Queensland Writers Fellowships

The Fellowship aims to nurture the recipient’s writing skills and talent and support the successful completion of a writing project. Fellowships will support writing projects of any genre across the following forms: short stories, poetry, novels, children’s books, young adult books, plays, biographies, graphic novels, autobiographies, memoirs, and other works of non-fiction.

The $20,000 cash funding is intended to assist with living expenses during the writing period, allowing the recipients to focus on the development of their writing project. Applicants who are developing an illustrated book, e.g. children’s book can use part of their cash funding to pay an illustrator.

In addition, the Fellowships include professional development activities valued at $4,500 provided by professionals in the writing sector. Recipients will co-design a professional development plan tailored to the specific needs and goals outlined in their fellowship application. This support may enable travel to literary events or residencies, participation in workshops and masterclasses, one-on-one mentoring by experienced writers, or editorial guidance to refine and develop the recipient’s manuscript.

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a Queensland resident who can provide proof of your current Queensland address.
• Have a strong publication history, demonstrated by at least one or a combination of the following publication outcomes:
  • One full-length published book (trade or self-published) in any genre, which is formally published in book form (print) with an ISBN or published electronically with an ISBN
    o 7 short works of fiction or literary non-fiction (as a guide, a minimum of 1,000 words each) published in literary journals, anthologies, newspapers, or magazines
    o 15 poems published in literary journals, anthologies, newspapers, or magazines, or a chapbook
    o Full-length performance script (theatre or film) that has premiered in Australia.

Meet the general eligibility criteria below:

• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

• Be aged over 18.

• Have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) in the same name used in the application.

• Have a bank account in the same name used in the application.

• Have completed any Arts Queensland progress or outcome reporting that is due.

• NOT owe Arts Queensland any money.

• Only submit one nomination to this funding round.

• Submit your nomination through SmartyGrants by the closing date.

• NOT try to use Arts Queensland funding for activities that commence before the activity start date.

• Submit all compulsory support material.

• Be deemed suitable to receive public funding (see Community Expectations relating to Qld Government Investment)

You will NOT be eligible to apply if you are:

• Nominating a collaborative project/work (except illustrated books)
• Nominating a project that is part of formal tertiary studies
• A current Arts Queensland employee or former employee who ceased employment less than six months before applying
• An employee of an Arts Statutory Body, Arts Owned Company and/or the Department of Education unless the application is unrelated to your role.
• Nominating a project of the following types: oral histories, audio books, translations, pamphlet, or work that consist of contributions from several writers such as anthologies or journals.

Community expectations relating to Queensland Government funding

The Queensland Government has made a commitment to enhance community safety through the introduction of a suite of changes focused on terrorist symbols and phrases including through the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment  Bill 2026.

Accordingly, in its administration of public monies, as an agency of the Queensland Government  Arts Queensland will not support applicants or activities that do not represent an appropriate use of public money. This could include promoting behaviour or speech that is hateful, insulting or that promotes racism or religious intolerance, or that is contrary to Anti-Discrimination or hate speech laws. Arts Queensland will also consider any financial and operational risks in allocating funding and managing funding agreements.

To undertake these due diligence processes, Arts Queensland will consider publicly available information.

The Queensland Government acknowledges the unique role the arts can play in considering different points of view, the exchange of ideas and commentary on contemporary issues.

Please contact Arts Queensland directly for further guidance on community expectations.

Eligible applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

High quality

• The strength and clarity of the proposed writing project.
• Evidence of a well-regarded professional writing practice.

Strong impact

• The potential for the Fellowship to further the practice and career of the applicant.
• The project’s potential to connect with broader audiences and markets.

Sustainable value

• The viability of the proposed plan of work for the Fellowship period.
• Evidence of appropriate consultation, community and/or industry support for the project.

Application must be completed in Smarty Grants and must include all the compulsory support material or your application will not be assessed. If you don’t supply recommended support material relevant to your project, it is unlikely that your application will be recommended for funding.
 
Compulsory support material

You must include all the support materials below to be eligible.

• A CV including your publication history – max. 2 pages.
• A sample of previously published work – max. 10 pages.
• Up to 3 letters of support or testimonials from publishers, authors, journal editors, or industry experts in support of your proposed project.
• A sample of the proposed writing project to show the tone and style of the work – max. 6 pages (assessment panel understands this is likely to be at draft stage).
• Proof of Queensland residency (e.g. photocopy of redacted rates notice, photocopy of driver licence, etc).
  

Other support material that is recommended if it is relevant to your application

• Evidence of consultation with, and support from, individuals, communities or groups whose stories you are telling.
• If you are an employee of Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts, Brisbane Festival, Department of Education, QAGOMA, QMF, Queensland Museum, QPAC, Queensland Theatre, or State Library of Queensland, you will need to provide a letter from an authorised officer in your organisation stating that the funded activity is outside your role and giving details of any financial or in-kind support the project will receive from the organisation.

Step 1: Read key documents and information

This includes:

• These guidelines.
• Frequently asked questions.
• Queensland’s Time to Shine strategy.
• The application form.

Step 2: Check eligibility

• Eligibility Criteria will guide you on whether you are eligible to apply.
• If you are in any doubt about whether you or your project are eligible, contact Arts Queensland.

Step 3: Apply for an Arts Queensland SmartyGrants applicant account (if you don’t have one already)

• You won’t be able to view or fill in the online form until you have an account. It’s a quick and simple process.
• If applying via SmartyGrants doesn’t meet your access needs, contact Arts Queensland to discuss other ways to apply.

Step 4: Prepare your application

• Gather your support material.
• Demonstrate how your project meets the purpose of the Fellowships.

Step 5: Submit your application by the due date

• Include all the compulsory support material (see compulsory support material section for details).

Tips

• Give yourself plenty of time to gather your compulsory support material.
• If you don’t receive an email confirming your application has been received, please contact Arts Queensland.

The Fellowship recipients will be announced in October 2026 as part of the Queensland Writers Festival’s Queensland Literary Awards ceremony. Outcomes will also be published on the Arts Queensland website.

Feedback for unsuccessful applicants

If your application is unsuccessful, we will include feedback in the email we send you advising of the decision.

Review of funding decision

All funding decisions can be reviewed under the Judicial Review Act 1991. If an applicant is dissatisfied with the funding decision, a written statement of reasons in relation to the decision can be requested. The request must be made in writing and within 28 days of receiving notification of the decision to investment@arts.qld.gov.au.

Applicants may also apply to the Supreme Court for a review of the decision made on their application. Under the Judicial Review Act 1991, the Supreme Court can only review the decision-making process and not the merits of the application.

Letter of Offer

If your application is successful, you will receive a Letter of Offer, with funding conditions and a request for payment details.

Arts Queensland may conduct additional due diligence to ensure you will be able to meet the terms of your funding.

These Guidelines form part of your funding conditions. If you don’t provide acknowledgement of your Letter of Offer and funding conditions, and provide payment details within 30 days, Arts Queensland may withdraw the Fellowship.
 
Payments

The Letter of Offer will include the amount of funding you will receive.
If you are registered for GST, funding will be increased by 10% to cover the GST liability.
You must notify Arts Queensland if you cease to be registered, or become registered, for GST.
Funding paid by Arts Queensland may be considered as part of an applicant’s income in a financial year and may therefore be subject to tax. Arts Queensland cannot give specialist advice about taxation.

Further information about the GST and other tax issues is available from the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) website at www.ato.gov.au or by telephoning the Business Tax enquiries line on 13 28 66 or the Personal Tax enquiries line on 13 28 61.

Key obligations in delivering the funded project or program

It is your responsibility to ensure you understand all obligations of the funding agreement. Please read it carefully.

Here are some, but not all, of the things you are required to do as part of your funding agreement:

• Participate in media opportunities - you should be prepared to participate in a small number of local and national media opportunities at the time of, and in the year following, the Fellowship being awarded.
• Acknowledge funding – you must acknowledge Arts Queensland’s support of your project in all published materials associated with the activity. The Arts Queensland website has information about how to use the Queensland Government logo and provides standard words you can use to acknowledge our funding.
• Financial Record Keeping – you should keep invoices/receipts related to funded activity as proof of expenditure. We may request these as part of our Quality Assurance activities.
• Use funding only for the purposes approved by Arts Queensland – you can only use our funding for the purposes and in the way you said you would in your application and any approved revision or variation. Arts Queensland may request you return grant funds if they are unspent, or if you have not performed all the activities in your application, or due to other breaches of the Funding Guidelines or funding conditions (see the changes and variations section below).
• Pay at least minimum award rates or industry recommended rates – to arts and cultural workers involved in any activities associated with the Fellowship.
• Comply with all relevant legislation from Commonwealth, State and local governments – including, but not limited to, the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991; the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Bill 2026.
• Not infringe Intellectual Property Rights or Moral Rights in delivering funded activities.
• Not engage in behaviour that would bring the Fellowships into disrepute.
• Let us know of any risks arising that might impact your ability to deliver the funded activity, or any other risks to Arts Queensland or Queensland Government that might arise during the delivery of the project.
  

Changes and variations

A variation can be requested to the terms and conditions of the Fellowship (which includes the funded application).

Each request will be considered by Arts Queensland to ensure the Fellowship’s objectives will continue to be achieved, and the proposed changes still align with the funding agreement, including the Guidelines and the approved scope of the project that was reviewed and recommended by peer assessors.

Please contact Arts Queensland as soon as possible to discuss any proposed variation, as funding cannot be used for activities or budget allocations other than those specified in your Fellowship application unless Arts Queensland approves the variation in writing.

Reporting

You will need to provide a short outcome report on the outcomes of your Fellowship.
The outcome report collects information about outputs (what was done) and outcomes (the change or difference it made), including artistic, cultural, social, and economic returns on investment, and how you spent the grant funding.

Outcome reports will be evaluated by Arts Queensland. You might be asked to provide further information before a report can be finalised.

If you have overdue reporting or have not provided the additional information requested to complete your reporting, you will be ineligible for further Arts Queensland funding.

Requesting permission to submit a late application

Arts Queensland does not have to accept applications or any additional information after the closing date and time. Arts Queensland will only consider requests to submit a late application in exceptional circumstances, and will assess a request on its merits, and in accordance with probity principles.

You must request permission to make a late application no later than 24 hours prior to the closing date and time. The request should include a detailed explanation of the circumstances that prevented you submitting your application on time. Where appropriate, you should provide supporting evidence to justify your claim of exceptional circumstances.

Arts Queensland’s decision to either accept or decline a late submission request is final and is not subject to a review or appeal process.

If you experience technical difficulties when submitting your application, please contact Arts Queensland as soon as possible.

Information Privacy and Right to Information

The information you provide in your application may be used by Arts Queensland for the following purposes:

• Processing and assessing the application – for this purpose, the information will be provided to peer assessors engaged by Arts Queensland.
• Verifying information in the application – for example, contacting the individuals or organisations who have provided letters of support
• Training our staff
• Systems testing and process improvement
• Compiling statistics
• Reviewing and evaluating our existing funding programs, strategies, plans and services.

If your application is successful, the information provided in the funding application, the amount of funding received, the information provided in progress/outcome reports (including text and images relating to the funded activity) may be used by Arts Queensland for the purposes listed above and for the following purposes:

• The processing, payment, and administering of funding, including monitoring, and assessing delivery of the funding deed.
• Arts Queensland’s own reporting and evaluation of its activities
• Promotional purposes e.g., case studies or quotes.
• Publishing aggregated and non-identified data to support learnings and trend information for the wider Arts sector.
• Publication on its website and/or other Queensland Government websites as part of open data initiatives.
• Promoting funding outcomes and Queensland’s arts and culture – for this purpose, the information (including applicant contact details) may be provided to Queensland Government Members of Parliament, the media, local government, Creative Australia, and state government agencies, who may contact applicants directly.

Arts Queensland manages all personal information in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 and all documents in Arts Queensland’s possession or control are subject to the Right to Information Act 2009.

Consultation and client surveys

Arts Queensland may contact you to ask you to participate in surveys or consultation activities to evaluate its programs and services and help shape policy initiatives and new programs and services.  Participation is voluntary and all survey responses or consultation information will remain anonymous unless you choose to identify yourself.

Intellectual Property Rights and Moral Rights

You must not infringe Intellectual Property Rights or Moral Rights of any person in delivering funded activities.

• Intellectual Property Rights include all present and future rights in relations to copyright, trademarks, designs, patents, trade, business or company names, trade secret, confidential or other proprietary rights, or any rights to registration of such rights.
• Moral Rights means the right of integrity of authorship (the work is not treated in a way that harms the maker’s reputation), the right of attribution of authorship (the right to be identified and named as creator of the work), and the right not to have authorship falsely attributed to someone else.

For more information on Intellectual and Moral Rights obligations please refer to the Arts Law website and the Australian Copyright Council website.

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) is based on the principle of self-determination and refers to First Nations peoples' interests in protecting their cultures, heritage and knowledge and includes the intangible and tangible aspects of cultural practices, cultural expressions, resources, and knowledge systems.

Arts Queensland expects that applicants will respect and acknowledge ICIP, gain appropriate consent from owners prior to ICIP use and pay for the use of ICIP where appropriate.  For more information on ICIP please refer to the Arts Law website.

Arts Queensland’s website provides resources for developing grant applications. We recommend you check these out if you are applying to the Fund for the first time.

While Arts Queensland staff can provide technical and general advice to potential applicants, including types of projects eligible for funding and advice on the application process, staff cannot help to develop the content of your application. To maintain a fair and equitable process, staff are unable to edit or correct any applications or provide advice on the content or decisions required within the application.

The Regional Arts Services Network (RASN), funded through Arts Queensland, provides support for artists and arts organisations. Applicants outside of the Brisbane Local Government Area requiring additional support to make an application should contact the services at Regional Arts Services Network (RASN).