Charleston Literary Festival
Cato Fellowship Prize

APPLICATION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

The Charleston Literary Festival Cato Fellowship Prize supports and nurtures emerging voices. From November 1 - 10, 2024, two selected writers of fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry, will have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of books, ideas, and conversation, hearing from over 70 nationally and internationally renowned authors and interlocutors.

CLF Cato Fellowship Prize winners will receive full access to Charleston Literary Festival’s sessions and receptions, free accommodations in downtown Charleston, networking and collaborative opportunities beyond the Festival, and a stipendiary of $7,500 to allow them to further their writing career as they see fit.

The Prize offers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with distinguished authors and leaders in their respective fields and learn about both the business of writing and the inner workings of an international literary festival.

Wayland H. Cato Jr. had a lifelong passion for reading and learning. At the age of 100, he continued his daily discipline of devouring books (and newspapers) stacked high by his chair. Even in his last days, Mr. Cato discussed what he was reading: physics, politics, agriculture, history, philosophy and more. He enriched his and Mrs. Cato’s life with wider views and deeper understanding. The Catos came to believe that the world would be a better place if exceptional young writers were nurtured and encouraged.

Charleston Literary Festival is on a mission to bring diverse, national, and international authors and audiences together to experience the transformative power of great literature, ideas, and creativity. The CLF Cato Fellowship Prize reflects the importance of literature and the urgency to support it and foster the next generation of writers. The Prize exists to nurture and encourage exceptional emerging writers so that they may positively impact and transform the world around them.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE CLF CATO FELLOWSHIP PRIZE

The CLF Cato Fellowship Prize will be awarded to two writers of fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry who demonstrate a commitment to bettering their craft and exhibit a love of writing and reading.

The CLF Cato Fellowship Prize will provide:

  • immersive access to all 35+ events and private receptions during Charleston Literary Festival, running November 1 - November 10, 2024

  • accommodations in downtown Charleston to stay and write for the 10-day duration of the Festival

  • a $7,500 stipendiary

  • a dedicated workspace beyond their lodgings

  • featured bio on the CLF website and social media

  • a featured reading during Charleston Literary Festival

  • publication of the final piece in response to CLF Cato Fellowship experience on the CLF website

  • networking and collaborative opportunities beyond the Festival

WHO SHOULD APPLY

The Fellowship Prize is open to any fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry writer who is a current resident of North or South Carolina (or enrolled in a college or university program in North Carolina or South Carolina), a U.S. citizen or resident with an active visa, and at least 21 years old on November 1, 2024. Applicants should be in the early stages of their writing careers, i.e. have not published more than one book-length work with a major or independent publisher. However, previous publication is not a requirement if they have demonstrated a commitment to developing their writing, whether fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry, by providing evidence of, for example:

  • work published in a magazine, online or print

  • work published in an anthology

  • attendance at a creative writing course

  • an early stage of a manuscript

  • a draft book proposal

“To be able to touch another person with your selection of words is a rare gift. It is a bold and brave endeavor, oftentimes revealing far more about the writer than of the subject matter. Very few are blessed with this gift, this willingness to expose oneself, to be judged. With the establishment of a fellow program as part of Charleston Literary Festival, we thrive to nurture the yearning of a few select individuals to continue to share their creativity with all of us in our lifelong adventure in learning about the world around us and, most importantly, ourselves in the process. It is my hope that in creating this program, I can honor my late husband Wayland H. Cato Jr., who was a passionate reader his entire life.”
— Marion Cato, Philanthropist and Author

Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr.

  • Any writer over the age of 21 and  by December 31, 2024 with proof of residence in North Carolina or South Carolina or proof of current enrollment in a college or university program in North Carolina or South Carolina is eligible to apply. 

  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens or a current resident with an active visa.

  • Applicants must be at least 21 years old by November 1, 2024. Applicants must be in the early stages of their writing careers (i.e. have not published a full-length work of literature by a major or independent publisher).

  • Applicants are not required to show work previously published in magazines or print or online literary journals. If you do have previously published work, please include as supplemental materials.

  • Writers of fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry are eligible to apply.

  • Applications will be accepted at charlestonliteraryfestival.slideroom.com.

  • Yes: a $25 entry fee, paid through SlideRoom, must accompany the application. Please contact sara.peck@charlestonliteraryfestival.com for questions regarding the fee.

  • Your application components must conform to the following formatting requirements:

    • pages no larger than standard letter (8 ½" x 11”)

    • all attachments must be uploaded in a pdf or .docx format

    • at least one-inch margins on all sides for all pages

    • 12 pt, Times New Roman

    • double-spaced 

    • any standard citation style (include citations in page counts)

    • your name or other identifying information cannot appear in submitted work product or documents

  • Your application components must conform to the following formatting requirements:

    • pages no larger than standard letter (8 ½" x 11”)

    • all attachments must be uploaded in a pdf or .docx format

    • at least one-inch margins on all sides for all pages

    • 12 pt, Times New Roman

    • page breaks between poems

    • any standard citation style (include citations in page counts)

    • your name or other identifying information cannot appear in submitted work product or documents

  • A completed application will include a written biographical statement, the responses to two additional short-answer questions, and an uploaded writing sample. Specific questions can be found within the application.  

  • No. You may submit one entry for the category of your choice (maximum of one submission).

  • You can submit a work that has been previously entered to another program if the other contest or program does not hold exclusive rights to your work.

  • Yes: applicants may submit works to other programs or publications. If your selected work receives a publication offer or enters a contract during the judging period, please contact sara.peck@charlestonliteraryfestival.com. 

  • A minimum of two years must have elapsed since formal involvement with Charleston Literary Festival and the CLF Cato Fellowship Prize application. All applicants must hide identifying details in their submissions.

  • A group of literary professionals with diverse experiences are selected to review and score the submissions. We do not release the names of the judges until after the adjudication process as this practice ensures that judges are scoring independently, and the process is based on merit only.

  • Yes: traveling to Charleston to attend the Festival is required. The experience of this Fellowship at Charleston Literary Festival is a unique opportunity to build a network of writers and readers, and this opportunity is fully funded to provide the recipients with room and board and travel. The goal of the Fellowship is to allow recipients to develop professionally, personally, and further develop their craft.

  • Applications will open on July 25, 2024 and close on September 14, 2024. An adjudication panel will evaluate applications until October 1. Fellows will be notified of their acceptance by October 1. The Fellowship will begin on October 31, 2024 before the Festival begins on November 1, 2024 and ends on November 10, 2024. 

  • No. Collaborative work is not allowed in any category.

  • No. Works suspected to be generated by AI will be subject to disqualification.

  • Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. All works submitted must be original. Plagiarism or presenting work or ideas from another source as your own, with or without consent of the original author, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgment is strictly prohibited. Plagiarism of ideas occurs when the writer presents the ideas of others as his/her/their own. Information, interpretations, and conclusions that come from a specific source must be attributed to the source even if the original words are not used. Plagiarism of language occurs when the writer takes sentences or substantive phrases/words from a source. Writers must use quotation marks or block quotations to indicate that the words in the essay are the same as those in the original text, and writers must provide a citation* that correctly identifies the source. It is important that the writer fulfills his/her/their responsibility to the original source by being precise and accurate when quoting. Works suspected of plagiarism will be disqualified. (*The basic citation format is: Last name of the author, first name. “Title of page/document”. Title of overall webpage, date, URL.)