- Salam Workshop 2027
Applications for the 2027 Salam Workshop are now open!
Following the success of our 2023 and 2025 workshops, the 3rd Salam Workshop returns in 2027! Hosted by The Salam Award and the Lahore University of Management Services (LUMS), the event will take place from March 22nd through March 31st in Lahore, Pakistan, with award-winning authors Elizabeth Bear and Saad Z. Hossein as lead instructors.
Workshop Details:
Over the course of 10 days, selected participants will receive intensive instruction from award-winning writers and editors, participate in critique workshops of existing manuscripts as well as craft exercises.
Due to limited seats, the application process is highly competitive. If accepted, the participants must pay a fee of PKR 40,000. This will cover three meals daily, accommodation at LUMS, instruction costs as well as all workshop related materials. Limited needs-based scholarships are available!
Details of the workshop are as follows:
- Participants must arrive on March 21st and depart on March 31st.
- Clarion/Milford style workshops focused on Speculative Fiction genre writing.
- SFF craft lectures and talks.
- Guest sessions from Salam Award board members.
- Tours of Lahore and surrounding areas.
Interested applicants are requested to fill out the application form and include a writing sample of their best work. The writing sample must be 6000 words or less. It can be a single, complete short story or self-contained excerpt from a novel in progress. The storyline must fall within the SFF genres (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, weird literature). Applications from other genres, submitted after the deadline and/or with higher word counts will not be considered.
Application Submission Deadline: August 28, 2026, midnight PKT
Eligibility:
- You must be 18 years of age or older to apply.
- You must be either currently residing in Pakistan, or be of Pakistani birth/descent.
- Previous participants of the 2023 and 2025 Salam Workshop are not eligible to apply.
- Salam Award winners, finalists and honorable mentions from all previous years are encouraged to apply!
- All selected applicants must pay a NON-REFUNDABLE fee of PKR 40,000. Limited needs-based scholarships are available.
Rules & Guidelines:
- Participants must arrive on Sunday, March 21st, and depart on Wednesday, March 31st, 2027.
- Rooms at LUMS will be shared accommodation with same-gender workshop participants. Limited single rooms are available at an additional cost and first-come-first-serve basis. Please specify your needs in the application form.
- The stated conference fees are inclusive of all the above mentioned items except for travel expenses to Lahore.
- Applicants arriving from abroad to attend the workshop must pay 100% of the non-refundable application fee in advance in order to confirm their spot. Applicants based abroad DO NOT qualify for a needs-based scholarship.
- Pakistan-based applicants must pay 50% of the non-refundable workshop fee in advance to confirm their spot.
Writing Sample:
- Word Count: No more than 6000 words.
- Your manuscript should be in the Shunn Manuscript Format, double-spaced, 12-point font in either Arial or Times New Roman. Please ensure that your name and email address are placed on the first page. Applications that do not follow this format will be automatically disqualified.
- File format: .doc/.docx/PDF
Instructors
Elizabeth Bear
Elizabeth Bear was born on the same day as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, but in a different year. She is the Hugo, Sturgeon, Locus, and Astounding Award winning author of dozens of novels; over a hundred short stories; and a number of essays, nonfiction, and opinion pieces for markets as diverse as Popular Mechanics and The Washington Post.
Saad Z. Hossain
SAAD Z. HOSSAIN was born April 22, 1979 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He studied English Lit and Commerce at the University of Virginia. His debut novel was Baghdad Immortals (2013; as Escape from Baghdad!, 2015). Other novels include Djinn City (2017) and Cyber Mage (2021). Novella The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday (2019) was an Ignyte Award finalist and has a sequel, Kundo Wakes Up, out this year.