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).
Open calls for residencies happen throughout the year and will be listed on this page when they are open for applications.
Key Residencies | In-Person or Virtual | Country | Duration | Approximate Dates |
National Centre for Writing Residency Programme | In-person | UK | 1 month | Typically in June or July |
National Centre for Writing Virtual Residency Programme | Virtual | Anywhere | 7 months | From June to December |
University of Iowa’s International Writing Program Fall Residency | In-person | USA | 3 months | From late August to mid-November |
National Centre for Writing Emerging Translator Mentorships Programme | Virtual & In-person (optional) | Anywhere / UK | 6 months | From October to March |
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Sangam House | In-person | India | 1 month | Between November to January |
Toji Cultural Foundation | In-person | South Korea | 2 months | Available year-round |