2026 Moondancer Fellowship

Nature, Environment, and the Human Connection

The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) invites applications for the 2026 Moondancer Fellowship, celebrating writers who give voice to the natural world and address pressing environmental concerns. Whether you write poetry, fiction, essays, plays, screenplays, memoirs, or columns, this fellowship offers the space and support to bring your project to life.

Applications open September 1, 2026, and close October 31, 2026. Following a judging period in November, the fellowship recipient will be announced in December 2026.

Prior publication is not required. We look for work rooted in insight, authenticity, literary merit, and a strong artistic vision.

The selected fellow will enjoy a dedicated two-week residency designed for uninterrupted creative focus. You will stay in a private suite featuring a queen-sized bed, private bath, separate workspace, and wireless internet.

To help you focus fully on your craft, we provide home-cooked dinners six nights a week in our community dining room, access to a fully stocked kitchen for other meals, and the warm camaraderie of a vibrant community of fellow writers.

The Moondancer Fellowship is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the late Elise Roenigk, a longtime WCDH board member, given in loving memory of her husband, Marty. WCDH is honored to carry their legacy forward through the writers this fellowship supports.

Fellowship Application

PLEASE NOTE: We encourage you to save your progress as you work, or to prepare your materials offline before entering them into the application form.

To ensure a fair and thoughtful review process, only applications that are fully completed and follow the provided guidelines will be considered.

Judging for the fellowship is conducted blindly to ensure fairness and objectivity. Judges do not have access to contact information, evaluating submissions solely on their literary merit. Contact details are reserved for office use only to notify applicants of their status or request missing information.

Eligibility: Open to U.S. citizens and legal residents age 18 or older writing in any genre that focuses on nature or the environment. Writers at any career stage are welcome to apply; no degree or publication history is required. Past Moondancer Fellowship recipients are eligible to reapply after a five-year waiting period (subject to a lifetime cap of two awards). Employees, board members, and their immediate families are ineligible.

Accessibility & Accommodations: The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow is committed to making the Moondancer Fellowship accessible to all qualified writers. If you need an accommodation to complete this application — for a disability, a temporary limitation, or any other accessibility reason — contact fellowships@writerscolony.org before the October 31, 2026 deadline, and we'll work with you to find a solution. This includes alternate formats for application materials, extended time, or help navigating the online form. Contact made on or after the October 31, 2026, deadline will not be eligible to apply.

2. Project Description

Describe your proposed project and how it connects to nature, the environment, or the human connection to the natural world. Tell us what you're working on, the environmental story or theme at its heart, the form it will take: poetry, fiction, essay collection, memoir, screenplay, or other.

Do not include any identifying information in this section (including your name).

3. Residency Impact

Do not include any identifying information in this section (including your name).

How would dedicated time at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow and the residency experience benefit your creative or professional work?

4. Platform & Reach

Do not include any identifying information in this section (including your name).

Describe your platform and reach. Include your blog, newsletter, social media channels, podcast, publications, or other outlets. Share follower counts or subscriber numbers where relevant, and describe how you plan to share your residency experience during or after your stay.

7. Community Outreach

Fellowship recipients are expected to share their skill set through a community service project. We offer options both remote and in-person: an environmental writing workshop, a reading, a nature-inspired presentation, a school visit, a talk to a civic or cultural group, participation as a judge in a future fellowship, or another engagement that fits your unique strengths.

Upon acceptance, we will work with you to identify the right opportunity and set up a venue and schedule where your talents and gifts can inspire others. Whenever possible, you will receive written notification of the outreach plan before you arrive.

Please describe your ideal audience for your community outreach project (by interest, profession, or age group), and share the type of event you'd feel most comfortable leading — such as a writing workshop, reading, school visit, or civic talk.

10. Demographics Information

(optional)

The following questions are optional and voluntary.

Demographic information is collected solely to help the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow assess the reach and inclusivity of the Moondancer Fellowship and to support our ongoing commitment to equitable access for all writers.