National Writing Squad Opens Applications for 2026–2027
Aimed at 16–18-year-olds, the initiative offers a unique opportunity for emerging talent to develop their writing skills, connect with professional mentors, and become part of a dynamic creative community.
Whether writing in English, Welsh, or bilingually, applicants don’t need formal experience – just a passion for storytelling and a commitment to their craft.
Deadline for applications: Monday 15 December 2025
What’s on offer?
Successful applicants will:
- Work closely with published authors and creative mentors.
- Participate in exclusive workshops, residencies, and literary events.
- Share their work with peers and industry professionals.
- Build confidence and discover their unique writing voice.
How to apply
To apply, visit our National Writing Squad project page and complete the short online form.
Applicants are asked to submit a sample of their writing (up to 1000 words of prose or up to 10 poems) and a brief statement explaining why they’d love to join the Squad.
Please note places are limited and competition is expected to be high. The programme is designed to support Wales’ most promising young writers.
Help spread the word
Schools, youth organisations, libraries, and charities are encouraged to share this opportunity with young people in their networks.
Posters and flyers are available on request.
Leusa Llewelyn, Artistic Director of Literature Wales said:
“The Writing Squads model is tried and tested. For over twenty years, groups of talented children and young people have taken part in local development programmes, learning from some of the nation’s finest writers. Many former Squad members have gone on to become published authors and award winners, filling our bookshelves and now offering creative writing workshops of their own. We’re excited to expand the reach of the Writing Squads with this new national edition, and we’re delighted that the School of English, Communication and Philosophy at Cardiff University is partnering with us to support the delivery of this new programme, helping some of Wales’ next literary stars pen their .”
Writer Francesca Reece was a member of the Denbighshire Writing Squad in her teenage years. Her novel, Glass Houses (Tinder Press) was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year 2025, and in October 2025 it was announced that her third novel has been acquired by Serpent’s Tail and will be published in spring 2027. Francesca said:
“I’m so thrilled to see the launch of a national Writing Squad. Being a part of the squad in the early 2000s altered the course of my life. It was so wonderful to be part of a community of young people who were passionate about literature and writing, and I still use some of the advice and tricks that I learnt at the workshops today. Above all, it was so important for me to have met the writers that we worked with, to have had my work taken seriously, and to see that writing as a career – as well as a compulsion – was something tangible and possible.”
This programme is supported by Arts & Business Cymru’s Culture Step Programme and delivered in partnership with Cardiff University’s School of English, Communication and Philosophy.