Entries open for PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants

Eligibility Criteria

• Translations of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or drama, originally written by a single individual.
• Translations should not have previously appeared in English in print or should have appeared only in an outdated or otherwise flawed translation.
• Works should be translations-in-progress, as the grant aims to provide support for completion.
• There are no restrictions on the nationality or citizenship of the translator, but the works must be translated into English.
• Projects may have a maximum of two translators but are limited to one original author.
• They encourage candidates of all nationalities to apply.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Translations of works with multiple original authors, such as anthologies, translations of literary criticism, and scholarly or otherwise technical texts.

Application Requirements

• All documents should be in 12pt, Times New Roman, single spaced, and with 1 inch margins.
• The online submission form requires the following:
  • A 1-2 page statement outlining the work and describing its importance.
  • A biography and bibliography of the author, including information on translations of their work into other languages.
  • A CV of the translator, no longer than 3 pages.
  • If the book is not in the public domain and the project is not yet under contract, please include a photocopy of the copyright notice on the original (the copyright notice is a line including the character, a date, and the name of the copyright holder, which appears as part of the front matter in every book), and a letter from the copyright holder stating that English-language rights to the book are available. A letter or copy of an email from the copyright holder is sufficient.
  • If the translation is currently under contract with a publisher, please submit a copy of the contract.
  • A translation sample is required. For prose, this should be within the range of 8-10 pages (when formatted as required, this will be approximately 3,000-5,000 words). For poetry, please include 1-2 poems per page, within an 8–10 page range.
  • The same passage in the original language (and, if the work has been previously translated, the same passage in the earlier version).

For more information, visit PEN America.