- Bulgaria
Residency
Women in the Mountains
Residency 2026
The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation invites applications for the fourth edition of Women in the Mountains — a residency for women writers from Bulgaria and other countries in Europe, to be held amid the green tranquility of the mountain town of Chepelare, Bulgaria, from August 1 to 10, 2026.
The residency is designed to provide time and space for deep creative work, professional and cross-cultural exchange, socialization, and support. It also seeks to address challenges commonly faced by women writers, such as the undervaluing of writing as a profession, the perception of literature by women as less valuable, and the cultural expectation that women prioritize caregiving over their creative pursuits.
Conditions of funding
- prose (fiction)
- creative nonfiction
- poetry
- drama
- two priority places for authors living under war conditions, as well as refugee authors
- one place for a Lithuanian author (provided by the Union of Lithuanian Writers*)
- one residency place supported by the Goethe-Institut Sofia
- private accommodation in the town of Chepelare, the green heart of the Rhodopes
- full board for the duration of the residency
- coverage of all transportation expenses
- group meetings with mentors
- group activities for spirit and body
- organized mountain hikes and an alpine zip-line experience
- participation in a literary reading
- social stipends for participants with additional needs**
Proficiency in English is not mandatory, but a conversational level is recommended for full engagement. Priority will be given to applicants who have not previously attended an artist residency.
*Lithuanian applicants should submit their applications in Lithuanian to Rasa Bagdonavičienė, Secretary of the Board of the Lithuanian Writers' Union, at valdyba@rasytojai.lt.
**The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation reserves the right not to award social stipends in the absence of suitable applicants.
- Short biography (up to 200 words) – submitted in English.
- Motivation letter (up to 400 words), submitted in English.
- Residency work plan (up to 400 words), submitted in English.
- Original writing sample: Between 15 and 35 standard pages for all genres. The minimum requirement is 15 pages in a single genre. Submitted in the language in which the author works.
- A short excerpt (up to 1,500 words or 4–5 standard pages) in English is required for authors writing in languages other than English.
- Links to publications (if available).
Technical requirements
- font: Times New Roman
- 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing
- .doc/.docx file
- one standard prose page equals 1,800 characters including spaces
- for poetry submissions, the minimum requirement is 15 pages, regardless of the number of characters or words per page
Applications will be reviewed by a panel from the Goethe‑Institut Glasgow and external experts. Selected candidates will be notified by 18 March via email.
Next application deadline
Information about the selection results will be sent by email no later than June 1, 2026. The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation will notify all applicants, regardless of the outcome. Neither the Foundation nor the jury is obligated to provide individual feedback.
