Elias-Canetti-Stipendium

What the Elias Canetti Scholarship gives you

You get 18,000 EUR per year to finish a larger literary work, so you can write full time without money worries. The funding runs for one year and can be extended up to three years. The City of Vienna's culture department (MA 7) awards four of these scholarships each year. They are named after the Nobel Prize winner for literature Elias Canetti.

Who can apply

• What you do: You are a professional writer with published work, not a student. You apply with a clear, self-contained plan for a larger literary project.
• Where you live: Your main home has been in Vienna for at least the past 3 years.
• Age: You are at least 18 years old.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.
• Field: All literary genres are welcome. Your work is judged by the standards that fit your genre.
• No insolvency: You are not in an ongoing insolvency (bankruptcy) procedure when you apply.

How to apply

You apply through the City of Vienna culture portal between 1 and 31 August each year. Log in with ID Austria or upload a signed consent form. There is no application fee. A panel then judges your work and project, and the decision is final.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is cut narrowly. You must have lived in Vienna for at least three years and already have a real track record as a writer, so the eligible pool is small. With only four scholarships a year, it stays competitive among that group. If you have strong published work and a convincing project plan, your prospects are solid.