2026 PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History
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The PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History recognize literary works of nonfiction that use oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. For the 2026 grant cycle, we will confer two PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History with cash prizes of $15,000 each.
Deadline: Submissions will be accepted from April 1 through June 1. Submissions will close at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on June 1.
Eligibility:
- The submitted project must be the work of a single individual, written in English.
- The project must be an unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2026, as the grants are intended to support the completion of a manuscript.
- The project must be a work of literary nonfiction.
- Oral history must be a significant component of the project and its research.
NOT eligible: Scholarly or academic writing.
How to apply:
Please note that the application will require the following, submitted as one PDF file, in the below order.
All documents should be in 12pt, Times New Roman, with 1 inch margins. Each document should be single spaced with the exception of the writing sample which should be double spaced.
- A 1-2 page description of the work, answering: Why is this project important, and why did this author choose to undertake this project?
- A 1-2 page statement answering: Why and how is oral history used in the project?
- A 1-2 page statement answering: How will this grant aid in the completion of the project? (This space can additionally be used to discuss any permissions, rights, contracts, publication timelines, or other aspects of your project.)
- A CV for the author of the project, which should include information on previous or forthcoming publications.
- An outline that includes the work completed thus far and the work remaining. The outline should include the names of participants.
- 6-10 pages of unedited transcripts of the project interviews relating to the writing sample.
- A 20-40 page writing sample from the project which utilizes the submitted project interviews. This, exceptionally, should be double spaced for legibility.
Please consult our FAQ page before contacting awards@pen.org with any questions.