Overview

The CEI Award for Writers in Residence is an award aimed at encouraging cross-border cooperation and promotion in the field of literature for young writers from the CEI Member States (Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine). The award is endowed with a cash prize of 1,500 EUR for a one-month stay in any of the CEI Member States, selected by the candidate. The award winner will be guest of the 35^th Vilenica International Literary Festival which will take place from 8 to 13 September 2020 at various locations in Slovenia. The award winner will be officially announced at the press conference at the end of August, and award will be given to him or her at the festival. The candidate is eligible for the residency from 11 September 2020 until 11 September 2021. Within 60 days after completion of the residency, the candidate must submit a written report.

The Central European Initiative (CEI) is a regional intergovernmental forum committed to supporting European integration and sustainable development through cooperation between and among its Member States and with the European Union, international and regional organisations as well as with other public or private institutions and non-governmental organisations. While acting as a platform for political dialogue, the CEI has developed a strong operational, result-oriented approach to regional cooperation. It combines multilateral diplomacy and fund, programme and project management as both donor and recipient. The everyday CEI activities are handled by the CEI-Executive Secretariat in Trieste, including the development and implementation of projects. In December 2011, the CEI was granted the observer status in the General Assembly of the United Nations.

www.cei.int 

The Slovene Writers’ Association produces and carries out contemporary public programmes in the field of literature. With a wide array of programmes and activities, it represents the most active organisation and the main centre of literary activity in Slovenia. The role of principal operator of public programmes in literature is also recognized by the Slovenian Book Agency with their active support and regular financing. The beginnings of the association can be traced back to 1872, when authors started to organise, but it took the current name in 1968. It was presided by distinguished Slovene writers. The Slovene Writers’ Association promotes creative freedom, acts as advocate to improve the status of Slovene literature and writers, and brings together writers from the entire Slovene cultural space, regardless of the borders. Always critical and creative, the association has helped make significant changes in the Slovene social and cultural space and life. It was very active during Slovenia’s quest for independence and the formation of the young country. The association fosters regular relations with international writers and carries out internationally acclaimed programmes.

www.drustvopisateljev.si

The Vilenica International Literary Festival, a gathering of poets, prose writers, playwrights and essayists, but also translators, publishers, editors and critics from Central Europe and beyond is organised by the Slovene Writers’ Association in collaboration with the Cultural Society Vilenica from Sežana. Since the first Vilenica international festival in 1986, the climax of the event has been the presentation of the Vilenica International Literary Prize, awarded by the Slovene Writers’ Association to a Central European author for outstanding achievements in the field of literature and essay writing. Vilenica Prize Winners include: Fulvio Tomizza, Peter Handke, Peter Esterházy, Jan Skácel, Tomas Venclova, Zbigniew Herbert, Milan Kundera, Libuše Moníková, Josip Osti, Adolf Muschg, Adam Zagajewski, Pavel Vilikovský, Peter Nádas, Erica Pedretti, Slavko Mihalić, Jaan Kaplinski, Ana Blandiana, Mirko Kovač, Brigitte Kronauer, Karl-Markus Gauss, Ilma Rakusa, Miodrag Pavlović, Goran Stefanovski, Andrzej Stasiuk, Claudio Magris, Dževad Karahasan, Mircea Cărtărescu, David Albahari, Olga Tokarczuk, László Krasznahorkai, Jáchym Topol, Dubravka Ugrešić, Yuri Andrukhovyc, Ilija Trojanow and Dragan Velikić. Vilenica features numerous literary and cultural events; the theoretical part of the festival provides many opportunities for in-depth debates, while social events add to a relaxed atmosphere for socializing and meeting.

www.vilenica.si

Conditions of entry

Applicants eligible for the award are writers from all genres under 35 (born after 1985 – from 1 January 1986 onwards) from the CEI Member States (Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine).

Application guidelines

The deadline for applications is 30 April 2020. Applications must be received in a pdf file by e-mail. The committee will consider entries sent on or before 30 April 2020.

Applications must be sent to the following e-mail address:

e-mail: info@vilenica.si

The application must include the following obligatory enclosures:

1. A filled in registration form (find attached).
2. A biography of the applicant in English (max. 1800 characters without spaces).
3. Copy of a valid ID or passport with the visible date and place of birth, and the citizenship of the applicant.
4. A bibliography of the applicant in English (max. 3600 characters without spaces).
5. A description in English of the project to be undertaken during the one-month residence
   (2000 – 4500 characters without spaces). The project must be a literary work (all genres and themes), not a research project.
6. Scan of original signed letter of recommendation in English (max. 1800 characters without spaces, letters without the original signature will not be considered).

Incomplete entries will not be considered.

Application procedure

1. The application form will be distributed through all major writers’ organizations in the candidate states, on the web-page of the CEI, the SWA and the Vilenica festival,
   namely: www.cei.int, www.drustvopisateljev.si and www.vilenica.si.
2. The international committee will consider entries sent on or before 30 April 2020.
3. Entries will be evaluated according to the following criterion: 30% (3 points) for the bibliography, 50% (5 points) for the project description and 20% (2 points) for the letter of recommendation.
4. All the candidates will be notified of the decision of the committee by 15 July 2020.
5. The award winner will be officially announced at the press conference at the end of August, and the award will be presented to him or her at the festival.
6. 60 days after completion of the residency, the candidate must submit a written report in English (7200 – 9000 characters without spaces) by regular or e-mail to the Slovene Writers’ Association.

Questions may be sent via e-mail no later than 14 days before the deadline to:

e-mail: info@vilenica.si

CEI_Fellowship_Call for aplication 2020

Registration_form_2020