For Writers

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 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

Varuna’s most prestigious award, running since 1991. Up to 38 fellowships will be awarded to emerging and established writers across Australia, offering between two and four weeks in residence, with mentorship.

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

Each year, a two-week fellowship is awarded to a writer who is a parent or carer who faces barriers to finding time and space to write due to caring responsibilities. This Fellowship is generously supported by Sophie Torney, a member of our alumni association.

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 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.

Registrations now closed

The Writer’s Space Writing Group is being held in Lithgow at the Lithgow Transformation Hub for the first time in 2025, offering a free, six-week writing program to writers with disability. Writers at all levels of experience and working in any genre are welcome. Spaces limited to 12.

Applications will open soon

Writers focused on climate change and the environment are invited to apply for a week-long residency, with the opportunity to network and connect with others working across literature, academia, journalism, grassroots organising and activism.

Applications open May 2025

In this 8-week online workshop series Kris Kneen will lead a small group of writers with the aim of learning to write about sensuality and sexuality with ease.

Applications open May 2025

This 6-week course with Jack Heath is designed to help you refine the elements of crime and thriller writing and finish your novel, with discussions of key writing techniques and feedback on your work.

Applications open June 2025

Designed for writers of all levels, genres and narrative art forms, this 12-session masterclass with BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and author Anthony Mullins will show you how to craft an authentic and powerful narrative structure.

Applications open August 2025

Scenes are the building blocks of novels, plays, screenplays, short stories, and even works of creative non-fiction. This 8-week program with Brooke Robinson will sharpen your writing to create truly powerful scenes.