Open to published writers who are Scottish by birth or currently resident in Scotland, the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award was founded in 1994, the centenary of the author's death. The prize comprises a residency of up to two months at the Hôtel Chevillion International Arts Centre at Grez-sur-Loing, in France, including all travel costs and a grant towards living expenses. The aim of the award is to allow writers to take time away from their usual environment to develop their work, or to embark on a new literary venture; to meet other artists, exchange ideas and experiences, and absorb new cultural and social influences. Besides an outline description of the award's potential benefits to applicants' creative development, "original work", in progress or recently published, is the only other stipulation of entry, although priority is given to fiction, poetry, writing for children and travel writing.