The Writer's Space Fellowships for Writers with Disability
Writers with disability or who are D/deaf are invited to apply for a two-week fellowship at Varuna, with one-on-one mentorship and all travel costs covered.
Applications are 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 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.
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 a 4,000 to 10,000 word writing sample from the beginning of your manuscript.
For plays and screenplays, you may submit 10 pages, or more if the total doesn’t exceed 10,000 words. For poetry, you may submit up to 10 poems. For graphic novels, children’s literature and hybrid forms that include illustration or artwork, you may submit a combination of text and image of 10 pages, or more if the total doesn’t exceed 10,000 words.
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.
For more information, please read our FAQs.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants need to be an Australian citizen or have a permanent residency visa and be over 18 years old. Exemption may be given to permanent residency criteria, but only in the circumstances of recently arrived migrants/refugees.
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.
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. Go to www.dss.gov.au for more information.
