Spotify to Give $50,000 in Grants to Authors of Unpublished Stories Featuring ‘Exceptional’ Depictions of Mental Health

Spotify says it will give $50,000 in grants to writers of unpublished stories with the aim of “ending the stigma surrounding mental health.”

The company is partnering with The Black List, a platform for filmmakers and writers to showcase projects to industry professionals, and The Jed Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping prevent suicide for teens and young adults, to launch the Spotify x JED Impact Award.

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The Spotify x JED Impact Award will provide $10,000 grants to five authors of unpublished manuscripts that feature “exceptional depictions” of mental health in fiction, with the goal diversifying mental health narratives in fiction, the company says. As part of the initiative, Spotify will cover fee waivers to allow up to 140 writers to receive a free month of hosting and a free evaluation on The Black List platform.

Spotify is offering other resources for authors, including a hub developed in collaboration with JED that provides support both for writing about mental health and for writers’ own mental well-being, as well as one-on-one consulting with JED for awardees.

Submissions are open beginning Feb. 12 on The Black List’s website at this link (available for English-language manuscripts globally) and will close July 8, 2025. A judging panel featuring experts from Spotify, The Black List, and JED, along with yet-to-be-announced authors, will select the five winning manuscripts and the award recipients will be announced on Oct. 10, 2025 (World Mental Health Day).

“Stories about mental health have immense power to erase stigma and help people get the help that they need,” said Casey Acierno, social impact lead at Spotify. “We’re so excited to partner with The Black List and The Jed Foundation to uplift unpublished manuscripts with meaningful depictions of mental health. Having entered the audiobooks space, Spotify knows the power of storytelling, and we’re thrilled to support writers in looking after themselves and the way they write about mental health.”

Randy Winston, creative director of fiction at The Black List, commented: “The Spotify Social Impact team and The Jed Foundation are important stewards of intentional programming with meaningful impact. I’m thrilled to be partnering with them on this initiative to amplify exceptional depictions of mental health in unpublished fiction.”

Added Courtney Knowles, senior media advisor for The Jed Foundation, “Narratives in fiction have a very real impact on our mental health — helping shape how we see ourselves, perceive our place in the world, navigate challenges, and discover possibilities for healing and growth. JED and I are proud to partner on this initiative, celebrating and inspiring unpublished novels that entertain while creating connection and fostering emotional well-being.”

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