Education Grants within the Malta Book Fund

In a bid to enhance the book culture and the quality of publications in Malta, the Malta Book Fund includes education grants with a maximum fund of 5,000 euros for each project.  These grants are meant to finance travel, lodging and participation fees for authors and publishers wishing to attend short courses or educational initiatives related to their field of work. Such activities can include workshops, seminars, conferences and training sessions on different aspects of the book industry.

The eligibility criteria, including those describing the types of courses, have been left deliberately open-ended so as to be as inclusive as possible of different types of initiatives. It is up to the applicant to provide detailed information and a written description of the project, attesting to the educational value of the project and its relevance to the local book industry.  Areas of interest can include editorial skills, book marketing, creative writing, character creation and development, book illustration, translation studies and much more.

An appendix has been provided in the main page of the Fund on the NBC website with a sample list of short courses, writers’ retreats, workshops and seminars. However, this list is neither binding nor exhaustive. It is only meant to give an idea of the wide range of initiatives that are open to funding under the Malta Book Fund.

Having said that, it should be noted that regulations still apply and each application will undergo rigorous scrutiny by the adjudication board. Preference will be given to authors and publishers who give reasonable justification of both the intrinsic value of the project and of its practical value to a particular project they happen to be working on at the moment.

Applications, which can be downloaded here, have to be duly filled in and handed to the NBC by not later than 29 September 2017. For any questions related to the Fund, applicants should write to John Grech at john.f.grech@gov.mt. They can also call on  +356 27131574 to secure an appointment if they prefer to discuss the eligibility of their project in more detail.