Apply for the Gulliver Travel Grant for speculative writing

The Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) has opened submissions for its annual Gulliver Travel Grant, which supports writers conducting non-academic research for speculative projects.

Contents

Funding details Who can apply Qualifications Requirements Deadline

The programme supports research across all branches of speculative writing, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, ghost stories, magical realism, folk traditions and other fabulist forms.

The grant helps writers explore places, histories, and lived experiences that can deepen the authenticity and imaginative power of their work.

Funding details

Recipients receive up to $1,000 to cover travel-related expenses such as airfare, lodging and fieldwork costs.

Travel may be scheduled at any time within the year following award notification, offering flexibility for writers to plan trips that best support their projects. Awardees also benefit from increased visibility through the SLF’s public communications, which spotlight their post-travel reflections.

Who can apply

The grant is open to writers at any stage of their career and working in any speculative genre. Applicants must be able to demonstrate how the proposed travel will directly advance their current project.

While past winners may reapply, they receive reduced consideration for two years after receiving the grant.

Qualifications

Must be working within speculative literature (any genre)
No prior publications required
Must submit a writing sample:
- up to 10 pages of poetry, or
- up to 10 pages of drama, or
- up to 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction
Excerpts from longer works must include a one-page synopsis
All writing samples must include speculative or fabulist elements
Past recipients may apply again after two years but with reduced priority

Requirements

Applicants must submit a cover letter outlining their project, travel destination and proposed timeline.

A bibliography of published work may be included if available. Applicants must also provide:

a 500–1,000-word research report, and
a 500–1,000-word autobiographical statement,
both for internal review and future public sharing.

A jury panel reviews all submissions, with the winner expected to be announced in January.

Selected writers must complete the proposed travel and later submit a detailed report explaining how the journey informed their work. The autobiographical statement will accompany the public announcement to give readers deeper insight into the writer’s creative background.