A grant program of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts - $2,000 Award

The purpose of the award is to enable a talented writer who is a resident of Monroe County to complete a long-form work of fiction or non-fiction, including but not limited to a novel, play, collection of short stories or essays, or a work of non-fiction.

Beginning in 2025, individuals who have received the award must wait three years to reapply.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES – In separate files please upload below:
1. Submit (upload) a one-page cover letter that includes a description of the project, the author’s goals for the work, and how he/she will go about creating it.

2. Submit (upload) your manuscript excerpt (30 - 50 pages). Manuscripts must be double-spaced and in 12-point type. The author’s name, phone, mailing address, and email address may NOT appear on the title page or on any page. No personal information should appear anywhere on the manuscript.

3. Submit (upload) proof of Monroe County residency such as a copy of a driver’s license or utility bill.

4. ELIGIBILITY: The applicant must be a current member of the Key West Writers Guild since July 1, 2024, and must have read from the manuscript at least three times at a meeting and have attended at least five meetings. The last reading must occur on or before March 15.

5. Application deadline is: Saturday, April 26, 2025 at midnight The winner will be announced at a May meeting of the Key West Writers Guild meeting.

The award will be distributed in two parts — $1,000 upon announcement of the winner, and $1,000 the following year after the author’s satisfactory status report to the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. This award must be appropriately acknowledged in the finished manuscript and all editions of the published book

The Key West Writers Guild Award is supported by private funds and is administered by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts.

All Applications must be submitted through the www.keysarts.com website using the form therein. Any questions may be directed to Elizabeth Young, Executive Director of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts at director@keysarts.com.