Here's some great news for Indian authors and illustrators for children! The Neev Literature Festival (NLF) has announced its Fellowships for children’s book creators to facilitate good-quality, original, and deeply researched children’s books that reflect Indian lives and experiences.
NLF has invited proposals from children's writers and illustrators in any genre-- be it picture book, YA, graphic novels, fiction or non-fiction-- for the Fellowships. The NLF Fellowships Jury will then assess the proposals and shortlist a few candidates, from which the fellowship winners will be chosen after an interview by the Jury. The selected book creators for the Fellowship will receive a grant of INR 6 Lakhs each for a duration of one year to research and write their book.
The Jury for NLF Fellowship this year includes: Neev Trust Founder Kavita Gupta Sabharwal; Ameen Haque Founder- Storywallahs; and NLF Director Karthika Gopalakrishnan. The foundation is also working at growing the Jury, with Indian litterateurs.
Talking about NLF Fellowship for children’s book creators, Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, Co-Founder, NLF said in a statement, “In a fragmented market that is swamped with international children’s literature and a publishing ecosystem that has traditionally under invested in Children’s literature from India, the NLF Fellowships aim to fill a gap that will hopefully encourage Indian writers to embark on imaginative, ambitious and research-driven literature for Indian audiences that is rooted in Indianness.”
Apart from the providing financial support, the NLF Fellowships will also give mentorship, editorial support, and provide greater visibility to the selected book creators and their works.
The NLF Fellowship is open to citizens of India and Indian-origin residents. The last date for applying for the Fellowship is June 30, 2023.
