Applications for the 2025 Juniper Summer Writing Institute are open!
The scholarship application deadline is January 5, 2025.
The self-pay application deadline is February 5, 2025.
Juniper is an inclusive literary space that welcomes adult writers at all stages of their careers. Writers interested in participating must submit an application. Acceptance to the Institute is based upon the strength and promise of the writing sample and writer’s statement.
Eligibility
All Juniper Institute participants must be 21 years of age or older by the start of the program, June 15, 2025.
Applicants under the age of 18: please apply to the Juniper Institute for Young Writers, our companion program for high school students.
International writers are welcome to apply. However, due to the nature of the Institute, we are unable to issue supporting documentation for visas.
Your application’s writing sample should align with at least one of the Institute’s workshop genres. For 2025, we will offer workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.
Application Process
Applications are accepted online, and there is no application fee. See the sections below for detailed information about each part of the application process.
Application materials include:
- Writing sample
- Writer’s Statement
Writing Sample
The strength and promise of your writing sample is the most important component of your application. Send your best work; it needn’t be published, though published work is acceptable. Writing samples are comprised of:
- 5 pages of poetry (one poem per page) or
- up to 10 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction/memoir (double-spaced)
Samples should be saved in one document (doc, docx, pdf, rtf, or txt). Please include your name & email address as a header or footer in each page of the writing sample.
Workshop Preference
You will have the opportunity in your application form to indicate your first and second preferences for workshop placement. Although we can’t guarantee first choice placement, every effort will be made to accommodate your preferences.
Scholarships
To be considered for funding, mark the checkbox “I would like to be considered for a scholarship” on the Submittable application. All scholarship applicants are considered for our general pool Juniper scholarships. Please also check any additional scholarship boxes based on your eligibility and interest (e.g. Writers of Native Nations). To learn more about the scholarships we offer, head to our scholarships page.
Assessment
Applications are reviewed by our staff team and a group of outside readers. Admission decisions are made collaboratively by the committee of readers. Scholarship applications are reviewed by at least two readers, and award decisions are made on the basis of the strength and promise of the writing sample, the needs of the applicant, and (when applicable) the dissemination desires of the sponsors who fund each scholarship.
Notification
Admissions decisions will begin to be issued in waves after the application deadline, in late February. Your admission decision will come by Submittable message, which should send an email notification to your Submittable account’s associated email address. Please ensure your Submittable notification settings are correctly configured and check your email’s junk/spam; the email notification should come from notifications@email.submittable.com.
If you are offered acceptance, you must register with the $200 non-refundable tuition deposit (before taxes and fees) at the provided link or contact us within one week of notification. After one week, we will accept our next wave of applicants, and your preferred workshop and/or genre may fill to capacity quickly after that point in time. We are unable to hold your spot in your given genre without the non-refundable deposit. If you are planning to enroll but need time to gather the deposit funds or make other arrangements (e.g. child care, time off from work, transportation options) before making the deposit, please be in touch with us as soon as possible so that we can best assist you.
Scholarship notification comes by phone and email. If you are offered a scholarship, you must contact us (by phone or email) within one week with your decision to accept or decline the scholarship.