Currently 3 active paid grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Australia, across AI, arts, film, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers, presented by the Emerging Writers' Festival and Hachette Australia, is an annual prize for unpublished writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction. The winner receives AUD $10,000 and a 12-month mentorship with a Hachette Australia publisher, who will work with the writer to develop their manuscript, with first option to consider the finished work for publication. Long- and short-listed writers are also eligible to apply for a Casa Morphosi Residency in Abruzzo, Italy. The prize was established in memory of Hachette Australia CEO Matt Richell (d. 2014). ELIGIBILITY: must currently reside in Australia (Australian citizens, permanent residents, and long-term visa holders residing in Australia; those residing overseas are not eligible); unpublished writers only -- no previous publication by a publishing house (including small press or independent publishers in any genre); publication in anthologies, literary journals, scholarly works, writing PhD projects, or self-publishing does not disqualify. ELIGIBLE GENRES: adult fiction (including short story collections) and adult narrative non-fiction (including memoir and essay collections). Poetry, scripts, plays, picture books, practical non-fiction, and works for children or young adults are not eligible. SUBMISSION FORMAT: single PDF comprising the first three chapters (maximum 20,000 words), a one-page synopsis, and a chapter breakdown of up to two A4 pages; plus a statement (up to 750 words) on how winning the prize will further your writing career, entered in the online form. Manuscript must be complete or intended to be completed; does not need to be finished at time of submission. A4, double-spaced, 12pt Roman font (e.g. Garamond or Times New Roman), 3cm margins, page numbers. TIMELINE: prize opened 23 April 2026; closes 13 July 2026 at 11:59pm AEST; longlist announced 11 September 2026; shortlist 16 October 2026; winner announced 6 November 2026. Administered with support from Simpsons Solicitors. Apply at https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/richell-prize-2026/.
The Next Chapter is The Wheeler Centre's flagship writing program, designed to elevate Australian stories that are underrepresented and to nurture a new wave of writers to tell them. Each fellow receives a AUD $15,000 stipend and is paired with a handpicked mentor for a twelve-month period to progress a major writing project. Fellows also receive a residency at Varuna, The National Writers' House; an end-of-year publishing intensive at The Wheeler Centre; and meaningful opportunities to connect with peers, agents, publishers, and readers. One fellowship place is dedicated specifically to a poet: The Malcolm Robertson Fellowship. 2027 judges: Melissa Lucashenko, Micaela Sahhar, Cher Tan, and Melanie Saward. ELIGIBILITY: Australian writers. No specific genre restrictions stated; the program focuses on stories that are not currently being told and voices that are underrepresented. TIMELINE: submissions open 2 June 2026; submissions close 31 July 2026 (5pm); 2027 Next Chapter Fellows announced 10 November 2026. Questions: thenextchapter@wheelercentre.com. Apply at https://www.wheelercentre.com/the-next-chapter.
Believers funds the people, projects and programs creating the conditions for young people's creativity to flourish at scale. Creativity is meant in the broadest sense: artists are creative, but so are scientists, debaters, community builders and dancers, and a project can be anything from a summer camp to a robotics competition to a co-working holiday house for artists. Blackbird looks for inventive, dynamic experiments that encourage young people to be curious, to explore, to be lifelong learners, and to build community and become high-agency people, backing projects that are 0-1 (just starting) or 1-10 (scaling or iterating) rather than established groups. Examples: a neighbourhood community science lab, a hacker house, a hardware garage makerspace, a travelling STEM roadshow, or an after-school arts or coding club. ELIGIBILITY (no flexibility): individuals, groups or organisations established in Australia and/or New Zealand; projects taking place in AU/NZ; projects completed within 12 months; projects whose core focus is primarily creative outcomes; and organisations with less than AUD 1.5M in revenue. WHEN TO APPLY: Believers is open year-round, with EOIs and applications reviewed and progressed on a rolling basis; the program closes when all funds are disbursed or at the end of the FY27 period (30 June 2027), whichever comes first. Expressions of interest for Believers Fund III open on 30 June 2026.