CNL Grants for Authors and Illustrators — €5,000–30,000 to Write or Illustrate a Book in French (Any Nationality)
Centre national du livre
The Centre national du livre (CNL) in France supports authors, translators, publishers and booksellers through grants examined by specialist committees in several sessions a year.
publicSeo.openCall.benefits
Time to complete an individual writing or illustration project (including comics and children’s picture books) intended for publication: a discovery grant for authors with one book, a creation grant (€15,000 for six months full-time or a year half-time) for authors with two books, and a sabbatical-year grant (€30,000) for authors with a substantial body of work; smaller grants of €5,000 and €8,000 are also awarded. The aid is valid for 24 months.
publicSeo.openCall.eligibility
French-language authors and illustrators (or those working in a language of France) of any nationality and residence, or non-francophone authors translated and published in French who have lived in France for more than 5 years; at least one (discovery grant) or two (creation grant) books published by a publisher in the same field (first print run ≥500, or 300 for poetry and theatre; essays can count three substantial articles). Waiting periods apply after earlier CNL grants.
Dates & details
- Deadline
- (window 17 September – 29 October 2026; create a portal account at least 3 working days before) — next windows January–February and April–June 2027
- Results
- Committees in January/February 2027