Funding opportunity for publishers | Deadline: 30 November 2026
PEN Translates, the literary translation award administered by English PEN, is accepting applications for its latest funding round until 11.59pm GMT on 30 November 2026.
Launched in 2012 with support from Arts Council England, PEN Translates aims to encourage UK publishers to acquire and publish contemporary literature from other languages. The award contributes towards the costs of translating new works into English while supporting appropriate recognition and payment for translators.
Funding for Translation
PEN Translates can fund up to 75% of translation costs for selected projects. Where a publisher’s annual turnover is below £500,000, the programme may consider funding up to 100% of translation costs.
The award is open to works translated from any language. Publishers do not necessarily need to have acquired the rights to a work at the time of application.
The programme accepts projects involving:
- Fiction, including children’s literature
- Non-fiction
- Poetry
- Prose
- Plays for print publication
Applications for magazines are not eligible.
According to the programme, the average grant awarded over the past four years has been £2,750, while 80% of grants have fallen between £1,000 and £4,750. Funding available in each round is limited, and applicants are encouraged to seek additional sources of support where possible.
Eligibility and Assessment
The main PEN Translates strand is open to UK-based publishers.
Applications are assessed by a Selection Panel comprising industry professionals, including writers, translators and booksellers. The assessment criteria are:
- Literary quality – 40%
- Strength of the publishing project – 30%
- Contribution to bibliodiversity – 30%
The programme can support projects where translation is already underway, provided that the translation is not in its final stages of production. For translations already in progress, the publication date must be at least three months after the award announcement.
PEN Translates states that awards are announced approximately seven months after the application deadline.
PEN Translates x SALT
Since April 2024, English PEN has operated an additional strand in partnership with the South Asian Literature in Translation (SALT) project.
PEN Translates x SALT supports the translation of works of South Asian literature and has a broader geographical eligibility than the main PEN Translates programme. Publishers anywhere in the world outside South Asia can apply under this strand.
Applications are submitted through the main submission portal using the specific forms for PEN Translates x SALT. A separate Selection Panel assesses applications to this strand.
Application Deadline
The current submission window closes at:
11.59pm GMT, 30 November 2026
Applicants should complete and submit the relevant application form and pro forma budget together with the required supporting documentation.
Application Resources
PEN Translates
For enquiries about the programme, contact nadia@englishpen.org.