Eligibility
- Poets must be an Australian citizen or have a permanent residency visa.
- Poets must be 18 years or older to apply.
- All submitted works must be original.
- Poets must have been previously commissioned or programmed by Red Room Poetry, except for those applying to the Emerging Poets Residency in which case this eligibility criteria is waived. More information on this point is outlined in the Frequently Asked Questions.
- Availability is required for a one-week residency at Varuna (Monday 25 August to Monday 1 September 2025) or, if applying for the Anywhere Remote Residency, to complete the residency remotely in the same week. These dates are non-transferable.
- Poets must be prepared to record, publish, and speak publicly about your poetry and creative process.
At least one of the six places is reserved for a First Nations poet, and at least one place for a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse poet, and at least one place for an Emerging Poet.
If you have questions about the eligibility, please see the FAQs.
Terms and Conditions
- Applications are open exclusively to poets previously commissioned or programmed in a paid capacity by Red Room Poetry, unless applying for the Emerging Poets Residency in which case this criteria is waived. Poets must indicate the project(s) for which they were engaged.
- Entries must address entire criteria in the application form (see Selection Criteria below).
- Multiple entries are not permitted.
- Poems submitted must be original works written by an individual author.
- Poems submitted must not infringe upon anyone’s copyright.
- Poems that are deemed to be works of plagiarism will be disqualified.
- Applications previously entered in past Red Room Poetry Fellowships may not be re-entered.
- Visual poems must be accompanied by a 300-word exegesis.
- Audio poems (up to 3 minutes) can be submitted as well if the poet’s preferred medium
- Entries open 9am, Tuesday 3 December 2024 (AEDT)
- Entries close 5pm, 5pm Tuesday 4 February 2025 (AEDT)
- Feedback for unsuccessful entries will not be provided.
- Copyright of all poem(s) remains with the poet.
Selection criteria
- Impact - Show potential for this grant to benefit your creative development and advance the proposed poetic project you intend to work on as part of the residency
- Project Merit - The creative concepts, processes and work submitted show a high degree of originality and contribute to the wider culture of contemporary poetry in Australia
How to apply
Please complete the online application form via Varuna's website here including:
- Project description (1-2 sentences, 500 characters)
- How will this opportunity benefit your creative development, and what are your goals for your time at Varuna? (1000 characters)
- Three recent poems (3 pages max) or an audio poem/s (3 mins max)
- Hi-res Artist Headshot and 50-word Biography (to be used on our digital channels only if you are one of the selected Fellows)
Ready to get started? Complete the online application form here.
Questions about your application? Check the FAQs, or contact us via fellowship@redroompoetry.org