Estonia

Residency
Literature Residency Tartu

From 27th April to 7th June, 2026 the Goethe-Institut Tallinn, the German Cultural Institute Tartu and the Prima Vista Literature Festival will host a residency in the UNESCO City of Literature Tartu for a writer or illustrator living in the UNESCO Cities of Literature Bremen or Heidelberg. This program offers accommodation in Tartu for 6 weeks, as well as travel and a stipend. Additionally, a second candidate will be selected from the applications for a travel grant to attend the Prima Vista Festival.

For the resident writer or illustrator, there is also the opportunity to visit the Head Read Literature Festival in Tallinn, which also takes place during the residency period. In May 2026, Tartu will host the annual conference of all UNESCO Cities of Literature during the Prima Vista Festival – another opportunity for the selected authors from Bremen and Heidelberg to network effectively on an international level.

Literature
to: 11.01.2026

Raekoja plats, the center of the Tartu Old Town in Tartu © Jacques Bopp, Unsplash.com

Conditions of Funding

German-speaking authors and illustrators with at least one professional and independent book publication can apply. The applicants' place of residence and work should be within the vicinity of one of the two UNESCO Cities of Literature, Heidelberg or Bremen. Unfortunately, applications from Estonian citizens cannot be accepted.

The residency scholarship includes:

free accommodation in a one-room flat at the German Cultural Institute in Tartu from 27th April to 7th June,
an allowance of 1,200 euros, provided by the Goethe-Institut Tallinn,
a one-time reimbursement of costs for the journey to and from Tartu (slow travel by train and bus is possible), provided by the sending UNESCO City of Literature Bremen or Heidelberg.

The travel grant awarded in the second step, funded by the sending city, includes:

a one-time reimbursement of costs for the journey to and from Tartu (slow travel by train and bus is possible),
accommodation in Tartu during the festival period 11-16 May 2026 (max. 7 nights),
an expense allowance of €200.

The scholarship holders are responsible for their own insurance (health insurance, accident and liability insurance, etc.).

From all applications for the writes-in-residence programme, two scholarship recipients will be selected. First, the resident writer or illustrator will be determined. The second step is the selection for the travel grant. A jury of the participating program partners (Goethe-Institut Tallinn, German Cultural Institute Tartu, Prima Vista Literature Festival, UNESCO Cities of Literature Heidelberg, Bremen and Tartu) decides on the grants based on the quality and relevance of the residency project submitted for the stay in Tartu. It is expected that the letter of motivation refers to Tartu and Estonia.

Applications for the travel grant alone are not accepted. There is no right of appeal.

Informal letter of motivation that refers to Tartu and describes of the residency project for the stay (in German, max. 1 page)
CV with contact details and list of previous publications
Writing sample (If AI was used, this must be indicated.)

Optionally you can include:

Reference letter

Next application deadline

Application documents are to be sent by e-mail by 11th January, 2026 to: markus.koecher@goethe.de

The selected persons will be notified by 11th February, 2026.

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