Michael King Writers Centre

APPLICATION: Shanghai, China Residency – Monday 1 September to Friday 31 October 2025

The Michael King Writers Centre in association with  the Shanghai Writers’ Association  is again offering a residency in China for New Zealand writers.

This eight week residency is open to mid-career or established writers with a publishing record and a current literary or screenwriting CV. Applicants must be a New Zealand citizen or have New Zealand permanent residency.

This is an opportunity to experience everyday life in Shanghai, interact with other writers and exchange ideas and culture. Each year, the programme has a theme and the selected writers are required to write a piece inspired by that theme before they arrive in Shanghai. Beyond that, writers are able to work on their own projects.

The writer awarded the residency will receive:

• Free accommodation in a one-bedroom, inner-city apartment in Shanghai;
• Return economy air travel from Auckland to Shanghai;
• A daily stipend of 150 RMB to cover basic living costs

We actively seek and encourage all writers—diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective—to apply.

Applications close on Monday 31 March  2025 and the selection is expected to be announced in  May.

All applicants must read and understand the Application Criteria, Terms & Conditions (PDF below). We encourage you to print or download this PDF so you can refer to it easily whilst completing the application form.

Click here to download Application Criteria, Terms & Conditions

Before starting the application (below) please ensure you have all supporting documentation:

• A literary or screenwriting CV and publishing record.
• Detailed synopsis of the project you intend to work on during the residency. Work may be fiction or prose (novel, extended essay, poetry, creative non-fiction or screenplay). This must include a paragraph on what you hope to achieve during your time in Shanghai. Maximum 1000 words, double-spaced, 12-point type.
• A sample of your writing (preferably of the project you intend working on during the residency) or a sample of recent work: four poems, or up to 2,000 words of prose. Prose should be double-spaced and in 12-point type.