The Grace-Southerly Emerging Writers Fellowship
Three two-week fellowships will be awarded to emerging writers of fiction or poetry that demonstrates a fresh voice, a control over form and a willingness to experiment. The recipients will also be published in Southerly Journal.
Residency dates: Between September 2026 - September 2027, arranged with Varuna based on availability
Places: Three writers will be selected as part of the Varuna Residential Fellowships program
Who should apply: Emerging writers working in fiction or poetry
FAQ: Please read the FAQs before you apply.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
The Grace-Southerly Emerging Writers Fellowship will be offered to 3 emerging writers as part of the Varuna Residential Fellowships program. Recipients will have no full-length work published.
The three fellowship recipients will receive:
A two-week residency at Varuna, uninterrupted time to write in your own private studio, all food and a daily prepared evening meal, and the companionship of your fellow writers.
A one-hour consultation with a Varuna mentor, Carol Major, Mary Anne Butler or Tegan Bennett-Daylight.
Publication in Southerly (online or print)
This fellowship will be awarded to works displaying:
A fresh voice that is also commenting on the concerns/aesthetics/phenomena of the now.
A control over form that evidences an attunement to thematic demands (i.e. work where form and theme commune with one another).
A willingness to experiment with form and play with language, although not simply for experimentation’s sake.
For more information about staying at Varuna, visit our Residencies page.
This fellowship was made possible by XXXXX
ABOUT SOUTHERLY
Southerly is Australia’s oldest literary journal. It was launched in 1939 with works by authors such as AD Hope and Kylie Tennant. It was, from the outset, dedicated to publishing new Australian literature of the highest standard, and of providing a link between the academy and the garret.
Southerly continues to publish the best in new fiction and poetry, reviews and criticism, from and about Australian and New Zealand authors.
Southerly is published both in print and digitally, and is complemented by a free online section, The Long Paddock. Their entire backlist is available online through the Informit Literature and Culture Collection. Their blog provides commentary and bibliophilic musings from Australia’s best writers. Barribugu (meaning ‘future’ in the Dharug language) publishes new work by student writers in Australian schools.
TESTIMONIALS
“Being the recipient of a Varuna Residential Fellowship was life changing. To step outside the demands of parenting and full-time work to have space and time to write and slowly ease into the belief that I was, indeed, a ‘writer’ was powerful beyond measure. ”
HOW TO APPLY
The Grace-Southerly Emerging Writers Fellowship is awarded to three emerging writers who are working on a full-length manuscript in fiction or poetry.
Applicants to our Varuna Residential Fellowships will be considered for this fellowship. There is no separate application process.
Please refer to Varuna’s general submission guidelines for any questions on formatting your work.
UPCOMING COURSES, FELLOWSHIPS AND EVENTS
