Stories have the power to change the way we see the world, and when it comes to mental health, the right story can make all the difference. That's why Spotify is partnering with The Black List, a platform for writers to showcase their projects for industry professionals, and The Jed Foundation (JED), a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide among our nation's teens and young adults, to launch the Spotify x JED Impact Award-an initiative supporting exceptional depictions of mental health in unpublished fiction.
The Spotify x JED Impact Award will provide five $10,000 grants to recipients with unpublished manuscripts, with the goal of reshaping the conversation around mental health, diversifying mental health narratives in fiction, and promoting positive storytelling around mental health. As part of the initiative, Spotify will cover fee waivers, which will allow up to 140 writers to receive a free month of hosting and a free evaluation on the Black List platform.
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 We're so excited to partner with The Black List and The Jed Foundation to uplift unpublished manuscripts with meaningful depictions of mental health.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.
Supporting mental health through storytelling This initiative underscores Spotify's commitment to both creators and consumers, recognizing the power of storytelling to humanize mental health and foster understanding. In addition to supporting the creation of powerful new literature, we're also working to amplify existing mental health audiobooks on our platform.
Narratives in fiction can 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, said Courtney Knowles, Senior Media Advisor for The Jed Foundation. JED and I are proud to partner on this initiative, celebrating and inspiring unpublished novels that entertain while creating connection and fostering emotional well-being.
Beyond the grants, Spotify is offering additional resources for authors, including:
A mental health resource hub: Developed in collaboration with JED, the hub provides support both for writing about mental health and for writers' own mental well-being. Resources include:
A guide on responsible and impactful mental health storytelling in fiction.
A guide offering support for writers' mental health journeys.
1:1 consulting with JED for awardees: Providing personalized support and guidance.
Programming and content focused on authors' mental well-being: Addressing the unique challenges faced by writers and offering support for their mental health journeys.
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, said Randy Winston, Creative Director of Fiction at The Black List. Storytelling and mental health go hand in hand. Through powerful conversations, this partnership will raise awareness and empower writers at all levels to prioritize their well-being.
Submit your story Submissions are now open on The Black List's website and will close on July 8, 2025. Authors can submit their English-language manuscripts globally. A judging panel featuring experts from Spotify, The Black List, and JED, along with soon-to-be-announced notable authors, will select the five winning manuscripts.
Award recipients will be announced on October 10, 2025 (World Mental Health Day). For more details on eligibility and the application process, visit the submission page.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
15/03/2026
Visit ToolsOnAir at NAB Las Vegas 2026
More Details:From April 19-22, join us at NAB Show Las Vegas in the North Hall, Booth N1258, for an exclusive preview of...
15/03/2026
Latest dark drama, thrillers & tension library announced
The Very Loud Indeed Co.'s latest Kontakt library has just arrived, delivering a third instalme...
14/03/2026
Combines mic, USB interface & wireless IEMs
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, HISONG have announced that their innovative AirStudio S1 device is ...
13/03/2026
Spotify has always been built around your taste. More than 80% of listeners say personalization is what they love most about us. Now we're taking that even ...
13/03/2026
The new Spotify Legends Club has opened its doors. Its members: select German-sp...
13/03/2026
Pushing drum sampler technology into new territories
The latest version of Klevgrand's software drum sampler has just arrived, boasting a newly designe...
13/03/2026
Expanded headphone support & engine improvements
IK Multimedia's recently introduced ARC On-Ear system brings the power of their monitoring-correction s...
13/03/2026
Extra sound collections, more presets & new Keys category
UVI's rhythm and pattern instrument has just received a major update that introduces four new ...
13/03/2026
13 Mar 2026
VEON Delivers Record Digital Growth: 4Q25 Digital Revenues Grow 84%...
13/03/2026
Friday 13 March 2026
Sky Adds Blood on Snow to Original Film Slate in Acquisiti...
13/03/2026
RT has announced today that Rick O'Shea is the new presenter of Arena RT Radio 1's flagship weeknight arts and culture programme. Rick has been pres...
13/03/2026
Lights! Camera! Action! The 98th Oscars set to air live as RT backs the Irish n...
12/03/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 11th March, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dyna...
12/03/2026
In Latin America, women are shaping music and defining its future. To kick off t...
12/03/2026
En Am rica Latina, las mujeres est n moldeando la m sica y definiendo su futuro....
12/03/2026
Let's turn back the clock 20 years: The music landscape was a world away fro...
12/03/2026
Bad Bunny is no stranger to Spotify's Billions Club. In fact, he has a whopp...
12/03/2026
Spotify was at the London Book Fair this week, joining conversations across the publishing industry about how people can make reading part of their daily lives....
12/03/2026
Mastering tool improves mono compatibility
Tokyo Dawn Labs' Ohlhorst Digital range is a series of mastering-focused plug-ins developed by Jan Ohlhorst, ...
12/03/2026
Wave FX processor integrated into four products
Lewitt have teamed up with Elgato to create a new processor for the company's Wave Next product range, i...
12/03/2026
Free tool for annotating audio files
Mix Notes is a new, free iOS App that provides users with a simple way to annotate their audio files. It's been cre...
12/03/2026
Side-chain ducking tool gets an upgrade
Devious Machines' popular side-chaining and envelope-shaping tool has just been kitted out with an improved enve...
12/03/2026
Ceremony to take place on 16 April 2026
The MPG (Music Producers Guild) have revealed the full shortlist for this year's MPG Awards, which will be takin...
12/03/2026
Emulates three classic dbx 160 variants
The latest arrival to Overloud's Gem Series plug-in range faithfully recreates not one, but three versions of th...
12/03/2026
New granular soft synth announced
Said to be their most advanced software synthesizer to date, Baby Audio's latest release has been built on a new granu...
12/03/2026
Latest version now live!
Edit 11 March 2026 - Bitwig Studio 6 is now live, and available for all to download!
The latest version of Bitwig's DAW softwa...
12/03/2026
Latest free eBook now available!
Designed for recording engineers, audio-technology students and technically minded musicians, our latest free eBook deliver...
12/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity expands SITLine network encryptor portfolio - more...
12/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to showcase future-proof EMC testing solutions at EMV 2026 Rohde & Schwarz will participate in EMV 2026, Europe's premier trade fair and c...
12/03/2026
Modern media operations demand a platform that unites automation, orchestration, and human oversight without compromise. In this post, we explore the six key te...
12/03/2026
A deep dive into the platform
Architecture The Blue Lucy platform follows a distributed microservices architecture, meaning the overall operational capability...
12/03/2026
Orchestration platform enables broadcasters to deploy multiple AI models safely with full auditability, rights protection, and regulatory oversight.
LONDON, En...
12/03/2026
Wuppertal March 12, 2026
Riedel Expands Managed Technology Division in the Ame...
12/03/2026
Advanced Media Server Delivers Double the Channel Density at Half the Cost per C...
12/03/2026
The Late Late Show Show St Patrick's Day special
Dancing with the Stars f...
11/03/2026
First Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) deployment of the emergency.lu platform for refugees and their host communities' use provides dependable broadband for humani...
11/03/2026
Following a successful first series, UKTV today announces the commission of two ...
11/03/2026
Wednesday 11 March 2026
Sky and CANAL launch new partnership to develop English-language drama
Sky and CANAL are today announcing a strategic co commissioni...
11/03/2026
NTCA, Cartesian Release New Report on the Business Case for USF
March 11, 2026
Network Economics
News
NTCA - March 11, 2026 - As the FCC and Congr...
11/03/2026
TELL US YOUR (SHORT) STORIES
The 2026 RT Short Story Competition is now open for entries
Recognising and rewarding the best new Irish fiction writing for...
11/03/2026
RT 's The Traitors Ireland is among the nominees for the 2026 Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards for Excellence, announced today....
10/03/2026
10 Mar 2026
VEON's Largest Market Pakistan Almost Triples Mobile Spectrum i...
09/03/2026
Contains all six dual-ensemble libraries
VSL's Duality Strings series offers an intriguing alternative to your average string library, capturing two str...
09/03/2026
Outstanding Contribution To UK Music
Photo: Samuel Bradley
Ahead of their upcoming MPG Awards, the Music Producers Guild (MPG) have revealed the latest win...
Stories have the power to change the way we see the world, and when it comes to mental health, the right story can make all the difference. That's why Spotify is partnering with The Black List, a platform for writers to showcase their projects for industry professionals, and The Jed Foundation (JED), a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide among our nation's teens and young adults, to launch the Spotify x JED Impact Award-an initiative supporting exceptional depictions of mental health in unpublished fiction.
