The Writer's Space Fellowships 2025
The Varuna the National Writers’ House with the writer’s space logo
Writers with disability or who are D/deaf are invited to apply for a two-week fellowship at Varuna, with travel costs covered. This program is being offered nationally for the first time in 2025.
Applications now closed.
Residency dates: Between February - December 2025
Places: Six writers will be selected.
Who should apply: Writers at any career stage living anywhere in Australia, who have disability and/or are D/deaf.
Fees: There are no application fees or residency fees for this fellowship.
Please read the FAQ before you apply. Accessibility information about Varuna can be found here.
We are looking for emerging or established writers with disability and/or are D/deaf who are developing new work. This could include literary fiction, genre fiction, narrative non-fiction, illustration and graphic novels, young adult fiction, junior fiction, poetry, or writing for screen, theatre or radio.
Assessors will be looking at the artistic merit of the work sample that you submit, your commitment to the writing craft, and how this Fellowship will benefit your professional development. Consideration will also be given to the impact a lack of access has had on your career development.
Assessors of the program will be writers with disability.
Residency fellowships include:
A two-week residency at Varuna, including all food and a prepared evening meal, with uninterrupted time to write in your own private studio, and the companionship of your fellow writers.
Reimbursement of travel expenses between Varuna and your home.
Two one-hour sessions (one-on-one) with a Varuna writing consultant Dr Carol Major, Tegan Bennett Daylight or Mary Anne Butler.
You will find answers to some common questions in our FAQ.
If you have any other questions, or you wish to discuss your application with our staff feel free to get in touch by email maeve@varuna.com.au or by phone 02 4782 5674.
Please let us know if you would like to receive any information in an alternative format.
HOW TO APPLY
You will need to complete our application form and send us between 4,000 and 10,000 words from the beginning of your manuscript. For poetry, you will need to send us a selection of 10 poems.
If you have received a Writer’s Space residential fellowship in 2023 or 2024, you are not eligible to apply.
Recipients of Writer’s Space online fellowships are eligible to apply.
Read submission guidelines for details on preferred format.
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. Go to www.dss.gov.au for more information.
Applications now closed for residency in 2025.
