Retreat Dates and Location

The 2026 Writers Retreat will be held virtually from August 1-August 8, 2026.

Application Details

Applications to attend the 2026 Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ* Voices open on November 21, 2025 and close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on January 15, 2026 (updated to reflect deadline extension). 

You may apply to more than one workshop, however, each application must be submitted separately and requires an additional fee. The fee for each application is $30.00 and is processed through Submittable's online portal. If you wish to pay by cash or check please contact retreat@lambdaliterary.org. 

**We have given out all available fee waivers as of December 19, 2025. Please note that if you have emailed retreat@lambdaliterary.org requesting a fee waiver after that time, we are not able to offer one. 

[A limited number of application fee waivers are available for QTBIPOC** members of our community who have never attended the Writers Retreat before. 

To inquire about a fee waiver, email retreat@lambdaliterary.org confirming your eligibility as:

• A member of the QTBIPOC community
• Someone who has never attended the Retreat before.

You do not need to provide any other identifying information. Waivers are given out on a first-come-first serve basis. Secure yours sooner rather than later!] **ALL FEE WAIVERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN OUT AT THIS TIME. 

To Apply, Please Prepare

1. An artistic/biographical statement (max 500 words).

2. a writing sample matching the genre of the workshop you’re applying for:

• A writing sample in .DOC, .DOCX, or .PDF format. 
• For prose please double space and use a 12 point font. 
• For Screenwriting please use standardized scriptwriting format.
• The sample you apply with does not have to be the same sample you plan to workshop at the Retreat.
• Page limits per workshop:                                                                 
  • For Fiction, Nonfiction, Romantic Fiction, Speculative Fiction, and Young Adult Fiction: 15 pages maximum. This maximum applies to cross-genre samples as well as samples in verse.
  • For Playwriting and Screenwriting: 15 pages maximum from a full-length work, short play/script, or piece of theatre/film. This page limit includes dramatis personae/cast list/setting/description.
  • For Poetry: 8 pages maximum

      

3. Optional, not required for acceptance:

• Any publications of your work during the past two years, including anthologies, literary journals, magazines, websites, and books.
• Any other writing conferences, retreats, and workshops have you attended.
• Some scholarships, financial support, and additional opportunities require a scholarship statement (max 500 words).

Tuition, Scholarships, and Financial Support

Writers Retreat tuition is $1,100. 

Thanks to the support of individual and institutional donations, Lambda Literary has a robust scholarship and financial support program. Our scholarships, opportunities, and financial support programs are manuscript-, demographics-, and need-based. 

You may apply to as many scholarships and/or opportunities as you are eligible for. Ability to pay is in no way part of the decision-making process and does not have an impact on your application status. Scholarship and financial support application responses are only seen by Lambda Literary staff, and where noted, fellowship review committees. Responses are concealed from other reviewers including faculty members who make final decisions on all selected fellows.

In 2026, Fellows will no longer have to fundraise for their own tuition–Lambda Literary will provide financial support to those who need it. We are working hard to make our spaces as accessible as possible, and those who cannot pay their own way should not have to expend more time and energy just to attend. With this new plan, Lambda Literary will be offering financial support to make sure every accepted writer can attend, regardless of financial status.

Find all available scholarships, financial support information, and other opportunities in the application form.

Application Review and Status Notifications

Applications are reviewed in three stages by a panel of retreat alumni and Lambda staff. Reviewers are given comprehensive guidelines and a rubric to evaluate each application for craft, inventiveness, voice, and form. Within that, we strive to serve a variety of writers with varying backgrounds, ages, sexual orientations, genders, religions, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and localities.

In the first round of review, the top 50 fellowship candidates in each genre are identified. In the second round, the top 30 fellowship candidates in each genre are identified. In the third round of review, the genre-specific faculty member makes final decisions and chooses 12 fellows and 5 waitlist applicants out of the top 30 pool. Writers Retreat faculty make the final determinations regarding accepted and waitlisted applicants. All applicants will be notified of their application status in April 2026.  

Refund Policy

The $30.00 Writers Retreat application fee is nonrefundable. 

FAQ

Still have questions? Please review our Frequently Asked Questions and reach out to retreat@lambdaliterary.org if any queries are left unanswered.

Find out all details about the Virtual 2026 Writers Retreat on our website.

*Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and all emerging identities 

**Queer and Trans folks who are Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color

The Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction, established in memory of the beloved activist and author, honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming authors who are committed to nonfiction work that captures the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and/or history. The winner of the prize will have published at least one book and show promise in continuing to produce groundbreaking and challenging work. The award was introduced in 2018 and includes a cash prize of $2,500.

Eligibility
In order to be considered for the award, the applicant must:

• self-identify as lesbian/queer or trans/gender non-conforming;
• have written and published at least one book of nonfiction that captures the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and/or history;
• be of demonstrated ability and show promise for continued growth; and
• show meaningful engagement with LGBTQ literary communities.

Additional Information
The award is for a writer, not a book. The application must therefore focus on prior and ongoing writings, showing the author’s commitment to lesbian/queer nonfiction (including, but not limited to: memoir, biography, history, philosophy, and social justice genres and themes).

The applicant's contributions to the LGBTQ literary field beyond their writings and publications will also be considered. For example: reviewing LGBTQ literature, conducting relevant research, participating in LGBTQ literary events, contributing to LGBTQ journals and reviews, membership in online LGBTQ literary forums, etc.

The Denneny Award for Editorial Excellence is named in honor of Michael Denneny, who founded the first ever LGBTQ+ imprint at a major publishing house, was essential in the publishing of literature dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and so generously shared his talents with writers right up until the end of his life. The award will go to an editor whose commitment to the publication of LGBTQ+ writers and literature contributes significantly to the advancement of the LGBTQ+ community. The Denneny Award for Editorial Excellence is the only editorial award that not only recognizes the support provided by editors to the literary community, but also the importance of editors in the advancement of a social movement. The winner will receive a cash prize of $2,500.

Eligibility
 

• The award will go to an editor whose commitment to the publication of LGBTQ+  writers and literature contributes significantly to the advancement of the LGBTQ+  community. Candidates can work in any genre, be at any publication, and be at any stage of their career.
• Nominations for the Denneny Prize may be made by anyone. Submission materials will require that the applicant provide samples of the nominee’s work as well as a personal statement on how the nominee has impacted their work/life and why they should be awarded this prize.

Additional Information
This award is for an editor, not a specific piece of editorial work. Applicants’ contributions to the LGBTQ creative field beyond their writings and publications shall also be considered.

The prize recognizes an individual with an emerging career in Gender and Sexuality Studies research, writing, and publication. The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,500. 

Eligibility
In order to be considered for the award, the applicant must:
 

• submit a 1-page personal statement, bio of up to 300 words, and a writing sample.
• meet the prize's definition of "emerging" (see below)
  

Additional Information
The award is for a writer, not a specific title. 

“Emerging” is here defined as having authored and published fewer than two (2) substantial works of greater than 40,000 words on the topic or earning less than 20% of annual income from publication, promotions, or speaking engagements on gender studies.

The Pat Holt Prize for Critical Arts Writing is presented in memory of the celebrated author and long-time SF Chronicle book review editor Patricia Holt and honors LGBTQ Critical Writing on Arts & Literature. The award will go an LGBTQ arts critic or literary reviewer committed to examining queer works of art and culture, as Holt ground-breakingly did for 16 years. This award is made possible by Lesbians for Good, a fund of the Horizons Foundation, and includes a cash prize of $4,000.

Eligibility
In order to be considered for the award, the applicant must:

• The applicant must identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.
• In addition to a cover letter and CV/resume, applicants must submit three (3) samples illustrative of their critical or review work. Samples must be of work that is published in a publicly available print or online periodical.

Additional Information
This award is for an arts critic or reviewer, not an individual piece of criticism. Applicants’ contributions to the LGBTQ creative field beyond their writings and publications shall also be considered.