Application Process

We currently focus on Australian writer guests. Each year we welcome six  writers to stay for up to a month each: 

• 1-2 established writers with international sales potential selected by Ponder & See

• 1 playwright/screenwriter MFA student selected by NIDA

• 3-4 emerging or established writers selected via the below process. 

The 2027-2028 eligibility criteria and selection process for the 3-4 emerging and established writers is described below. We will continue to review this approach every year or so, to make sure it attracts and supports talented writers/artists who value the time and space to write.

2027 July, Emerging Writer residency: Open to those writers who have been awarded one of the following Australian literary honours for emerging writers during 2025 and/or 2026:

• Shortlisted for the Richell Prize 

• Shortlisted for a Paragraph Fellowship (Time to Write)

• Winner of a NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and/or SA Government literary award for an emerging writer, debut work, and/or unpublished manuscript 

• Winner of the Sweatshop Hachette Scholarship

• Winner of selected Varuna Flagship Fellowships for unpublished authors or young writers (Ray Koppe ASA, Ultimo, Scribe, Penguin Random House, or UQP)

Emerging writers please express interest via this form, by 21 October 2026. The selected guest will be confirmed by 1 November 2026 for the July 2027 residency. The guest will be selected via a random ballot of the eligible writers who express interest. 

2028 May, June, September, October Writer Residencies: Open to those writers who have been awarded one of the following Australian literary honours in the past ten years: 

• Longlisted for the Stella Prize 

• Longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award

• Winner of a NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and/or SA Government literary award 

• Winner of a Prime Minister's Literary Award

• Winner of an ALS Gold Medal

• Winner of an Indie Book Award

• Winner of an IBBY Australia award/honour

• Winner of selected Varuna Flagship Fellowships: Eleanor Dark (fiction), Eric Dark (non-fiction), Mick Dark (environmental), Blignault Family/Varuna Poetry, or First Nations.

Please express interest via this form by 11 May 2027. Selected guests will be notified by 1 June 2027 for the 2028 residencies. 

The 3-4 emerging and established writer guests are selected via a random ballot of the eligible writers who express interest. We undertake the random selection process in two passes; firstly we select an eligible writer who has a First Nations or CALD background (to ensure diversity), and then select from the broader pool of eligible applicants. Using a random selection process, rather than a selection panel, means we can concentrate our available budget on stipends for writer guests.

On the rare occasions we have spare accommodation available, we may accommodate an additional writer of merit, usually at the request of literary leaders.