Varuna Residential Fellowships 2026

Varuna Residential Fellowships offer uninterrupted time to write in your own private studio and a one-hour mentorship conversation with a Varuna consultant. All food is provided, with an evening meal prepared by our chefs Jane, Sheila and Dionne, to be enjoyed with the companionship of your fellow writers – at any time, there are six writers-in-residence at Varuna.

Varuna residencies offer not only time and space to write, but inspiration, a stunning landscape to explore, networks and connections, and the prestige of having your work selected by an exemplary panel of assessors, from hundreds of applicants. We welcome manuscripts from writers working in all creative forms, including fiction, short stories, screenplay/drama, poetry, children’s books, and narrative non-fiction.

For more information about Varuna Residential Fellowships:

• Visit our Residencies page

• Read the FAQ

• Read about accessibility at Varuna

In 2026, Varuna will offer 38 Varuna Residential Fellowships. From among these fellowship recipients, 15 writers of outstanding talent will be awarded a Flagship Fellowship, which may include a longer residency or extra funding for travel and expenses. When completing the application form, writers will have the opportunity to put their work forward for certain fellowships based on genre, identity, cultural background, life circumstances, career stage or where you live. In 2026, these flagship fellowships include:

• The Eleanor Dark Fellowship for Fiction

• The Eric Dark Fellowship for Non-fiction

• The Mick Dark Fellowship for Environmental Writing

• The Jill Dark Fellowship

• The Varuna First Nations Fellowship

• The Roderick Centre Fellowship for Regional and Remote Writers

• The Jerra Studio Fellowship for Writers with Disability

• The Varuna Poetry Fellowship

• The Fowler Trust Fellowships for Genre Fiction

• Ray Koppe ASA Young Writers Fellowship

• The Carer’s Fellowship

• The Blue Mountains Fellowship

Residency dates: Between January – September 2026
Applications open: 4 March 2025
Applications close: 5pm AEST 5 May 2025
Places: Thirty-eight fellowships will be awarded
Who should apply: All writers are invited to apply. We have Flagship fellowships specific to certain genres, identities, regional areas and career stage.
Fees: Application fees are $70 per application, unless you are a financially current alumni member using your annual fee waiver. If you have a Healthcare card, the application fee is $40. If you are experiencing financial hardship, you can have your application fee waived via the Varuna Equity Fund.

Application fees are used to pay a team of professional assessors to read your work.

FAQs: Please read the FAQs before you apply.

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