Roderick Centre Fellowship for Regional and Remote Writers
Nine fellowships are available, with three in-person residency fellowships and six virtual fellowships, to writers living in regional and remote parts of Australia. Participants will be selected from across Australia, with at least one fellowship place to be reserved for a First Nations writer, and at least two fellowships to be reserved for writers from regional Queensland.
This is the only national literary program in Australia specifically for regional and remote writers.
This program is presented in partnership with the Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing (RCALC). Newly established in 2024 thanks to a generous bequest from the late Colin and Margaret Roderick, the Centre aims to foster the reading and writing of Australian literature in all its forms, and to encourage the study of Australian literature and literary cultures.
In-person residency fellowships will include:
A two-week residency at Varuna, with full board and accommodation including a prepared evening meal
Uninterrupted time to write in your own private studio, and the companionship of your fellow writers.
Reimbursement of all travel expenses from anywhere in Australia, including airfares and transfers.
$600 towards other expenses. Each writer will be able to use this expenses budget to fit their individual needs.
The virtual residency program will include:
Two one-hour online sessions (one-on-one) with a Varuna writing consultant.
Two online Q&A sessions with published writers experienced in their craft, including Jock Serong and one more to be announced.
Daily facilitated professional networking opportunities throughout the week, including the opportunity to share work, talk about process, and receive feedback.
Virtual residency participants need to allow at least two hours at specific times every day for programmed sessions, with the expectation that participants will spend at least three hours dedicated writing time each day.
Applicants will be asked to specify their preference between an in-person and virtual residency. All applicants shortlisted for an in-person residency who are unsuccessful will be offered a virtual residency as a second option.
KEY DATES
Applications have now closed.
The in-person residencies will need to be taken between December 2024 and May 2025, subject to availability in the house. The virtual residency program will run from 2 December to 8 December 2024.
WHAT YOU NEED TO SEND US
You will need to send us between 6,000 and 10,000 words from the beginning of your manuscript, along with a synopsis of the entire work. For poetry, you need to send us a selection of 10 poems.
Read submission guidelines for details on preferred format.
ELIGIBILITY
This program is for writers living in regional and remote parts of Australia. For a list of cities and towns excluded from eligibility, please visit our FAQ.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for emerging or established writers, living in regional and remote parts of Australia, who are developing new work in creative writing. This could include literary fiction, genre fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, young adult fiction, junior fiction, poetry, or writing for screen, theatre or radio.
Assessors will be looking at the level of achievement (works completed, published or produced, awards won), clarity of work focus and creative objectives (how you will use your time), professional benefits to the recipient (how this Fellowship and your current project will benefit your professional development), and the merit of your writing or creative work.
FEES
There is a $25 application fee for this fellowship. The $25 application fee covers the expenses of paying for the assessors. However, if this is unaffordable for you, you can select to have this fee waived.
THE FINE PRINT
