Applications for the New India Foundation Book Fellowship open on August 15, 2026.
The Fellowship is now an annual program, with applications opening every year on August 15 — India’s Independence Day, and a fitting application opening date for a fellowship dedicated to understanding modern India. Applications for this thirteenth round will be accepted for three months, closing on November 15, 2026.
Open to Indian citizens, including those currently living abroad, each Fellowship carries a grant of ₹18,00,000 (eighteen lakh rupees). In addition to the stipend, Fellows receive in-house editorial support, access to some of the country’s leading writers and thinkers, and guidance through to publication.
The NIF Book Fellowship is a writing fellowship open to both debut and established authors. There is no age limit. Fellows are expected to write deeply researched, original books oriented toward publication. Applications should set out a clear roadmap to that goal and show how far the proposed work has already progressed.
NIF welcomes proposals across all nonfiction themes and genres, with a single requirement: that the work contribute to a fuller understanding of contemporary India. Fellows may choose to write reportage, an academic study, or a memoir, on subjects spanning economics, society, politics, or culture. Proposed books may be tightly focused — an account of a single decade, a single city, or a single individual — or wide-ranging, offering a countrywide sweep.
Shortlisted candidates will be informed in March 2027, and interviews will be held in June 2027. The thirteenth round of Fellowships will begin in August 2027. Applications for the fourteenth round will open on August 15, 2027.
“For over two decades, the NIF Book Fellowship has supported writers whose work enriches our understanding of post-independence India. For our thirteenth round, we are keen to welcome applicants with ambitious ideas and a commitment to deep research.”
— Niraja Gopal Jayal, Governing Board Member, New India Foundation
The NIF Book Fellowship builds the intellectual infrastructure of India, supporting writers who are researching and writing ambitious, original books on the country since independence.
“The Fellowship is dedicated to upholding rigorous, original thinking about contemporary India. We look forward to supporting the next set of books that will shape how we understand this country and add enduring perspectives to India’s nonfiction landscape.”
— Srinath Raghavan, Governing Board Member, New India Foundation
To find out more and to apply, visit: www.newindiafoundation.org
