Competitions, Awards and Residencies

This program is presented in partnership with Varuna, the National Writers’ House, and the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT.

Nine fellowships are available, with three residency fellowships and six virtual fellowships available. Participants will be selected from the Top End and Central Desert regions and one fellowship place will be reserved for a First Nations writer.

Applications for 2025 aren’t currently open.

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This unique residency supports emerging NT writers to develop a new work through a paid writing retreat.

Entries close on the 25th March 2025.

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The annual Northern Territory Literary Awards have celebrated the unpublished work of Northern Territory writers for more than 35 years.

Whether established or emerging, all writers from across the Northern Territory are encouraged to enter unpublished work for a chance to win cash prizes, free memberships and masterclasses.

Entries close on the 12th May 2025.

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Started by the NT Writers’ Centre in 2009, and originally called Territory Read, the Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards have celebrated excellence amongst published authors residing in the NT for over a decade.

Entries close on the 7th April.

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