The Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference is a two-week residential writing program run by the University of the South on its campus in Sewanee, Tennessee, first held in 1994. Mornings are spent in workshops of no more than 12 students, taught by professional writers, some of whom have won literary prizes over the years; afternoons bring author Q&As, literature discussions and short craft classes, and every evening ends with a reading. The 2027 conference runs June 27 to July 10.
The conference enrolls about 85 students a year. The program says it receives hundreds of applications each year but does not publish exact numbers or an admission rate. Applicants must be in 9th through 11th grade and under 18 at the conference, and they submit one writing sample per genre, a statement of purpose and one teacher recommendation. The 2027 fee is $2,800 including room and board; need-based aid is limited, with partial awards of $1,000 and one full-tuition scholarship. The official pages do not set out a separate policy for international students, though the participants page says students come from across the US and abroad.
Applications for 2027 open in December 2026. The two official pages give different deadlines, March 1 on the FAQ and March 15 on the program page, so it is safer to plan for the earlier date. For students who want a residential writing program as early as 9th grade, this is one of the options with a lower grade threshold.
