one Africa-born parent may qualify by proving full-time residence in Africa, defined as at least nine of the previous 12 months.
- Applicants need a single 2,000–5,000-word prose excerpt from work previously published and offered for sale, with proof of both publication and sale.
- The proposal must be for a new, not-yet-started English-language book of at least 80,000 words in adult fiction or non-fiction.
- There is no age limit. The foundation states no degree or gender requirement and no minimum number of professional-experience years.
- Proposals for academic or scientific research, religious or political special-interest works, poetry, plays, film scripts, children’s books, collaborative writing and short-story collections are ineligible.
Can you apply?
Open to all applicants
No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.
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Application process
- 1Read the official entry requirements and FAQ in full.
- 2Prepare a signed no-AI attestation, the published prose excerpt, proof of publication and sale, a 400–1,000-word book proposal, proof of the qualifying Africa connection and a 200–300-word biography.
- 3Upload the documents and applicant details through the official online application form by 22 September 2026.
- 4If shortlisted, provide a 3,000–4,000-word sample chapter within 15 days of notification.
Program timeline
Applications open.
Jul 1, 2026
Application deadline.
Sep 22, 2026
Shortlist stage and requests for sample chapters.
Late October or November 2026
Winners announced.
November 2026
Each scholar chooses a start date within this window.
January–June 2027