DUNEDIN UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE | OPEN CALL FOR LITERARY RESIDENCY

The Caselberg Trust and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature are pleased to offer the Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency. The aim of the Residency is to provide international and Aotearoa New Zealand writers and translators an opportunity to work on a substantial piece of creative writing and to foster connections among creative writers in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. There are no limits in terms of genre, language, or length of writing, and completion of the project during the Residency is not a requirement.

The Residency is offered annually for a period of six weeks to writers and translators from other UNESCO Cities of Literature and to Aotearoa New Zealand writers in alternating years. In 2025 the Residency is offered to a writer from another UNESCO City of Literature with at least one published work.

For the international residencies, the applicant must normally reside in another UNESCO City of Literature as of the application closing date.

The Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency is run jointly and collaboratively by the Caselberg Trust and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature. Funding from the Caselberg Trust is provided through a generous bequest by the late Margaret Egan.

When?

The Residency is for a period of 6 weeks from arrival on Thursday 2 Octoberuntil departure on Thursday 13 November 2025.

What is offered?

- All residents receive a stipend of NZ$4,000.

- NZ$3,500 of the stipend will be paid on arrival with the final payment of $500 held as a bond to be paid to the resident once all final financial transactions and reporting requirements relating to the Residency have been settled and a final inspection of the Caselberg House has been made.

- In addition, international residents will receive up to NZ$3,000 towards travel costs, whilst Aotearoa New Zealand residents are eligible for reasonable travel costs associated with travel to and from their normal place of residence within Aotearoa New Zealand. All residents are responsible for booking their own return travel, health insurance and visas.

- Accommodation is provided rent-free at the Caselberg House for the six-week duration of the Residency. Power and heating costs are to be met by the resident. There is an internet broadband connection provided, at no cost to the resident. (There is no telephone landline at the house.)

What is expected?

- Residents will be expected to reside at the Caselberg House for the duration of the Residency. Residents are expected to treat the house with every care and consideration and maintain a high standard of cleanliness. The house cannot accommodate pets and there is no smoking in the house.

- The resident is expected to work consistently on their identified project during the period of the Residency.

-The resident may be expected to attend Residency-related events conducted in English during the Residency period e.g. welcoming evening, sponsor events, interviews, and community events related to Residency project/theme.

- The resident will acknowledge the support of the Caselberg Trust and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature on any publications, events, publicity, exhibitions, performances, etc. which contain or reference work created as part of their Residency project and will notify the Caselberg Trust and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

- At the conclusion of the Residency, the resident will be expected to write a brief report (in English) reflecting on their Residency period for the Caselberg Trust and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature newsletters, websites, social media etc.

- Three copies of a published work completed or substantially completed during the residency are to be donated: two to the Caselberg Trust (one of which will go to the Hocken Library) and one copy to Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

Applications

- Applications and supporting documents must be submitted in English and will only be accepted on the Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency Application Form, prior to the deadline for applications to be received.

- The selection process is similar for both the international and Aotearoa New Zealand residencies, with an external selection panel for the international residents being convened and administered by Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature and a selection panel for the Aotearoa New Zealand residents by the Caselberg Trust.

Selection of the chosen resident is at the discretion of the selection panel and will include consideration of:

- A letter in English stating the applicant’s postal address and outlining why the applicant wishes to apply for the Residency

- A CV or summary in English of the applicant’s creative achievement in writing

- The merits of the proposed work (in English)

- A testimonial signed by an organisation from your City of Literature (in English)

Every effort will be made to contact all applicants by email regarding the outcome of their application. The decision of the panel will be final, and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into with regard to the decision.

- The resident will be expected to sign a contract in English with the Caselberg Trust, and this will be sent out to the resident at the time they are notified that their application is successful.

Information for Applicants

Apply here (link to the application form)

Applications close at 11.59pm (NZST) on Monday 7 April 2025

More information here