UQP Varuna Fellowship
One unpublished writer will receive a two-week residency at Varuna, delivered in partnership with UQP, who will provide editorial feedback on the author’s work-in-progress.
Applications open: 17 March 2026
Applications close: midnight AEST 15 May 2026
Residency dates: Between July 2026 - September 2027, arranged directly with Varuna based on availability
Places: One unpublished writer will be selected
Who should apply: Unpublished writers with a manuscript ready for editorial feedback and development
FAQs: Please read the FAQs before you apply.
ABOUT THIS FELLOWSHIP
The UQP Varuna Fellowship be will be awarded to an unpublished writer of fiction with a complete (or almost complete) novel or novella manuscript, or collection of short stories. The fellowship is for fiction that demonstrates literary excellence and/or showcases culturally important voices and stories.
The recipient will receive:
A two-week residential fellowship at Varuna, with uninterrupted time to write in your own private studio. All food is provided, with an evening meal prepared by our cook, Dionne, to be enjoyed with the companionship of your fellow writers.
A one-hour consultation with a Varuna mentor, Carol Major, Mary Anne Butler or Tegan Bennett-Daylight.
Two editorial meetings with members of the UQP editorial team, one prior to your residency, and one after you’ve attended your residency
If you accept this fellowship, UQP will have first right of refusal on your manuscript when the first draft after the fellowship is completed. UQP will have 90 days to make an offer to publish the work after submission to their editors, and the work may not be submitted to any other publishers during this period.
For more information about staying at Varuna, visit our Residencies page.
HOW TO APPLY
The UQP Varuna Fellowship is awarded to an unpublished writer of a fiction manuscript who applies for a Varuna Residential Fellowship. There is no separate application process.
For the purposes of this fellowship, ‘unpublished authors’ are those who have not published a book-length work with a publisher, and do not have a publishing contract for their work-in-progress. Applicants who have self-published, or who have had short works published in anthologies, journals and collections are eligible to apply.
Please refer to Varuna’s general submission guidelines for any questions on formatting your work.
ABOUT UQP
UQP (University of Queensland Press) is one of Australia’s leading publishing houses. Established in 1948, UQP has consistently produced culturally significant works across genres such as fiction, non-fiction and poetry, as well as children's and young adult books.
UQP is known for publishing literary works, poetry and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories. They create books that enrich and inspire readers and make a major contribution to the fabric of arts and literature in Australia and the world. UQP proudly connects artists, readers, writers and arts organisations and passionately advocate for the value of books to the human experience. UQP is also Queensland’s only major publishing house with domestic and international distribution.
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