The NYC Emerging Writers Fellowship is currently open to NYC-based writers. Emerging writers who have not yet published a novel or collection are invited to submit fiction pieces of 7,500 words or fewer.

Between nine and fifteen grantees will receive $5,000 and a plethora of other benefits, including mentorship with a freelance editor and the opportunity to meet with agents.

According to their guidelines:

“Applicants must be current residents of one of the five boroughs, and must remain in New York City for the entire year of the fellowship. Students in degree-granting programs are not eligible to apply, even if the focus of study is not directly related to writing. This program supports emerging writers whose work shows promise of excellence. Applicants can be of any age, but must be in the early stages of their careers as fiction writers and will not have had the support needed to achieve major recognition for their work. We define “emerging writer” as someone who has not yet had a novel or short story collection published by either a major or independent publisher and who is also not currently under contract to a publisher for a work of fiction. Eligible applicants may have had stories or novel excerpts published in magazines, literary journals or online, but this is not a requirement. If at any point during the judging process an applicant signs a contract for publication or accepts an offer to study in a degree-granting program, he or she must alert us immediately to have the application pulled from consideration.“

The deadline is February 29. To learn more, read the guidelines.