Applications close midnight (AEST) Monday 24 August 2026

Eligibility

• Applicants must be current members of Writing NSW.
• You may only submit one application.
• Fiction of all genres, narrative non-fiction, poetry and plays are eligible for submission.
• Instructional books, translations, picture books, film and television scripts are not eligible.
• Employees and Board Members of Writing NSW and Varuna are not eligible to apply.

 Application content and format

• This program centres human creativity. The application, including the work sample and the proposed work, must represent the applicant’s own creative authorship. Any use of generative AI in producing the work sample or the proposed work must be clearly identified and described in the application, including how the applicant has engaged with the tool and the role of human authorship in the work. Applicants whose practice engages with AI as a creative tool are encouraged to demonstrate engagement with relevant considerations (for example, copyright, attribution, or ethical use) in their application. Incidental use of AI for tasks such as research, brainstorming, transcription or proofreading does not need to be disclosed.
• Submitted work must be in English but may include passages in other languages.
• Submitted work must be formatted as per the conditions on the Varuna Fellowship 2026 page at writingnsw.org.au.
• Each page must include a page number. The manuscript title may be included in the header, provided it does not identify the author.
• All submitted documents must follow the stated file naming conventions.

Anonymity

• Your name, or other identifying information, must not appear on your manuscript, synopsis or statement. This includes in the title, headers, footers, main body, dedications, acknowledgements, filenames and metadata of each document.
• Applications that do not meet the anonymity requirements will not be judged.

Fee and administration

• The administration fee for entry is $50, to cover administration and reading costs. You will be directed to the payment page when you submit this form. A link to the payment page will also be sent via the email acknowledging that your application has been received. Applications not accompanied by the fee will not be considered.
• Applications must be submitted no later than the closing date. Late applications will not be considered.
• Application materials will not be returned under any circumstances.

Outcome and rights

• The residency dates are to be negotiated directly with Varuna, The National Writers’ House, and availability is dependent on their schedule.
• Copyright remains the property of the writer. The successful applicant agrees that Writing NSW may use their name and excerpts from their winning application to promote the fellowship.
• The successful applicant will be notified directly. The name of the successful applicant and two runners up will be posted on the Writing NSW website.
• The winner agrees to provide a short article about their residency experience, to be published by Writing NSW as a feature on our website. This may include reflections on the work they undertook, their experience at Varuna, and what the Fellowship has meant to them.
• The judges’ decision is final and it is not possible to provide feedback on individual entries.