The Second Act Story Workshop is a live, small-group workshop exclusively for writers over fifty. Apply now.
If you’re a writer over fifty and tired of the “40 and Under” lists, you might be happy to know that there are grants, awards, and publishing opportunities that cater exclusively to older writers. I discovered many of these while conducting research for the post Becoming a Writer Later in Life. When I published that post, I had no idea how much it would strike a chord with readers. Dozens of writers responded to tell me about the novels, memoirs, and story collections they wrote and published in their fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties.
I wanted to share a few of those stories with you here, along with a list of grants, awards, and publishing opportunities for older writers.
You’ve likely heard of the novel Lilac Girls, which was a New York Times bestseller. Author Martha Hall Kelly wrote:
I published my debut novel Lilac Girls when I was 59. I didn’t think anyone would read it but two million copies sold later...still can’t believe it. I thought my career days were over but thank God I took the leap. (See Martha’s comment here).
Sue Reed wrote:
I always promised myself I would 'be a writer' by the time I was 60! First book, The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn published at 63…As older writers we bring so much to the table: life experiences, rich detail, memories and stories galore.
Polymath (Jim Wolper) wrote:
My first chapbook will be published this year. I am 70. When I finished my academic career (Mathematics professor) I decided that since I had been in school all my life it was time not to retire but to graduate and start my real career.
Michael Elliott wrote:
Signed my first book contract on my 50th birthday. It’s never “too late” for anything.
Ann E. McCLOSKEY wrote:
I started writing a memoir at age 66. It was published when I was 68. I had never done any creative non-fiction writing previously. I had a story to tell, I was newly retired, and there was a pandemic happening. I discovered that I had a talent for writing, something j had never known before. Now I write on Substack, weekly. I find this very gratifying at age 70!
Marian Beaman wrote:
I wrote my first memoir at age 78, my second at 82. Still writing.
One of the comments came from a writer whose work I’ve admired for years. More than a decade ago, I selected the story “Mayan Calendar” by Neal Allen as the winner of the Flash in the Attic contest for Fiction Attic Press. (The story appeared in the anthology Flash in the Attic: 33 Very Short Stories.) Neal wrote:
First book published at 65, second at 68, third due out March 17. I’ll be 70.
Neal’s forthcoming book, co-authored with his wife Anne Lamott, is Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences, and it’s available for pre-order now.
Janice Okoh wrote:
I love this. Thank you. I’m a late-in-life novelist - debut to be published in 2027, and no one bats an eyelid in this industry. It’s all about the story.
And I loved this insight by Phillip Daigle, of The Unread Shelf by Phillip Daigle:
At 20, we assume we have all the time in the world but no stories worth telling. At 60, we have decades of stories but worry we've missed our chance. The irony is that the doubt itself proves you understand what good writing requires—something to say that matters.
Remember, it’s great to be a debut author, whether you’re 30 or 70.
And, for a bit of practical inspiration, here are twelve grants and awards for writers over 50.
Passager Books publishes a literary journal, as well as story collections, poetry collections, and book-length memoirs by U.S. writers aged fifty and older. View their submission guidelines for information on submitting to Passager Journal. They accept book queries exclusively from writers who have published in the journal.
Submit your poem, flash fiction, short story, or novel to the Bridport Prize Never Too Late Award by May 31st, 2025. (To submit a novel, you must be from the UK or live in the UK.)This contest is open to writers who are at least sixty years old at the time of entry. According to the website, “this award aims to recognise success over sixty and a ‘never give up’ resilience that is the mainstay of writers.” The winner receives £500 and publication in the Bridport Prize Anthology.
Learn more about the Bridport Prize Never Too Late Award.
Since 2004, the Older Writers Grant has been awarded annually to writers who are at least fifty years of age at the time of application to assist such writers who are just beginning their careers as speculative fiction writers.
The winning poet receives $1,000, publication by Two Sylvias Press, and twenty copies of the book.
The contest is open to writers who have no more than one published book/chapbook. Poets with no previously published book/chapbook are welcome to enter.
Please submit an original, unpublished full-length manuscript of poetry (no translations or previously self-published books). Individual poems may have been previously published in journals, magazines, anthologies, and chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.
The deadline is December 31, 2025.
This award for unpublished writers in the UK over the age of 50 includes a cash prize, and, even better, “a week’s residential course at Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s Creative Writing Centre. Shortlist runners-up will be offered tailored mentoring.”
Writers don’t have to win first place to benefit from this award. Jenny Brown is a respected literary agency, and several of the shortlisted books for the Debut Writers Over 50 have landed publishing contracts.
The prize will go to an unpublished LGBTQ writer over 50 working in any genre. The award includes a cash prize of $5,000.
Writers may have bylines for short stories and essays, but may not have published a book or have a book contract.
This hefty prize of 10,000 British pounds is awarded annually to a writer who published their first book over the age of 50. The book must have been published in the previous calendar year. (The 2025 deadline has not yet been announced.)
The National League of American Pen Women, Inc. awards three grants of $1,000 each in art, letters, and music to women 35 years of age or older who are not now nor ever have been a member of NLAPW. Entry period is in early fall of every odd year.
A prize of $2,000 is awarded every other year to a US poet over 70 who has not published a book-length of poetry.
The prize was established in 2018 by the Morgenthau children to honor their father Henry Morgenthau III, who began writing poetry in his 90s
Hosking Houses Trust provides residencies of two to four weeks to women writers over forty. The resident lives and writers in a cottage in the village of Clifford Chambers, in Stratford-upon-Avon. Note that this residency is not open to unpublished writers.
We support recognised women writers, artists and creative practitioners, usually over the age of 40, who face some kind of need in the continued development of their work.
As older writers and editors, we feel the literary world is still skewed towards younger writers. It’s not impossible to start your writing career at an older age (look at our about us page!) but we’re more likely to be seen as a curiosity than the ‘next big thing’. There is so much creativity and innovation in later life that there has to be a place for it. That’s why Thin Skin was born.
Persimmon Tree is “a showcase for the creativity and talent of women over sixty.”
We are looking for work that reveals rich experience and a variety of perspectives. Each issue of the magazine will include several fiction and nonfiction pieces, poetry by one or more poets, and the work of one or more visual artists. The magazine is published quarterly.
We believe that at this time in a woman’s life we begin to surge, to come into our own. We believe experience speaks for itself, that by fifty we’ve accumulated enough courage to revel in our talents. We publish three issues a year—Winter, Spring/Summer, Fall—and want to read poems that surprise and illuminate, that are genuine, that have momentum and play with language.
If you enjoyed this post, you might be a good candidate for Second Act Story Workshop, my live workshop exclusively for writers over 50. Enrollment is limited to 8. Apply here.
As always, happy writing!
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