Winston Churchill McNeish Writers’ Fellowships
Sir James McNeish was knighted for services to literature in 2010. He maintained that he would never have become the writer he was without the experience gained from working and living in foreign cultures.
In 2012, Sir James and Lady McNeish made a donation to the Trust to encourage promising writers and journalists to travel and live in another culture. The donation enabled the Trust to create its first partnered Fellowship – the Winston Churchill McNeish Writers’ Fellowship.
Sadly Sir James passed away in November 2016. The Trust wishes to acknowledge Sir James’ and Lady McNeish’s foresight and generosity. It thanks the McNeish family for its continued support for the fellowship.
Who may request a Winston Churchill McNeish Writers’ Fellowship?
People who are New Zealand citizens or ordinarily resident in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tokelau or Niue may request a fellowship.
Fellowships are for promising writers and journalists to travel and live overseas. The intention is for the recipient’s horizons to broaden and shift so that their writing is enhanced. Priority is given to applicants who:
- are an emerging writer or journalist aged between 25 and 40 years
- have a track record of publications (one or more publications)
- propose travel to non-English speaking, developing countries.
Fellowship requests must be for:
- immersion within another culture by living and/or working for the benefit of the recipient’s writing
- overseas travel between 1 January and 31 December 2018
- travel outside New Zealand, for up to six months.
Fellowship requests are made online and the following supporting documents must be included with your request:
- a writing sample
- a proposed itinerary, including dates and the activities you plan to undertake for your fellowship project
- a description of how your proposed fellowship project will benefit New Zealand and enhance your own life, work, field of interest or calling
- a description of how you will share your fellowship experience and the knowledge gained with others
- a budget showing proposed travel, accommodation and daily expenses, as well as contributions from other sources
- your curriculum vitae
- reports from two referees commenting on your ability to successfully achieve your fellowship plans and on how your fellowship proposal will benefit you, your work and New Zealand.
Fellowship requests that do not include these supporting documents are likely to be assessed as incomplete and ineligible for consideration.
What we don’t fund
The Trust will not fund:
- study for academic or professional qualifications
- attendance at academic or professional conferences*
- requests to travel before 1 January 2018 or after 31 December 2018.
* Short courses that form part of an eligible project may be considered
How to make a fellowship request
You will need to login using RealMe and create an online profile for yourself with us before you can begin drafting a fellowship request.
Fellowship requests must also prepared and submitted online – you are able to save your request as a draft as many times as you like before submitting the final copy. A complete request requires both your profile and request form, and final versions of all the required supporting documents.