Eligibility

The program is designed to cater to emerging and established writers in all genres— fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essay, history, biography, and memoir—working on mountain narratives, environmental journalism, stories of adventure, or projects with an environmental theme. Participants will benefit most if they are comfortable working autonomously in an unstructured environment. The program suits those focused on: working on a specific project. creating new works. This program is run in English and only accepts projects that are being written in English. English is the language of Banff Centre correspondence. Applicants must be ages 18+ at the time of the program start date. Domestic and international applications are welcome.

Number of Participants

8

Deadline

May 28, 2025 06:00 UTC

Selection Results (Announcement Dates)

July 09, 2025 06:00 UTC

Duration

October 29, 2025 - November 18, 2025

Costs

• CA$65.00 application fee
• CA$5,734.00 program fee (one-time)

Facilities

Individual Studio, Library

Housing

Hotel

Meals

Dinner, Lunch

Public Programs

Discussion, Readings

Disciplines

Literature

Languages

English

Program Description

Mountain Writers Intensive is a three-week residency for writers working on mountain narratives, environmental journalism, stories of adventure, or projects with an environmental theme. Writers can work in any genre, and will enjoy dedicated writing time in a spectacular mountain setting, the communality of artistic peers, and support from renowned faculty. This program overlaps with the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival. This program will emphasize literary quality and the development of narrative. Writers will be encouraged to meet regularly with faculty and other participants to share work and projects for review. Writers will take part in scheduled workshops to: explore and learn the elements of a strong narrative hear topics related to mountain and wilderness writing receive feedback on unfinished work from faculty share best practices and ideas Writers will have access to uninterrupted writing time and a personal studio space. Scholarships available.