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Victoria Amelina Fellowship Programme 2027: Open Call

Open Call 10 September 2026 Victoria Amelina Fellowship at INDEX
Victoria Amelina Fellowship Programme 2027: Open Call


INDEX is announcing the third open call for applications to the 2027 Victoria Amelina Fellowship Programme for non-fiction writers. Two scholarship recipients will spend January to March 2027 in Lviv, Amelina’s hometown, working on their own literary projects. The topics of their work must relate to the causes, consequences and realities of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

About the Victoria Amelina Fellowship Programme

The Victoria Amelina Fellowship is INDEX’s flagship commemorative and documentary programme, honouring Victoria Amelina—novelist, poet, founder of the New York Literary Festival, and war crimes researcher, killed by a Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk on 27 June 2023.

The Fellowship treats memory as a verb rather than a fixed record: it continues the documentation work Victoria Amelina engaged in, pursuing epistemic, historical and narrative justice through international dialogue. Its mission is to sustain and grow a cross-border community of creative nonfiction writers—Ukrainian and international—who document the causes and consequences of Russia’s invasion, continuing the pairing of international advocacy, literary value, and embedded documentation that defined Amelina’s own practice.

Following an open call for applications, the selection panel will choose two scholarship recipients—one from abroad and one from Ukraine. As part of the programme, they will receive:

  • accommodation in a modern flat in the centre of Lviv, equipped with emergency power supply batteries;

  • a workspace at the INDEX office;

  • a stipend of 50,000 UAH per month (for three months);

  • participation in seminars and workshops to discuss the project;

  • participation in a packed cultural and research programme in Lviv and other cities across Ukraine, organised by INDEX and our institutional partners;

  • if desired, a documentary trip to regions close to the front line (in collaboration with PEN Ukraine);

  • institutional visits to local cultural institutions;

  • networking and inclusion in the interdisciplinary INDEX community—authors and researchers from Ukraine and abroad;

  • a presentation at Victoria Day 2027—the programme’s annual closing event in Lviv, which strengthens ties between the international communities that Victoria Amelina was a part of (culture, memory, and the investigation of war crimes).

Expected outcomes of the programme:

  • A new work of non-fiction created by each Fellow (a completed book manuscript, libretto, collection of poetry, screenplay, etc.);

  • One essay or column for the INDEX journal ‘Narysy’, reflecting on their experience of participating in the programme.

The programme requires physical presence in Lviv and at possible public events that may take place during the programme in other cities. Personal travel during the programme is permitted, although there is an expectation that the Fellow will take part in all scheduled activities. Any absence from the programme lasting more than three weeks must be specifically mentioned in the application and confirmed with the organisers.

Who can apply?

Writers interested in the topic of human rights and in exploring the causes and consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine. At the time of application, the author must have at least one published book.

In 2025, the programme’s participants were Kateryna Iakovlenko and Eva Peek—read more about them via the link; in 2026—Lucy Fulford and Anna Gruver.

Partners

The Victoria Amelina Fellowship Programme is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation. Institutional support for INDEX is provided by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

The programme also involves organisations that Viсtoria Amelina created or contributed to during her lifetime.

Ukrainian partners of the programme: PEN Ukraine, The New York Literary Festival, Truth Hounds.

International partners of the programme: PEN International, Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

Media partner: Suspilne Culture

Selection Committee

Applications are assessed by Ukrainian and international selection committees, comprising the head of INDEX, a representative of Victoria Amelina’s family, representatives of partner institutions and independent experts.

Ukrainian selection committee

  • Head of INDEX Sasha Dovzhyk;
  • Representative of Victoria Amelina's family Oleksandr Amelin;
  • Member of the Executive Board of PEN Ukraine Tetyana Teren;
  • Representative of the New York Literary Festival Olha Rusina;
  • Coordinator of Educational and Strategic Projects at Truth Hounds Maryna Slobodyanyuk;
  • Director of the ‘Social Capital’ Programme at the International Renaissance Foundation Hryhoriy Baran;
  • Writer, historian Olena Stiazhkina.

International Selection Committee

  • Head of INDEX Sasha Dovyzyk;
  • Representative of Victoria Amelina's family Oleksandr Amelin;
  • Vice-President of PEN International Carles Torner;
  • Secretary-General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee Berit Lindeman;
  • Project Manager at the Ukrainian branch of the Robert Bosch Stiftung Julia Teek;
  • Writer, translator Yaryna Grusha;
  • Writer, chief culture writer at The Guardian Charlotte Higgins.

How to apply? 

Applicants must submit:

  • A short CV;

  • A motivation letter, which should include a one-page proposal for the project they plan to carry out during the fellowship, as well as a justification of the project’s relevance to the mission of the Fellowship Programme and the INDEX;

  • One published work (e.g. a chapter from a book, an essay or a collection of poems).

Application form for Ukrainian writers: https://forms.gle/HLnpMDpadzpNNT7v9 

Application form for international writers: https://forms.gle/zjEdgtsz4xvgs2NT9 

Selection Criteria

Applications are assessed by the Selection Committee against a shared rubric totalling 40 points across three categories:

  • Concept development (0–10) weighs how thought-through and substantiated the proposed project is. 

  • Quality (0–20, across four sub-criteria) assesses relevance to the Fellowship’s mission of documenting the roots and consequences of Russia’s war and deepening contextual knowledge about Ukraine; the uniqueness of the project relative to other work being proposed or carried out; the applicant’s qualifications and expertise as they relate to the local context and their potential benefit to the community; a further quality sub-criterion considers how much the applicant stands to gain from the Lviv residency itself, including access to local resources and connections. 

  • Impact (0–10) considers the likely audience for the project's outputs, in Ukraine and internationally. 

The rubric applies identically to both seats.

Decision

The winners will be contacted privately by 30 October 2026 to confirm their availability. If they do not accept the offer by 2 November, their seat is passed to the next shortlisted candidate.

Deadline: 22 October 2026

Winners to be announced: 30 October 2026

If you have any further questions, please contact us at: coordinator@index-ukraine.org 

Safety note: Given the risks associated with Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, foreign writers who decide to travel to Ukraine assume personal responsibility for their own safety; it is recommended that they take out travel insurance. INDEX accepts no liability for any emergencies that may arise during participants’ stay in the country.

This material has been prepared with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. It represents the views of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.

INDEX carries out its institutional activities with the support of the Robert Bosch Stiftung.