Spotify x JED Impact Award: A Mental Health in Fiction Initiative
A new initiative to identify five unpublished, novel-length manuscripts that elevate exceptional depictions of mental health in fiction.
Selected projects will receive a grant of $10k each, and all writers will maintain the rights to their manuscript.
This initiative is open to unpublished manuscripts of all genres, but we particularly encourage submissions that normalize mental health experiences, challenge stereotypes, and showcase help-seeking and help-giving narratives.
For guides on mental health storytelling and writer self-care from JED, visit Spotify's resource hub.
This program is open to writers at every level of their professional career with an eligible manuscript. As a part of the initiative, Spotify will cover up to 140 fee waivers for one month of free hosting and a free evaluation. More information on fee waivers below!
Timeline
Writers can submit an unpublished manuscript for consideration in this partnership via the Black List website until July 8, 2025. The Black List will then provide Spotify with a shortlist of outstanding manuscripts by August 2025. The Spotify x JED Impact Award recipients will be announced in October 2025.
Fee Waivers
Program Fee Waivers - As a part of the initiative, Spotify will cover up to 140 fee waivers for one month of free hosting and a free evaluation.
General Fee Waivers - Once per year, writers may request a fee waiver for one free month of hosting and one free evaluation. You can access this application via the Fee Waiver tab of your Account Settings.
The project PDF that is submitted with your fee waiver application will be immediately matched with a reader. Please plan accordingly!
If you use a general fee waiver to ensure your manuscript meets our universal site requirements, you can manually submit the manuscript via the Programs page once an evaluation is pending.