Applications Open for Charleston Literary Festival's Cato Fellowship Prize, Supporting Emerging Writers in the Carolinas

Associated Press

17 hours ago

Prize offers a full writing residency for the ten days of Charleston Literary Festival with access to all events, a dedicated onstage session, and a cash prize of $7,500
Charleston Literary Festival has announced the Charleston Literary Festival Cato Fellowship Prize is returning for its second year and applications are now open.
After last year's success with over 140 applicants and two esteemed winners—one of whom went on to win the prestigious American Mosaic Journalism Prize and one whose work was selected to be a part of an elite international exhibit for artists and writers—the Charleston Literary Festival Cato Fellowship Prize is back for another dynamic year.
The mission of the prize is to support and nurture emerging voices in North Carolina and South Carolina. Charleston Literary Festival team and board are excited to see this year's exceptional applicants. Applications are now open and will close on August 25—applicants can apply via the festival's website.
The Cato Fellowship Prize will be awarded to two people in October 2025—writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry are encouraged to apply.
During this year's Charleston Literary Festival, running from November 7–16, 2025, the two winning fellows will receive full access to Charleston Literary Festival's author conversations and receptions, free accommodations in downtown Charleston, networking and collaborative opportunities beyond the festival, a dedicated festival session to showcase their work, and a stipendiary of $7,500 each to allow them to further their writing career as they see fit.
Marion Cato, philanthropist and author, shared her happiness in the results of the first year of the program, 'I am thrilled that so many gifted writers are interested in the Cato Fellowship Prize. I am confident that the experience encourages the creative process of the talented Fellows. It is gratifying to be able to help provide the opportunity for gifted writers each year.'
A long-time advocate for education, the late Wayland H. Cato Jr. had a lifelong passion for reading and learning. The Catos believe that the world would be a better place if exceptional writers were nurtured and encouraged.
'Thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Wayland Cato, we are so excited for the second year of the Charleston Literary Festival Cato Fellowship Prize. The Fellowship is a testament to the immense talent across the South. We are excited to bring two emerging writers to the festival again this year to attend transformative conversations and further their own craft,' said Sara Peck, director of the Cato Fellowship Prize.
Charleston Literary Festival's mission is to bring authors and audiences together to experience the transformative power of great literature, ideas, and creativity. The Cato Fellowship Prize reflects the importance of literature and the urgency to support it by fostering the next generation of writers in the Carolinas. The prize exists to nurture and encourage exceptional emerging writers so that they may positively impact and transform the world around them.
Last year, essayist Latria Graham and poet Dasia Moore were awarded the inaugural prizes. Read more about the 2024 winners on the Charleston Literary Festival's website.
Since winning the inaugural Cato Fellowship Prize, both Latria Graham and Dasia Moore have been further recognized for their work. Latria Graham won the American Mosaic Journalism Prize for excellence in long-form, narrative or deep reporting about underrepresented and/or misrepresented groups in the U.S. Dasia Moore's project, 'Francophile,' was included in an exhibit featuring international artists and writers. The exhibit, " For Real For Real,' is curated by Claudia Rankine and co-hosted by daadgalerie and The Racial Imaginary Institute in Berlin.
'We're so delighted to build on the success of last year's inaugural prize. The Charleston Literary Festival Cato Fellowship Prize honors extraordinary emerging literary talent rooted in the Carolinas. This region holds rich storytelling traditions—through this Fellowship Prize, we're spotlighting the voices and perspectives that make the Carolinas so vital to the broader literary landscape,' added Sarah Moriarty, executive director of Charleston Literary Festival.
About the Cato Fellowship Prize
Open to writers in North Carolina and South Carolina, the Cato Fellowship Prize will be awarded to two writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry who demonstrate a commitment to bettering their craft and exhibit a love of writing and reading.
The Charleston Literary Festival Cato Fellowship Prize will provide:
Who should apply?
The Cato Fellowship Prize is open to any fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry writer who is a current resident of North Carolina or South Carolina. Students enrolled in a college or university program in North Carolina or South Carolina are also eligible to apply. Applicants are required to be a U.S. citizen or resident with an active visa and at least 21 years old on November 7, 2025. Applicants should be in the early stages of their writing careers, i.e., have not published more than one book-length work with a major or independent publisher. However, previous publication is not a requirement if they have demonstrated a commitment to developing their writing, whether fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry, by providing evidence of, for example:
Direct link to application for the Cato Fellowship Prize: charlestonliteraryfestival.slideroom.com/
Charleston Literary Festival
About Charleston Literary Festival
Charleston Literary Festival is a 10-day boutique literary festival with an international edge that takes place every November in Charleston, South Carolina. With an emphasis on world-class literary programming, Charleston Literary Festival is unparalleled in the United States as a center of literary excavation, innovation, and celebration in a powerfully evocative historic location. Previous speakers include: Claire Keegan, Walter Isaacson, George Saunders, Adam Gopnik, James Shapiro, Patrick Radden Keefe, Jean Hanff Korelitz, Ben Okri, Colm Tóibin, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Lorrie Moore, and more. This year's Charleston Literary Festival will run at Dock Street Theatre in Downtown Charleston from November 7–16, 2025.
Visit www.charlestonliteraryfestival.com for more information.
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SOURCE: Charleston Literary Festival
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