JED Teams Up with Spotify and The Black List to Celebrate and Amplify Mental Health In Fiction

Fiction can have a real-world impact on how we see ourselves, navigate challenges, and support one another. That’s why The Jed Foundation and Spotify are partnering with The Black List, a platform for writers to showcase their projects for industry professionals, to launch the Spotify x JED Impact Award — an initiative supporting exceptional depictions of mental health in unpublished fiction. 

The Spotify x JED Impact Award will provide five $10,000 grants to recipients with unpublished manuscripts, with the goal of diversifying mental health narratives in fiction and reshaping the conversation around mental health to promote positive storytelling. As a part of the initiative, Spotify will cover fee waivers that allow up to 140 writers to receive a free month of hosting and a free evaluation on The Black List platform. JED experts also led development of guides that launched today on mental health storytelling and self-care for writers. 

“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 “We’re so excited to partner with The Black List and The Jed Foundation to uplift unpublished manuscripts with meaningful depictions of mental health.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

As a nonprofit working to protect emotional health and prevent suicide among teens and young adults, JED understands the powerful influence stories have on how our youth perceive themselves, navigate challenges, and find ways to heal and grow. This partnership expands JED’s history of working with creators in television, film, and digital content to unpublished authors, providing opportunities and resources that can positively shape novels and impact more readers across genres. 

“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 “JED and I are proud to partner on this initiative, celebrating and inspiring unpublished novels that entertain while creating connection and fostering emotional well-being.”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 and JED are offering additional resources for authors, including:

• A mental health resource hub: Developed in collaboration with JED, this hub provides support 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 own 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 and resources, 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.