The Center for Fiction / Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowship 2027 (Closed): A $5,000 Grant Plus Mentorship, Editing, and Industry Access for Nine New York City Fiction Writers

The Center for Fiction / Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowship 2027 (Closed): A $5,000 Grant Plus Mentorship, Editing, and Industry Access for Nine New York City Fiction Writers

For a fiction writer who has published a story or two in journals but has never had a book published, the hardest part of the career can be the isolation, the missing feedback, and the absence of a professional community. The Center for Fiction / Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowship is designed around that gap. Each year the program selects nine early-career, New York City-based fiction writers and gives them a $5,000 grant alongside a full year of editorial support, mentorship, public readings, and structured access to editors, agents, and authors.

The 2027 Fellowship application window ran from July 1 to July 31, 2026, and there was no application fee. That window has closed. The Center for Fiction’s official fellowship and application pages do not announce a 2028 cycle, so this page is a historical reference for the completed 2027 round, not a live application notice. The details below explain what the program offered, who qualified, and what applicants had to submit.

Key Details at a Glance

What the Fellowship Offers

The headline benefit is a grant of $5,000, but the cash is only one part of a package that is deliberately weighted toward things emerging writers cannot easily buy: expert feedback, professional exposure, and community. During the one-year fellowship period, each fellow receives:

• A $5,000 grant to support their writing life.
• A professional manuscript critique — the opportunity to have their work revised and critiqued by an experienced editor.
• Access to The Center’s Writers Studio, a dedicated space to write.
• A monthly Open Studio, where fellows share and discuss creative work with one another.
• Monthly dinners with editors, authors, and agents who work with new writers — a rare, low-pressure setting to build genuine industry relationships.
• Two public readings as part of The Center’s annual program of events, putting the fellow’s work in front of a live literary audience.
• A professional headshot for personal publicity use.
• Inclusion in an anthology distributed to industry professionals.
• An invitation and ticket to the First Novel Fête, The Center’s celebration of debut novelists.
• Complimentary admission to all Center events and a 25% discount on writing workshops.
• A workshop on reading as performance, to help fellows present their work well in public.

The Center frames the fellowship as the beginning of a lifelong relationship rather than a one-year transaction. Alumni return to launch their debut books on The Center’s stage, participate in programs, and support later cohorts. That long tail matters: the network you join is arguably worth more than the grant.

The Track Record

The fellowship’s value is easiest to judge by what its alumni have gone on to do. In its official announcement of the 2026 fellows, The Center reports 134 fellowship alumni who have collectively published more than 60 books. Former fellows have received honors including the Pulitzer Prize, the Whiting Award, the NAACP Image Award, the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, the Gotham Prize, and the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35. No fellowship guarantees a career like that, but the record shows why the program has remained significant for writers before their first book.

The program is named for Susan Kamil, the celebrated editor and publisher who spent her career championing new fiction. Naming the fellowship after an editor is fitting for a program whose defining feature is editorial attention.

Who Should Apply

This is a program for a specific stage of career. It is not for the complete beginner who has never finished a draft, and it is not for the established novelist with a book already out. It sits in the middle: the writer who is producing serious work, may have publications in journals or magazines, but has not yet crossed into book publication.

You are likely a strong fit if:

• You live in New York City and write literary or genre fiction seriously.
• You have a body of work — short stories, a novel in progress, or both — that you can point to.
• You would benefit enormously from an experienced editor’s read of your manuscript and from being in a room with agents and editors each month.
• You want a peer community of other working writers rather than a classroom.

You are probably not the right fit if you are looking primarily for a large cash award, a residency outside New York, or funding for nonfiction, poetry, or screenwriting. The fellowship is fiction-only and firmly rooted in New York City.

Eligibility Requirements in Detail

The Center for Fiction sets clear eligibility rules, and because residency proof is part of the application, they are enforced.

• New York City residency. Applicants must be current residents of one of the five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island — and must remain in New York City for the entire fellowship year. Much of the program’s value comes from in-person studio access, dinners, and readings, so the residency requirement is central rather than a formality.
• Age. All legal adults aged 18 or older may apply.
• Emerging status. The program defines an “emerging writer” as someone who has not yet had a novel or short story collection published by a major or independent publisher and who is not currently under contract with a publisher for a work of fiction. Having published individual stories or novel excerpts in magazines, literary journals, or online outlets does not disqualify you — in fact, that kind of publication history is common and welcome.
• Not a current degree student. Applicants who will be enrolled in a degree-granting program in 2027 are not eligible. This rules out MFA candidates and other students who will be in a formal program during the fellowship year.

There are no requirements around gender, race, or educational background. The fellowship is open on the merits of the writing and the writer’s stage of career.

The 2027 Application Process

The 2027 application was intentionally lean. There was no fee, no cover letter, and the core of the submission was the writing sample. These instructions describe the closed round and should not be treated as confirmation that submissions remain open.

1. Prepare your writing sample. Submit one fiction writing sample that:

• is an original work of creative expression you independently created;
• does not exceed 7,500 words;
• is double-spaced;
• is a Word document (.doc or .docx);
• includes page numbers.

The sample may be a novel excerpt or one complete short story. If you write primarily flash fiction or “short shorts” of 1,000 words or less, you may submit multiple pieces so long as the combined total stays within the 7,500-word limit. The Center recommends submitting a sample that reads as a coherent whole.

2. Keep it anonymous. Do not include any personal or identifying information on the writing sample itself. Winners are chosen through a blind judging process, and samples that contain identifying information will not be considered. This is a common tripwire — double-check headers, footers, and file metadata before you upload.

3. Submit through the Submission Manager. Applicants submitted through The Center for Fiction’s online Submission Manager during the July 1–31, 2026 window. The official page does not provide a later application window.

4. Send proof of residency. After the submission uploaded successfully, applicants emailed a PDF or scan proving New York City residency. A New York driver’s license or non-driver ID was preferred; a current utility bill, bank statement, lease or rental agreement, or recent pay stub could also be used (with confidential details such as a Social Security number omitted). The email had to include the applicant’s mailing address and phone number. The instructions specifically said not to attach a cover letter.

Timeline and Closed Status

The 2027 application window closed on July 31, 2026 after opening on July 1, 2026. The official page lists the 2027 recipients as being notified in December 2026, with the cohort announced in January 2027. It also lists the 2027 Fellowship as beginning in January 2027 and ending in December 2027. Those dates describe the completed 2027 cycle and its fellowship year; they are not a current submission invitation.

The Center describes the fellowship as an annual program, but its official page does not announce a 2028 application window. Anyone seeking a future round should verify a new date directly with The Center for Fiction rather than assume that the 2027 schedule has carried forward.

How to Prepare a Competitive Submission

Because the entire first-round evaluation rests on a single anonymous writing sample, everything comes down to those 7,500 words.

• Lead with your strongest, most finished work. Judges are reading many samples; the opening pages have to earn the rest. A polished complete short story often outperforms a rough novel excerpt that only gets interesting on page 15.
• Choose a self-contained excerpt. If you submit part of a novel, pick a section that reads as a whole and does not depend on context the reader doesn’t have.
• Proofread ruthlessly. Typos and formatting slips read as carelessness in a blind evaluation where you have nothing else to lean on.
• Follow the formatting rules exactly — double-spaced, page-numbered, .doc or .docx, under 7,500 words, and stripped of any identifying information. These are pass/fail conditions, not suggestions.
• Confirm your eligibility honestly. If you have a book under contract or will be enrolled in a degree program in 2027, this is not your year.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Leaving your name in the file. The most avoidable disqualifier. Remove identifying details from the document body, headers, footers, and file properties.
• Submitting nonfiction, poetry, or screenwriting. The fellowship is strictly for fiction.
• Overshooting the word count. Anything over 7,500 words risks rejection on a technicality.
• Missing the residency proof step. The writing sample alone is not a complete application — the follow-up email with proof of NYC residency is required.
• Waiting until July 31. A one-month window leaves no room for last-minute technical problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to live in New York City? Yes. You must be a current resident of one of the five boroughs and remain in NYC for the full fellowship year.

I’ve published short stories in journals — am I still “emerging”? Yes. Journal, magazine, or online publication of stories or novel excerpts does not disqualify you. What disqualifies you is having a novel or story collection published by a major or independent press, or being under contract for a work of fiction.

Is there an application fee? No. The application is free.

Can I apply if I’m in an MFA program? No, not if you would be enrolled in a degree-granting program in 2027. That was an eligibility rule for the closed 2027 round.

How many fellows are selected? Nine each year.

Can I submit more than one story? Only if you write flash fiction (1,000 words or less), in which case multiple short pieces are allowed within the 7,500-word cap. Otherwise submit one novel excerpt or one complete story.

What This Archive Entry Is For

The completed 2027 round was a high-value, no-fee opportunity for New York City fiction writers at the emerging stage. It was judged on an anonymous writing sample and paired a $5,000 grant with editorial attention, studio access, professional conversations, readings, and a continuing relationship with The Center for Fiction. The retained deadline is the real closing date for that round. It is not a date on which a new applicant can still submit.

For the program description, historical 2027 details, and any future announcement, consult The Center for Fiction’s official fellowship page: centerforfiction.org/grants-awards/nyc-emerging-writers-fellowship. The application instructions for the closed round are available at Applying to The Center for Fiction / Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowship Program.