Applications close 7 April

This program is presented in partnership with the Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing (RCALC) and is open to emerging or established writers, living in regional and remote parts of Australia.

Applications close 20 May

Six online fellowships will be offered to writers with disability and/or who are D/deaf, providing mentorship, professional development, and the opportunity for peer feedback.

Applications close 14 April

Varuna is delighted to offer this four-week international residency to Varuna alumni, held in collaboration with the Michael King Writers Centre in New Zealand.

Applications close 7 April

First Nations writers are invited to apply for one of twelve week-long fellowships at Varuna in 2025, sharing the residency with other First Nations writers, and benefiting from one-on-one mentorship and the sharing of skills and knowledge.

Applications close 1 April

This six-session intensive masterclass – held across three months for writers at all stages of their careers – offers the opportunity to get started on a new writing project or breathe life into a project you have abandoned or are struggling with.

Applications close 5 May

Established in memory of Blue Mountains writer Eleanor Dark, this three-week writing fellowship will be awarded to a fiction application of outstanding quality.

Applications close 5 May

Established in memory of Blue Mountains writer and social activist Eric Dark, this three-week writing fellowship will be awarded for a non-fiction application of outstanding quality in social, historical or political writing.

Applications close 5 May

Established in memory of Mick Dark, who bequeathed Varuna House to the writers of Australia, this three-week writing fellowship will be awarded to outstanding Environmental Writing.

Applications close 5 May

As part of the Varuna Residential Fellowships, a two-week fellowship with travel costs covered and a $600 stipend is awarded to a writer of outstanding talent who is experiencing financial hardship. This Fellowship is made possible in 2025 by a member of our alumni association.

Applications close 5 May

This three-week fellowship will be awarded to a First Nations writer who applies for a Varuna Residential Fellowship and whose work is of outstanding quality.

Applications close 5 May

This program is presented in partnership with the Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing (RCALC) and is part of the Varuna Residential Fellowships. Open to emerging or established writers, living in regional and remote parts of Australia.

Applications close 5 May

This three-week fellowship will be awarded for a Varuna Residential Fellowships poetry application of outstanding quality.

Applications close 5 May 2025

Offered in partnership with the Australian Society of Authors, and generously supported by the Ray Koppe bequest, this is one of the Varuna flagship fellowships and is offered to a writer under the age of 35 who is as yet unpublished.

Applications close 5 May

Generously supported by the Fowler Trust, this program supports four two-week fellowships for fiction writers, including women’s fiction, crime, fantasy, historical fiction, speculative fiction and YA.

Applications close 5 May

This two-week fellowship will be awarded for a Varuna Residential Fellowships application of outstanding quality, by a writer with disability.

Applications close 5 May

This two-week fellowship will be awarded to a writer who is currently living in the Blue Mountains LGA. This fellowship is generously supported by David Hammon, who was previously chair of Varuna’s Board.

Applications close 14 May

For over 20 years, Conor Kostick has been teaching his popular 10-week Finish Your Novel course at the Irish Writers Centre and Varuna are delighted to offer it in Australia and New Zealand.

Applications close 4 June 2025

A deep-dive writer development program designed for writers with a manuscript substantially underway, or with a draft completed, this 5-month masterclass provides a unique opportunity to receive feedback on your manuscript and the guidance and support to take it to the next level.

Applications close 9 June

This 8-week online program drills down deeply into how to craft dialogue on the page, ensuring that each of your character’s voices is unique, shaping their distinct speech patterns, and working on questions about who speaks, and when.

Applications close 18 June

This eight-session masterclass for writers in any genre will develop your skills in positioning yourself as an observer, and bringing nuance and humour to the story you would most like to tell.