Applications close 3 March 2025
The Ann Moyal Non-Fiction Fellowship encourages excellence in non-fiction writing and supports writers developing an original work drawn from the broad fields of the humanities and social sciences. Three writers will be selected for a three-week residency, 29 Sept - 20 Oct 2025.
Applications close 4 March
The Queensland Writers Centre offers two Varuna fellowships, both of which include a two-week residency at Varuna, travel subsidy and manuscript consultation, and are open to members of the Queensland Writers Centre.
Applications close 17 March 2025
Held in collaboration with the Irish Writers Centre, this online fellowship connects writers from Ireland and Australia, with mentorship, networking and peer feedback, plus Q&As with Pip Williams and Penguin Random House publisher Meredith Curnow.
Applications close 7 April 2025
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.
Self-paced online course
Bring the Varuna magic to you with this nine-part online, self-paced course on point of view with Jane Messer. Explore this important element of writing craft, analysing sample readings from well-known authors and being prompted with a series of exercises.
Online self-paced course
Bring the Varuna magic to you with this eight-part online, self-paced course on writing for wellbeing. This revitalising program enables you to explore writing as a practice for your own wellbeing, including techniques for getting started (or re-started!).
Save the Date
The Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival returns 31 October - 2 November 2025.
The recipients of our 2025 Writer’s Space Fellowships have been announced.
The recipients of the Arts NT Fellowship for 2025 have been announced.
The recipients of Whitlam Essay Residency for 2025 have been announced, with six essayists receiving a week-long residency at the Whitlam Prime Ministerial home in Cabramatta.
The recipients of Affirm Press Fellowship for 2025 have been announced, with four writers receiving a week-long residency at Varuna.
Listen to Yuwaalaraay storyteller Nardi Simpson delivering the 2023 Mick Dark Talk for the Future, to celebrate the release of Nardi’s new book, The Belburd, and her upcoming appearances at Blue Mountains Writers' Festival 2024.
The winners of this year's Whitlam Institute's What Matters? Writing Competition have been announced. Varuna is proud to have been involved in selecting the winner of the Artistic Merit Award.
Announcing the inaugural First Peoples India-Australia Exchange set for November 2025, which involves an exchange between two Adivasi writers from India and two First Nations writers from Australia.
The recipients of the Shanghai Western Sydney Writing Exchange for 2024/2025 have been announced.
Congratulations to the 37 writers who have been awarded a Varuna Residential Fellowship for 2025, as well as those marked highly commended.
The nine recipients of the inaugural Roderick Centre Fellowship for Regional and Remote Writers have been announced.
Tickets are already selling fast for the next Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival, which runs 1 - 3 November 2024 and features more than 80 writers, including Markus Zusak, Noni Hazlehurst, Liane Moriarty, Dr Karl, Gina Chick, Yumi Stynes, Pip Williams, Tony Birch, Shankari Chandran, Chris Hammer, Nardi Simpson, Sara M Saleh, Benjamin Stevenson, Alexis Wright, Michelle de Kretser and more.
We are delighted to announce the recipients of the 2024 First Nations Fellowship.
Congratulations to our WestWords-Varuna Emerging Writers’ Residency recipients; Ruth Larner, KT Major, Lucia Nguyễn and Danielle Osifo
Congratulations to Carol Major, Frances Olivia and Hoa Pham, the three Australia writers selected for Lamplight Online Residency - Shanghai.
Congratulations to Anna Hickey-Moody, Jennifer Martin and Patricia Pender for being awarded 2024 Ann Moyal Fellowships.
