Support for accomplished literary writers and illustrators to create new work

Writers can apply for $100,000 over two years
Applications for this grant close 15 May 2012
Decisions will be advised in September 2012
Funded projects can start 1 November 2012

About the grant

Fellowship grants support excellence in Australian literature by providing highly accomplished, critically recognised literary writers and illustrators with financial support for two years to enable them to create new work. The Literature Board will award up to one Fellowship per year in recognition of a writer’s contribution to Australian literature. Fellowships are worth $100,000 and are paid in three instalments over two years.

All fellowship recipients are required to submit an interim report at the end of the first year prior to receiving the second year of funding. The final instalment of $10,000 will be paid when an acquittal report has been submitted and approved at the end of the two-year period.

Nominated projects must be in the following literary genres:

• Fiction
• Literary non-fiction (defined by the literature board as autobiography, biography, essays, histories, literary criticism or other analytical prose)
• Children’s and young adult literature
• Poetry
• Writing for performance (theatre, radio)
• New media (digital, interactive, cross-media)
• Graphic novels and illustrated picture books.

The literature board does not assist in the creation of film and television scripts; competitions or prizes; textbooks and other works created for primary, secondary and tertiary educational purposes; newsletters; books which are primarily works of interviews; local and oral histories; military studies; instruction manuals; how-to books; academic theses or course work (including course work in creative writing); bibliographies; dictionaries; encyclopaedias; professional reference titles; guide books; catalogues; self-help, lifestyle and hobby books; or works of physical or natural sciences, theology, psychology, cooking, medicine or law; travel guide books or factual reporting.

Contact

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the relevant Australia Council team member. For further information, or to discuss your proposal, please contact:

Joanne Simpson
Program Officer, Literature
Phone 02 9215 9057, Email j.simpson@australiacouncil.gov.au

Support for accomplished literary writers and illustrators to create new work

Writers can apply for $100,000 over two years
Applications for this grant close 15 May 2012
Decisions will be advised in September 2012
Funded projects can start 1 November 2012

Eligibility

This category is open to individuals only.To be eligible, you must meet the general eligibility requirements.

Additional to the general eligibility requirements, you must meet the following specific eligibility requirements given below.

To be eligible you must have:

• a minimum of five major works published or performed; and
• achieved substantial critical recognition in the genre of your intended project.

Previous work published in genres that the Literature Board does not assist will not be accepted as evidence of eligibility.

You are not eligible to apply in 2012 if:

• You are intending to write in a language other than English.
• You received a literature board new work grant or residency in 2011
• You received a two year established writer's grant in 2009
• You received a Book2 grant in 2011
• An applicant awarded a fellowship in 2011 will not be eligible to apply to the new work category of the literature board for two years after the conclusion of the fellowship; that is, not before 2015
• An applicant awarded a fellowship from any board after 1995 will not be eligible to apply to this category again.

The Australia Council encourages artists from Indigenous backgrounds and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to submit proposals. Proposals are also encouraged from artists with disabilities and from artists living and working in regional Australia.

You may not apply for a fellowship in the same year as applying to either the literature board New Work, Book2 or residencies categories. Fellowship recipients must not undertake any work that prevents them from fulfilling the terms of their fellowship.

If you are not sure if you are eligible to apply for funding please contact literature board staff before submitting your application.

Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Literary merit, which is understood to include the applicant’s writing ability as demonstrated by their support material, together with the creative substance of the nominated projects
• Substantial critical recognition and demonstrated contribution to Australian literature.

Selection process

The literature board will assess applications according to the selection criteria above. The outcomes will be published as a Grant Assessment Report.

For more information on the assessment process, please see the page on Assessment of applications in the Information for applicants section.

Support for accomplished literary writers and illustrators to create new work

Writers can apply for $100,000 over two years
Applications for this grant close 15 May 2012
Decisions will be advised in September 2012
Funded projects can start 1 November 2012

How to apply

You are encouraged to apply online for this category. To begin an online application, use the 'Apply online' button in the right-hand column. Please select 'Arts Funding Division' when prompted to choose a board for your Fellowship application.

For other ways to apply, please see the information on making an application in the Funding Guide for 2012.

Supporting materials

You must submit evidence of your eligibility and all required support material by the application closing date. You are required to submit with your application:

• a curriculum vitae of no more than two pages
• one copy of two published books or performed plays in the genre of your project.

Applications that do not include support material in the genre of the nominated project will not be eligible.

Any material supplied in addition to the required support material will not be considered in the assessment of your application. If you need assistance in determining the support material you are required to submit or when it must be submitted, please contact Literature Board staff.

Other support material can be submitted AFTER the closing date but BEFORE the board meeting.

Letters of support and/or contracts from publishers or producers that are specific to the project will be accepted up to 10 working days before the board meeting.

Some applicants may be required to submit additional support material as detailed below. This support material can be submitted after the closing date but must be submitted before the board meeting if your application is to be eligible for consideration. The date by which this support material must be received is 31 August 2012.

When proposals are submitted from organisations or individuals that involve major performing arts board (MPAB)-funded companies, a letter of agreement between the applicant and the MPAB-funded company must be provided to both the MPAB and the literature board. For further details, please contact MPAB staff directly.

In line with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts policy and its underpinning principles, the Australia Council requires that applications for projects containing representations of artistic/cultural practice or intended outcomes relating to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists or communities must provide letters from relevant communities or artists. Letters must show clear evidence of support and agreement for the activities undertaken. In preparing your application, you may wish to consult the Indigenous protocol guides in song, performance, writing, new media and visual arts.

We recommend you also read the FAQs for supporting materials submitted with your application.

Application checklist

We encourage you to use this handy checklist to help you prepare and submit your application. You should:

1. read the Funding Guide for 2012, in particular the general eligibility requirements, the information on making an application and the information on how your application will be assessed;
2. read all of the information provided for this grant (across all the tabs above);
3. get in contact with the grant contact person to discuss your application;
4. prepare your application, being mindful that you address all of the eligibility and selection criteria for this grant; and
5. submit your application form online using the 'Apply online' button in the right-hand column.

Support for accomplished literary writers and illustrators to create new work

Writers can apply for $100,000 over two years
Applications for this grant close 15 May 2012
Decisions will be advised in September 2012
Funded projects can start 1 November 2012

General FAQs

Specific frequently asked questions (FAQs) relating to this grant are listed below. Please regularly check for updates as new questions may be published during the grant round. We recommend you also read the general FAQs for all grants and the FAQs for supporting materials submitted with your application.

As an individual, under which category should I apply?
The majority of individual writers and picture book illustrators apply under the New Work category. This category assists in the creation of new work by published Australian writers and picture book illustrators. It is divided into three subcategories; Emerging Writers, Developing Writers and Established Writers.

Emerging, Developing and Established writers and writers who have been working in the digital space may be eligible to apply for a New Work Digital and New Media Writing grant to assist with production costs and collaboration fees associated with digital projects.

A further category, Fellowships, is available for writers who have had a minimum of five major works published or performed and who have achieved substantial critical recognition.

Applicants who qualify as either Developing or Established writers under the New Work category, and who wish to apply for residencies, overseas or in Australia, should apply under the Residencies category.

Writers who wish to write their second book/play and who have a contract in place to publish/perform the work should apply to the Book2 category.

Does the Literature Board support grants for mentorships?
No, the board does not provide assistance to organisations or individuals for the purpose of mentorships.

Do board members see all eligible applications?
Yes.

If my application is unsuccessful, can I re-submit next year?
Yes, however, board members do remember applications from year to year, so they’ll expect that the work will have progressed in the interim.

Why do I need an ABN?
The literature board considers New Work applicants as professional writers - even if they draw their income from other sources.  Should your application be successful you will be required to supply an ABN.  Should you already have an ABN, please supply it with your application.  If your ABN hasn't come through by the May 15 closing date, don't panic.  Just put a note on your application that you have applied for an ABN and contact Literature staff as soon as the number becomes available. 

NB The legal name in which your ABN is registered must be the same as the name in which you register your application. 

Should you have any questions as to whether you need to register for GST, please seek professional advice from an accountant.

What are my chances of success?
All grant rounds are highly competitive. In the largest, most competitive grant category, New Work, the average success rate over recent years ranges from 10-13%.

What can I use the money for?
It is understood that Fellowship grant monies are to be spent on general living expenses – e.g. rent, food, childcare - and/or any travel or research expenses incurred in developing your grant project. Purchase of computers or appliances and payment of editors’, mentors’ or dramaturges’ fees are not considered legitimate uses of grant money under the Fellowship category.

Digital and New Media Writing grants may be used to cover production costs and collaboration fees as well as living and research costs.

What if I’ve already started writing or researching my project?
Our grant guidelines state that the parts of the project for which funding is sought cannot start before 1 November 2012. This does not mean that your application will be ineligible if you have already started work on the project before this date. For example, if you are applying to complete the first draft of a novel, you may already have started writing preliminary chapters. As long as you can demonstrate that substantial new work will be created during the grant period, this is not a problem.

What should I include in the eligibility section of my application?
You only need to list sufficient publications to meet the eligibility requirements of the subcategory to which you are applying. Giving details of extra publications/performances is not necessary – but neither will it be penalised.

You should include the name of the publisher, producer or venue and the date of publication or performance.

Writing for performance applicants should list the approximate running time of any given script cited for eligibility purposes, and writers of fiction, literary non-fiction, children’s and YA literature should list the word length of each title. Poets should list the page length of each collection listed for eligibility purposes.

Do self-funded titles count towards eligibility?
Self-funded publications are only accepted as evidence of eligibility if the applicant can provide evidence of national distribution, i.e. distribution in all states and territories or via a website and at least one review of the work in an established literary journal or nationally distributed magazine or major newspaper.

I’m applying for a Fellowship to write in a genre that is different to my previously published work. Do the previous works count towards eligibility and as support material?
All previously published works in eligible genres count toward your eligibility; however, your support material must be in the genre of your intended project.

The board does not assess works listed in the eligibility section of the application form; it is your supplied support material that should demonstrate the calibre of your writing to the panel.

Does publication overseas count towards eligibility?
Yes, provided the work was published by a professional publisher (in any language). You must provide full publication details in your application.

What do you mean by a ‘full-length’ work?
For the purposes of eligibility, the literature board defines full-length literary works for adults in the following ways:

Applicants are required to state the word/page length or running time as relevant to the genre of any works listed for eligibility purposes.

Where can I tell the Board about the awards I’ve won?
Resumés, CVs and reviews are not passed on to board members. If you wish to inform the board of significant professional awards or achievements – e.g. prizes, awards, shortlistings - you may list them in addition to your previously published works in the eligibility section of your application. However, you should bear in mind that that awards and reviews are not taken into account in the assessment process.

Should I include reviews in my application?
No. With the exception of reviews of self-funded works, as required for eligibility (see above), copies of reviews should not be included and will not be seen by the board.

What should I put in the detailed project description for a New Work grant?
There is no specific ‘template’ or checklist for project outlines. The applicant needs to make the nature of their project clear, and indicate how they intend to carry it out. Three useful questions to bear in mind when preparing your project outline:

• Why this?
• Why now?
• Why me?

Board members have to read hundreds of applications, so it is in your interest to be as clear and succinct as possible. Choose language that will allow you to express your passion for the project, as well as its literary raison d’être. Applications which contain overly academic language, literary or bureaucratic jargon as well as those containing publicity ‘speak’ or self-promoting language will not create a good impression.

New Work grant applications are not means-tested and you do not need to supply a budget. It is not, therefore, helpful to provide details about your financial status.  You should not go into detail about how the grant will be spent. If you are planning to use the grant to assist with travel and research costs, this can be stated but you don’t need to provide budget details.

A brief plot synopsis can be included but applicants should be clear that the project outline must go beyond this. The Board is interested in your ‘process’ as a writer, the literary context of your project and the evolution of your project idea.

Poets who do not intend to undertake a theme-based project should provide in their project descriptions an artistic rationale, details about their poetic practice and the artistic direction they expect to take during the grant period.

NB. Please make sure your project outline is as reader-friendly as possible. Observe the guidelines on font and spacing and have the outline proofread. Spelling mistakes don’t disqualify an application but, as you are applying for a literature grant, they may undermine your credibility as a professional writer.

How can I indicate if I’m writing in more than one genre or across genres?
Multiple and hybrid genre projects are quite acceptable and you should select the multi-genre option in the 'Genre' section of the application if you feel this more accurately reflects your grant project.  Specific details regarding genre can be added in the notes field of the same section and you may also describe matters relating to genre and form in your project outline.

What should I send as support material?
Applicants to the New Work Emerging, Developing and Established categories are required to submit up to 10 pages of support material in the genre of their intended project to supplement their application.  This material can be from a variety of sources – published work, manuscripts, illustrated work – but cannot exceed 10 pages.

Applications that do not include support material in the genre of the nominated project will not be eligible.

If you wish to submit as support material a sample of writing from a co-authored work, you must ensure that the sample is entirely your own work. 

Applicants to the Digital and New Media Writing category should submit production samples of one to two previous works. This may be one to two URL’s, or audio visual samples that must not exceed 10 minutes in total. Information about technical specifications can be found on our website.

How should I select my support material?
After ensuring that the support material is in the correct genre/s of the project/s for which you are applying, you should select the work which you feel best represents the literary merit of your writing. Relevance of support material to your intended project is also a consideration. If in doubt, contact the relevant program officer.

If I don’t have a letter of support from a publisher or performance company, does that put me at a disadvantage?
No. While you should certainly include such a letter from a publisher or producer if you have one, it is not a requirement and Board members will not penalise your application if you don’t. Please note that such letters should be specific to your project, not general letters of reference.

What if there is Indigenous content in my application?
Please read carefully the relevant instructions in the Support Material section of the application. Also, please refer to the Australia Council publication: Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Writing.  If you are unsure about whether letters of support are needed, please contact Literature staff.

Why doesn’t the board support the creation of film and television scripts?
Film and television scripts are not considered by the board to stand alone as works of literature. Other funding bodies support writing for film and television.

Can I apply to the literature board to self publish my book?
No. In general, the literature board does not assist writers to self-publish their work, nor does it give grants to individuals for the purpose of getting books published.

However, writers applying to the Digital and New Media writing category, to create work in the digital space, may include production costs as part of their application.

What if my intended project is not in English?
Writers writing in languages other than English are not eligible to apply under the Fellowships grant program. 

Can I apply for a Fellowship to translate my work into either English or another language?
No. Fellowship grants are for the creation of new literary works, not for the translation of existing works. Overseas publishers may apply to the Literature Board for funding to translate and publish Australian literary works into other languages. 

Which genres does the literature board support?
The literature board considers applications in the following genres only:

• Fiction

• Literary non-fiction (defined by the literature board as autobiography, biography, essays, histories, literary criticism or analytical prose)

• Children's and young adult literature

• Poetry

• Writing for performance (theatre, radio)

• Writing for new media (defined by the board as original works of a literary nature for delivery predominantly via computer, mobile phone or similar device)

• Graphic novels and illustrated picture books.

Multiple and hybrid genre projects are accepted.

Works for new media will be accepted where projects display either a poetic aesthetic, a narrative structure, a developed fictive world or a sustained analysis of events of a non-fiction nature, in line with the board’s definition of literary non-fiction. Works may include audience participation, user-generated content, and/or game-play, but must have a clear and consistent story world.

Which genres are not supported by the literature board?
The literature board does not assist in the creation of film and television scripts; competitions or prizes; textbooks and other works created for primary, secondary and tertiary educational purposes; newsletters; books which are primarily works of interviews; local and oral histories; military studies; instruction manuals; how-to books; academic theses or course work (including course work in creative writing); bibliographies; dictionaries; encyclopaedias; professional reference titles; guide books; catalogues; self-help, lifestyle and hobby books; or works of physical or natural sciences, theology, psychology, cooking, medicine or law; or travel guide books or factual reporting.

In the case of new media applications, the literature board does not support works intended for delivery predominantly via cinema or television screen or works intended as marketing support for another work.

Funding for the production of new media works is not provided via the New Work emerging, developing and established categories. For projects involving production costs, please see New Work: Digital and New Media writing grants.

I don't have any full-length publications - what opportunities are available for unpublished writers/illustrators? 
Recent graduates or final-year arts students may be eligible to apply to the Australia Council for the Arts for an ArtStart grant.

Other writers/illustrators who do not meet the eligibility requirements for literature board funding can seek funding and development opportunities with a variety of organisations.

Some options include:

• The Australian Society of Authors

• Writing Australia

• The Australian Writers' Marketplace

• The Australian Writers' Guild

• Australian Poetry

• Copyright Agency Ltd

The State funding bodies offer a variety of funding programs and initiatives that may be useful to unpublished writers and illustrators.

• Arts Victoria   

• Arts SA

• Arts NSW

• ACT Arts

• TAS Arts

• Arts Queensland

• The Department of Culture and the Arts in WA

Australia’s literary magazines provide information, inspiration and publishing opportunities. You can find information on magazines funded by the literature board at Literary Magazines Australia.