Literary Arts: Sangam House Residency 2026

International residencies and capability building programmes play a significant role in encouraging cultural exchange between countries. To support Singapore writers’ participation at such platforms, the National Arts Council (NAC) works with various international partners to offer fully paid residency awards to Singapore writers across Singapore’s four major languages, English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Our partners have included the Lu Xun Academy of Literature (China), the Toji Cultural Foundation (South Korea), the National Centre for Writing (UK), Sangam House (India), and the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program (USA).

Each residency offers unique opportunities for creative development, cultural exchange, and professional networking within established international literary communities. Our partnership with Sangam House provides a dedicated month-long writing retreat in Bangalore:

NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL – SANGAM HOUSE RESIDENCY 2026

Applications for the 2026 Residency Programme are now open.

The National Arts Council is pleased to partner with Sangam House in Bangalore, India, to offer a fully-paid, one-month-long residency for up to two Singapore Tamil writers in 2026.

Residency Programme Dates:  For one month (1^st to 28^th November 2026 OR 2^nd to 30^th December 2026)

Application Deadline:  7 August 2026 (Friday), 1700hrs

About the Residency

Sangam House provides visiting writers with the time and space to write, while giving them a chance to build a solid and influential network of personal and professional relationships that can deepen their own work, and in effect, expand and diversify literature. Their programme also facilitates interaction between the visiting writers and the local arts communities, cultivating an intersection that infuses the local communities with inspiration and new ideas, while allowing each participating writer to deepen their understanding of the diverse emotional and social climates in which literature is conceived and received.

For more details: www.sangamhouse.org ↗ (opens in new tab)

Residency Funding

The Writer-in-Residence will be awarded full residency support, including a per diem to cover incidental expenses not covered by Sangam House, and have their return economy airfare, visa fees, travel insurance, ground transport and residency fee (for housing and meals) covered while they attend the residency. The Writer-in-Residence also stands a chance of having their work translated to English to be featured in South Parade, a literary magazine published by Sangam House.

For more details about the programme, please refer to the Application Guidelines [PDF, 342.67 KB] ↗ (opens in new tab)

Application Procedure

To apply, please complete the FormSG Application Form ↗ (opens in new tab) and submit the completed form by 7 August 2026 (Friday), 1700hrs. 

Key Dates