Room to Write

Room to Write is a new literary award developed by Hay Festival, in partnership with Airbnb, designed to support UK-based writers at a critical stage in the creation of new books.

The award recognises that time, space, and a change of environment are essential to fuel creativity and are often inaccessible to writers due to financial or personal constraints.

The 8 selected writers will be awarded an Airbnb coupon worth £1,500, enabling them to stay in a UK location of their choosing that best supports focused, uninterrupted writing. Whether that’s a quiet rural retreat, a coastal escape, or a city with literary resonance, the chosen space becomes the writer’s “room” – both literal and imaginative.

Rooted in Hay Festival’s commitment to nurturing contemporary writing and Airbnb’s mission to enable meaningful travel and connection, Room to Write champions creativity, and the importance of place in storytelling.

Room to Write seeks to enable UK-based writers to make significant progress on a new book (at any stage beyond initial idea) by removing barriers related to time, place and cost and welcomes applications from:

Elgibility

UK-based published* writers of fiction or non-fiction or poetry aged 18+
Published Writers in the early stages of their careers who are seeking time, space, and support to begin building a sustainable professional pathway
Published Mid-career writers who may be encountering creative, financial, or structural challenges with their next publication and would benefit from focused support to progress their work
Established and published writers who feel they have reached a natural limit within a particular genre, form, or language, and who face barriers in achieving a meaningful step change in their practice
Applications will be assessed on the strength of the proposed work and the impact that dedicated time and a change of environment could have on the writer’s work, rather than on career stage alone.

*Applicants should have published at least 1 book - either through a publisher or an independently-published title. Poetry titles can include pamphlet or chapbook.

How to Apply

Please fill out the digital application form .

The application will ask for the following:

Please provide a description of your work and explain how a change of place or space will support its development (Max: 500 words)
A short writing sample (Max: 500 words)
Brief writer biography (Max: 200 words).

Assessment Criteria

The judging panel will be made up of established, award-winning voices from across the literary and cultural landscape, alongside senior representatives from Hay Festival and Airbnb

Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria:

Clarity and ambition of the proposed piece of work and thoughtful engagement with the concept of place/space support
Quality and originality of the writing
The need described by the entrant
Only applications via the digital application form will be accepted. Late applications and postal applications will not be considered.

Deadline for submissions is Sunday 31 May at 12pm.

A Statement on AI

This opportunity is for creative writers, so we would kindly ask that you use your own personal expression and writing skills to respond to the questions and not AI. All applications will be personally assessed by the assessment panel.

Award Offer

The 8 selected winners will each receive:

A £1,500 Airbnb coupon that can be spent on listings in the UK
An editorial feature on Hay Festival digital platforms

FAQs

What do you mean by significant progress? Do I have to complete the work?

Significant progress is deliberately flexible, you’re not expected to finish a book

What it means in practice is:

making a meaningful step forward on a book-length project that’s already underway
using the time and space to focus in a way that’s hard to manage otherwise

That could look like:

drafting a substantial section
revising or restructuring an existing draft
developing the voice, form, or direction of a book
moving the project from an early stage into something more solid

Completion isn’t required – the emphasis is on momentum, focus, and development, not a finished manuscript. When applying, it’s enough to explain what stage your project is at now and what you realistically hope to move forward during the Airbnb stay

What publication examples do you accept?

Applicants must provide evidence of publication in print. Accepted genres are fiction, non-fiction and poetry and may include independently published titles. Please note that this award is not intended for stage or screen scriptwriters or graphic novelists.

When will I know if my application has been successful?

We will contact the successful applicants on or before 15 June 2026

If I am unsuccessful, will I receive feedback?

Unfortunately, due to the anticipated high volume of applications we will not be able to provide individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Where can I use the Airbnb coupon?

The coupon will be placed on your Airbnb account for you to use towards an Airbnb listing of your choice across the UK.

Terms and Conditions

Open to UK residents over 18 years of age
Each writer may submit only one entry.
Entries must be received via the online form before 12pm (BST) 31 May 2026
All proposals must be an original work of the applicant and must not infringe the rights, including intellectual property rights, of any other party. Hay Festival and Airbnb accepts no liability for the submissions of entrants. Applicants agree to fully indemnify Hay Festival and Airbnb against any claims by any third party arising from a breach of these rules.
Selection of the winning writers remains the decision of the panel. The outcome of the decision is final. There will be no recourse to appeal if entries have not been successful.
The winners will be required to create an Airbnb account to accept the award.
The winners will need to cover the cost of their travel to their selected Airbnb listing and all living expenses whilst at the Airbnb listing.
Each winner will receive an Airbnb coupon worth £1,500 to be used within 12 months of the winners announcement
The Airbnb coupon can only be used on UK properties
The Airbnb coupon is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash
Full terms and conditions of Airbnb – including the application of Airbnb coupon – will apply to the award.
The winners agree to take part in publicity which may be requested by Airbnb, including photography and filming during their Airbnb stay (at no cost to the winner) and grant Airbnb and Hay Festival the right to use the resulting content (including name and likeness) for promotional purposes.
Hay Festival and Airbnb reserve the right to cancel or alter the scheme at any stage if deemed necessary, and if circumstances arise outside its control. In this event, a notice will be posted on www.hayfestival.org/room-to-write
Hay Festival, as data controller, is responsible for handling personal data provided to Hay Festival, in accordance with data protection law. Hay Festival has a legitimate interest in using the personal data for journalistic, artistic and literary purposes and in the public interest and in using the personal data for the performance of the contract with Hay Festival and Airbnb. For more information visit https://www.hayfestival.org/legal
Hay Festival reserves the right to disqualify any entrant which breaches, or is suspected of breaching, any of these terms and conditions or whose entry or conduct may bring Hay Festival or Airbnb into disrepute.
Employees, trustees, board members and immediate family members of Hay Festival Foundation and Airbnb are not eligible to apply for this award.
By entering this Competition, you warrant and represent that:
1. you are at least 18 years of age
2. you have full legal capacity and authority to enter into and be bound by these Terms and Conditions;
3. you are not subject to any legal or regulatory restriction which would prevent you from participating in the Competition or accepting a Prize; and
4. all information you provide in connection with your entry is true, accurate and complete.