We’re seeking London-based writers, poets, artists, arts and community organisations to apply to be part of the 2027 Deptford Literature Festival programme.
Deptford Literature Festival celebrates the diversity and creativity of Deptford and Lewisham through words, stories and performance. We are looking for three events to add to the Deptford Literature Festival Programme, created by writers, poets, artists, and arts/community organisations based in London, preferably in the London borough of Lewisham.
Each chosen event or activity will have access to a budget of up to £750 to make their event happen.
These activities could include: writing workshops, readings, community engagement, performances, talks, walks, participatory sessions, cross-arts activity, local heritage activity, or any literature-related activity that you think will connect with our audiences. Our festival audience is predominantly local to the festival, and broadly reflects the population of Deptford and Lewisham.
The stipulations for your activity are that:
- It takes place on Saturday 20 March 2027 as part of the Deptford Literature Festival
- Is literature based
- We also have a strong preference toward artists and organisations based in Deptford and Lewisham, and/or for activity with a clear connection to the area
The festival will be able to offer:
- Commission fee of up to £750, to cover all your costs
- Space at Deptford Lounge to host commissioned activity. This would be free of charge, and not need to be included in your budget. Alternatively, your activity can take place in another location/s in Deptford. If this is the case, please let us know whether you have approached the venue/s to confirm if they’d be willing to participate, and ensure you factor any venue hire costs into your £750 budget
- Marketing and communications support through the festival's marketing channels, mailing list and a festival programme. NB as a result of this, proposals don’t need to include marketing, print or associated costs in their budget
- Ticketing and booking management
- Staff/volunteers to support audience management during the event itself
To apply, please submit a proposal of no more than 2 sides of A4, OR an audio or video file of no longer than 8 minutes. The proposal should include:
- Brief information about you/ your organisation
- Links to examples of your previous work
- An outline of your idea and how you plan to deliver it
- A brief budget outlining your costs/ fees
- Planned location/ venue for your activity and whether this is confirmed (see note below),
- Any technical considerations
- Description of how your activity will engage audiences in Deptford and Lewisham
- Who it is for / what sort of audience you think you’ll engage
- Please note we can offer space at Deptford Lounge to host commissioned activity. Alternatively, your activity can take place at other locations in Deptford. Please state in your proposal the planned location. If you are not planning on using Deptford Lounge, please let us know whether you have approached the venue(s) to confirm if they’d be willing to participate, and ensure that you factor any venue hire costs into your budget
Deadline: 10am on Friday 27 November 2026
Commissions will be decided by a panel of the festival producers and applicants will hear back by Friday 11 December. The festival producers reserve the right to amend the terms of the open call depending on funds available and other operational considerations.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact festival@londonwriterscentre.org.uk
Please use this form to apply to a text submission to The London Writers Awards 2027. Everything you need to complete your application is contained in this form. If you intend to apply with an audio/video submission, please go back to https://spreadtheword.submittable.com/submit and click on the correct form.
The deadline for applications is 9.00pm on Tuesday 3rd November 2026. Applications received after this time and date will not be accepted.
Please read the application pack for terms and conditions, eligibility criteria, information on bursaries and the access fund, and our FAQ before you apply. You can find them here: https://www.londonwriterscentre.org.uk/project/london-writers-awards/
If you have further questions, please email: bobby@londonwriterscentre.org.uk. We aim to respond to queries within three working days.
Please use this form to apply to an audio/video submission to The London Writers Awards 2027. Everything you need to complete your application is contained in this form. If you intend to apply with an audio/video submission, please go back to https://spreadtheword.submittable.com/submit and click on the correct form.
The deadline for applications is 9.00pm on Tuesday 3rd November 2026. Applications received after this time and date will not be accepted.
Please read the application pack for terms and conditions, eligibility criteria, information on bursaries and the access fund, and our FAQ before you apply. You can find them here: https://www.londonwriterscentre.org.uk/project/london-writers-awards/
If you have further questions, please email: bobby@londonwriterscentre.org.uk. We aim to respond to queries within three working days.