Applications are open for the 2026 Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency!

Writers from Aotearoa New Zealand are warmly invited to apply for this year's Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency. Applications close at 11.59pm (NZST) on 31 March 2026.

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 2026 the residency is offered to an established writer with at least one published work, who is a citizen or permanent resident of Aotearoa New Zealand and currently resides in Aotearoa New Zealand.

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.

Applications for the 2026 residency are open from 3 March 2026 to 11:59 PM on 31 March 2026.

The residency is for a period of six weeks, from arrival on Friday 2 October 2026 until departure on Friday 13 November 2026.

Apply

Please read Information for National Applicants 2026 prior to completing your application. A link to the application form is available here.

Information about previous recipients of the residency is available here.