Maine Artist Fellowship- Literary Arts Grant

The Maine Artist Fellowship in Literary Arts recognizes the exceptional talent of Maine artists across various writing genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. This merit-based fellowship offers unrestricted funding to help artists advance their careers. Selected fellows gain visibility through Maine Arts Commission publications and year-long promotional support, culminating in a Fellowship Reception. Eligibility includes being a Maine resident, at least 25 years old, and not currently enrolled in school. This opportunity fosters community and collaboration among artists.

The Maine Artist Fellowship recognizes artistic excellence in the overall career of a Maine artist. Fellowships are not grants for artist projects; they are merit-based awards that evaluated by a review panel on the level of artistic creativity and vision shown in the artists’ support materials. One artist will be selected for each discipline, creating a cohort of seven Maine Artist Fellows.
What an Artist can expect as a Maine Artist Fellow
Unrestricted award to help advance artists career as they see fitArtist Bios hosted on Maine Arts Commission website and included in all digital publicationsYear-long promotion/communications of fellow's activities.Fellowship Reception with Maine Arts Staff and Commissioners at the Blaine House in early 2026.Networking and other collaborative opportunities throughout the year.
Available to contemporary literary artists in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, and other writing genres. Literary artists who work in the medium of scriptwriting for the stage or screen should apply in the performing arts fellowship category.

Eligibility

Is an individual Maine artist or part of an artist collective(collectives may only apply once per award cycle, with one member as the primary contact and who submits the application).If applicable, has completed Final Reports required by the Maine Arts Commission for previous awards.Is a current Maine resident who has resided full-time in Maine for at least 2 years prior to the application deadline.Will be a Maine resident throughout the Fellowship period.Is at least 25 years of age or older by the application deadline.Is not an enrolled student at the start of the award cycle (July 1) Has not been previously awarded a Maine Artist Fellowship.Artistic Sample Guidelines:This could include images, audio, or video materials (Max. length: five minutes each), prose samples, poetry, etc.Literary Arts: 5 max