The Genesis Foundation was founded by John Studzinski CBE in 2001. Over the past 20 years the Foundation has donated more than £20million to the arts. Through its funding and partnership model, it has enabled opportunities for thousands of young artists in theatre and music, building both their experience and their resilience. Its main focus is on partnerships with leading arts organisations such as the Young Vic, National Theatre, Almeida Theatre, LAMDA and The Sixteen, and on training programmes that equip emerging artists for life as a creative professional.

The Programme is open to emerging writers over 18 years of age and living in the UK with no more than three years’ experience of being published. Applications are invited for projects in the fields of Fiction, Non-Fiction (including journalism) and Poetry. The programme offers bursaries of up to £1,500, mentorship, peer-support and a programme of writing seminars to ten UK-based emerging writers of any background.

The ten selected emerging writers for the 2021 Programme were: Sara Doctors, Sophie Dumont, Madeleine Dunnigan, Linda Ford, Philip Glassborow, Fiona Monahan, Eleanor Myerson, Julie Noble, Karen Skinazi and Guy Stagg. They will receive mentoring, peer support sessions and bursaries, as part of the programme.

Mentors for the 2021 Genesis Emerging Writers Programme are Tracy Chevalier, Benjamin Markovits & AD Miller (fiction); Sam Leith & Kavita Puri (journalism); Caroline Moorehead, George Prochnik & Cathy Rentzenbrink (non-fiction); and  Sophie Herxheimer & George Szirtes (poetry).