What is the Fellowship?
The Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship is not a residency.It is a unique opportunity to give a talented Scotland-based writer a year of time to explore, reflect upon and write their response to the specific theme, UNFOLDING Scotland.
Where is the Fellowship based?
This is a Scotland wide project, and the writer can be based anywhere in Scotland, for example where the Fellow is based. DG Unlimited is based in Dumfries and Galloway and we are honoured to host the Fellowship this year, and we extend a warm welcome and invitation to the Fellow to spend time in our beautiful region, but it is not a requirement of the Fellowship to stay in Dumfries and Galloway. The awarded Fellow will work with us and some of our key partners to plan their year and until then there are no pre-determined plans for the Fellow, only the invitation to work with us to explore the vibrant and unique culture of Scotland in its many forms and specific to UNFOLDING Scotland.
What does UNFOLDING Scotland mean?
UNFOLDING Scotland is a bold, contemporary reflective exploration of what it means to be Scottish in the twenty-first century. We are a nation whose identity is still being written, revealed, and understood: Unfolded. With the support of the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship, DG Unlimited will support an established writer to interpret Scotland as a living, evolving work of creative imagination, shaped by our many diverse cultures, languages, and histories. The project invites creative and contemporary literary reflection and dialogue in the Fellow’s literary style on belonging, our diversity, and the stories which define, shape and influence our ever-evolving shared sense of who we are.
The theme UNFOLDING Scotland asks the Fellow to consider what Scotland’s culture is in the 21st Century, what it looks like and what it means to all of us and to use their writing skills to create a literary response.
Do I need to move to Dumfries and Galloway if I am awarded the Fellowship?
No, although DG Unlimited is hosting the award you don’t have to move to Dumfries and Galloway. We will provide pastoral support to the fellow throughout the year and there will be opportunities for connecting with key partners and groups around the region, across the south of Scotland, and across Scotland if the Fellow is interested in taking up these opportunities that we can offer. If the Fellow wishes to visit Dumfries and Galloway and stay for a short time, we will be delighted to welcome them and to assist them with their visit but there is no expectation to be based here for the whole Fellowship year or for any specific period. We do hope that you will take up our invitation to visit the region and take part in key events throughout the year, and these will be shared with the Fellow once the Fellowship is awarded.
Do I need to be from Dumfries and Galloway or Scotland to apply?
No, the Gavin Wallace Fellowship is open to any established writer who is a resident of Scotland, living permanently anywhere in Scotland and who is a UK resident or UK citizen.
What should my application include?
Please send us your proposal including your ideas for the year as a Fellow and how you would respond to the theme, UNFOLDING Scotland. Please also send us your CV and a sample of your published writing. We want to get to know you through your writing style and ideas, and to understand how you as a writer are inspired by the theme and the opportunities the Fellowship provides. How will you look beneath the surface to glimpse the real Scotland and Scottish culture? And how would you explore the wide array of cultures and people who call Scotland home?
Am I required to run workshops during the year?
No, you are not required to deliver any workshops or project activity. This fellowship provides the Fellow with the opportunity to have space and time to write and hone their literary craft and develop their ideas while responding to the theme. This is a unique and precious opportunity and is a rare one only offered by the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship thanks to Creative Scotland. We won’t tell you what you need to do and how to do it, we are here to support you, to provide pastoral care, and to help link you to key groups and organisations that you may be interested in meeting or talking to – right across Scotland.
How long is the fellowship period?
The Fellowship lasts for one year starting from the chosen Fellow’s acceptance and agreed commencement of the Fellowship which will be on an agreed date in March 2026.
What is the stipend or financial support provided?
The Fellowship stipend of £24,000 will be paid in instalments throughout the year, and this schedule of payments will be agreed with the Fellow once they have formally accepted the Fellowship.
What do you mean by “established writer”?
You should have at least one piece of your writing published. To be a published writer/author means your written work (a book, article or series of articles, etc.) has been professionally released and made available to the general public through a recognised publisher or media outlet moving your writing from a private document to something publicly accessible, edited, and distributed to readers by formal outlets, signifying a transition from private writing to professionally having your work shared.
What genres or forms of writing are eligible?
We invite applications from writers of fiction or creative nonfiction, hybrid writing, spoken word, and experimental or graphic fiction can apply. The Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship is not for screen writers or playwrights.
Will there be mentoring or editorial support?
No, the Fellow is not offered mentoring or editorial support specifically. The Creative Director of DG Unlimited, Tabi Mudaliar, herself a published writer, will provide pastoral care to the Fellow throughout their year and DG Unlimited will provide ongoing support as the host of the Fellowship for 2026. If the Fellow requires additional support, DG Unlimited will provide advice and guidance to the Fellow to help them access the support they need.
Can I apply if I am working on multiple projects?
This is entirely up to the applicant. There are no restrictions upon applications from writers who are either employed or self-employed. DG Unlimited acknowledges many of Scotland’s writers work in employed or freelance positions within the creative sector. The awarded Fellow has autonomy over how they schedule their year, but they will work with the DG Unlimited Creative Director to plan and agree milestones for their year of literary reflection, development, and writing.
How will applications be assessed?
Applications will be assessed by a panel made up of a representative of DG Unlimited, Creative Scotland, and a professional from Scotland’s literary landscape. The panel will be shared with writers invited to attend an interview. Applications will be scored on the basis of expressed ideas, responses to the theme, CVs and writing practice and experience.