The Alpine Fellowship: Why you should enter
You have until 1 July to submit your creative work to The Alpine Fellowship for consideration for one or more of its prizes. Executive Director Kieran Lynn offered some advice for 2026 entrants.
Before you enter a prize for the creative arts, it helps to know a little more about the organisation behind it. I spoke to Kieran Lynn, the winner of The Alpine Fellowship’s 2018 Theatre Prize for his play The Perfectly Timed Death of an Imaginary Friend, which was inspired by the theme of “childhood”. These days, Lynn is the Executive Director of The Alpine Fellowship. Here, you’ll find out about this year’s theme, the creative community and why newcomers should still consider participating.
MCEW: For people who have never heard of The Alpine Fellowship, please could you explain what it is and what its purpose is?
KL: We are a charitable foundation that supports, commissions and showcases artists, writers, academics and playwrights. Each year, we discover and support artists through our arts and academic prizes, including the Music Prize, Poetry Prize, Theatre Prize, Writing Prize and Visual Art Prize.
MCW: This year’s theme is “joy” and applicants have until 1 July to submit their work. Can you explain why this theme feels especially relevant this year?
KL: Joy is something that humans need and crave at all times; however, this need does become more pronounced at times of global unrest. At the moment, we are surrounded by bad news, both because of world events and because of the constant flow of information. It’s crucial to balance this flow of difficult information with access to joy, and we believe the arts are uniquely positioned to deliver it.
MCW: If someone is on the fence about submitting their work because they are not yet established in their field, what would you tell them?
KL: In the past, we have had winners who are right at the beginning of their careers, so even if you are not yet established, you should consider entering. Everyone has to start somewhere, and winning a prize like this can be the ideal way to attract a wider audience to your work.
MCW: Other than funding and prestige, what can a creative community like The Alpine Fellowship offer successful applicants?
KL: Winning a prize with us is not just a transaction; you become part of our community. Even now, we are regularly in touch with winners from many years ago, and we love to support their work in whatever way we can. That might be attending performances or exhibitions, or helping to publish new work via our social media channels or website. We want to support artists and writers, and we know that is best achieved through long-term relationships.
MCW: Any final words of advice before applicants hit “send”?
KL: The theme of 2026 is “joy”, but the theme of every year could well be “courage”. It takes a remarkable amount of courage to complete your work and to submit it to a contest like ours, but it is that act of courage that every artist or writer has to commit to. Every book you’ve ever loved, a piece of music that inspires you or a painting that moves you, was once exclusively the property of the artist, and in all cases, it took that moment of courage to share it with the world. Be brave and take that step. Who knows where it might lead you?
Important information:
The Alpine Fellowship has a £10 submission fee per entry. The winner and runners-up of each prize category will receive financial support in the following amounts:
First place: £3,000
Second place: £1,000
Third place: £1,000