SLF Awards
The Gulliver Travel Research Grant
The Gulliver Travel Research Grant is awarded to assist writers of speculative literature, including fiction, drama, poetry, and creative nonfiction, in their research. (see "What is speculative literature anyway?" in the FAQ) The grant is not currently available for academic research, though we hope to offer such funds in the future. We are currently offering one $600 travel grant annually, to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other travel expenses.
The Gulliver Travel Research Grant, formerly the Speculative Literature Foundation Travel Research Grant, was renamed in November 2006 at the request of the grant sponsor. Gulliver, a character in the 1726 story "Gulliver's Travels" written by Jonathan Swift, represents one of the earliest examples of fantasy travel.
The Gulliver Travel Grant will be awarded by a committee of SLF staff members on the basis of interest and merit. Factors considered will include:
- a one-page written description of the project in question, including details on the travel location and an estimated completion date (no more than 500 words)
- a writing sample in the proposed genre (up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction); please note that the writing sample must be a solo work (work completed only by the applicant).
- a bibliography of previously-published work by the author (no more than one page, typed); applicants need not have previous publications to apply.
If awarded the grant, the recipient agrees to write a brief report of their research experience (500-1000 words) for our files, and for possible public dissemination on our website.
PLEASE NOTE: This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature. If you're not sure what areas that term encompasses, we recommend referencing our FAQ (question #2).
Travel Grant Application Procedures
- Send the three items listed above to our travel grant administrators, Colin Harvey and Tiffany Jonas, as attached .doc files, to travel@speculativeliterature.org. Include a brief cover letter with your name and contact info (e-mail, phone in case of emergency). If you have questions, direct them to that same address.
- You may apply for travel to take place at any point in the following year (from October to the following October).
- Travel may take place from any country to any country, or internally within a country; the grants are unrestricted. Funds will be disbursed in U.S. currency (but can be sent through PayPal if that is more convenient for international recipients).
- Travel grant applications will be considered from July 1st to September 30th, annually. Applications received outside that period will be discarded unread.
- The grant recipient will be announced by October 15th, annually. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application by that date.
SLF staff and family members are not eligible for the Older Writers and Travel Research grants.
