Support for individual writers and picture book illustrators to undertake residencies in Australia and overseas

A grant of up to $18,000 for travel and living and/or research expenses
Applications for this grant close on 30 March 2012
Decisions will be advised in mid-July 2012
Funded projects can start 1 August 2012

About the grant

Residencies foster excellence in writing by providing individual writers with a supportive environment for professional development, research and creative risk-taking.

Support is available to individual writers and picture book illustrators through residencies and studios in Australia and overseas. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate the suitability of the intended location to their project.

Writers who meet the eligibility requirements may apply for a Literature Board overseas studio residency. Applicants may nominate up to three (3) overseas residencies in their application.

Individuals may apply for either:

• An overseas literature board studio residency, or
• A self-organised residency or studio.

The Keesing Studio, Paris, France or the BR Whiting Library, Rome, Italy

These six-month residencies will take place between 1 February to 29 July 2013 and 2 August 2013 to 27January 2014. Successful applicants will receive a living allowance of $15,000 for six months and $3,000 towards travel costs.

Successful applicants who are on paid leave at the time of the residency will receive the travel component only. In accordance with the conditions under which the literature board administers the BR Whiting Library in Rome, preference will be given to Australian poets.

The Australia Council Studio, Paris

This three-month residency will take place between 12 June and 12 September 2013. The successful applicant will receive a living allowance of $7,500 for three months and $3,000 towards travel costs.

Successful applicants who are on paid leave at the time of the residency will receive the travel component only.
 

Self-organised residencies

Individual writers who meet the eligibility requirements may apply for a self-organised Australian or overseas studio residency that will allow them time and space to develop their own writing. The studio or residency must be of good repute and be able to offer appropriate facilities to support the planned project.

Successful applicants will receive a living and travel allowance dependent on the residency of up to $5,000. Successful applicants who are on paid leave at the time of the residency will receive the travel component only.

Additional travel allowance for residencies

Successful applicants for overseas residencies, including self-organised overseas residencies, can apply for up to $1,000 towards travel and accommodation expenses for participation in seminars, readings and other literary events during the residency period. Please contact staff for more information.

Successful applicants for self-organised residencies within Australia may apply for up to $500 towards travel and accommodation expenses for participation in seminars, readings and other literary events during the residency period.

An itinerary and budget outlining professional development opportunities must be submitted to the literature board for approval prior to undertaking any additional travel. Please contact staff for more information.

Please note that monetary amounts are in Australian dollars.

Applications will be accepted 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.

Please note
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.

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.

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, j.simpson@australiacouncil.gov.au

Support for individual writers and picture book illustrators to undertake residencies in Australia and overseas

A grant of up to $18,000 for travel and living and/or research expenses
Applications for this grant close on 30 March 2012
Decisions will be advised in mid-July 2012
Funded projects can start 1 August 2012

Eligibility

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

Who Can Apply?

To be eligible to apply for a residency, you must have achieved at least one of the following minimum publication/performance requirements:

• At least two full length works for adults published or performed
• At least two works for children or young adults over 20,000 words
• At least three works for children or young adults under 20,000 words
• At least three children’s picture books.

For the purposes of eligibility, the Literature Board defines full-length literary works for adults in the following ways:

• Fiction and literary non-fiction of 30,000 words and over
• Poetry collections of a minimum of 36 pages
• Theatre scripts of a minimum of 50 minutes
• Radio scripts of a minimum of 25 minutes
• Graphic Novels of a minimum of 32 pages
• New media works that display a significant literary component.

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

Previous work written in genres that the literature board does not support will not be accepted as evidence of eligibility or as support material.

The following individuals are not eligible to apply to this category:

• Recipients of a Creative Australia Book2 grant awarded in 2011
• Recipients of fellowships awarded in 2009, 2010 or 2011
• Recipients of literature board residency grants awarded in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011
• Recipients of a one-year new work grant awarded in 2011
• Recipients of a two-year established writers grant awarded in 2009.

Individuals who apply for a residency may not apply for a new work grant, fellowship or Creative Australia Book 2 grant in the same year.

Please note:

Professional status of previous work

Listed works will be accepted as evidence of eligibility only if they have been published by a professional publisher with effective national distribution, i.e. distribution in all states and territories or via a website.

Listed works for theatre and radio will be accepted where they have been produced by a professional theatre company or radio station, or presented by an established venue. Additional requirements apply to self-funded publications.

Co-written work

The literature board will accept as evidence of eligibility co-written works where an applicant has been the sole author of at least 50 per cent of the text and where that text can be precisely identified.

Self-funded publication

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.

Online publication

The literature board accepts online publication as evidence of eligibility where there is a demonstrated editorial review process with a named editor or editorial committee, none of whom is the author.

Applicants must supply the website address and a copy of the submission guidelines of the publication, along with the name and contact details of an editor.

Translation and languages other than English

The translation of literary work is not an eligible project under this category. Applications to write in languages other than English are not eligible under this category.

To be eligible, you must meet the general eligibility requirements and any specific eligibility requirements provided for specific grants.

Additonal to the general eligibility requirements, you must meet the following specific eligibility requirements:

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.

Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed against the folllowing criteria:

• Literary merit, understood to include the applicant’s writing ability as demonstrated by their support material, together with the creative substance of the nominated project
• Potential to contribute to the individual’s professional development
• In the case of self-organised residencies, high professional standing of the organisation or group or body providing the residency and ability to provide appropriate facilities and support for the individual undertaking the residency.

Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate the suitability of the intended location to their project.

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 individual writers and picture book illustrators to undertake residencies in Australia and overseas

A grant of up to $18,000 for travel and living and/or research expenses
Applications for this grant close on 30 March 2012
Decisions will be advised in mid-July 2012
Funded projects can start 1 August 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 Residency application.

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

Supporting materials

Information on how support material should be supplied (either electronically or via post) is provided when you complete the online grant application.

You must provide evidence of your eligibility and all required support material by the application closing date.

You are required to submit with your application:

• Up to 10 pages of your writing/illustrative work in the genre of your project. This material can be from a variety of sources – published work, manuscripts or story boards – but cannot exceed 10 pages.

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

Applicants applying for new media projects should bear in mind that the literature board is assessing the writing component of their application and submit scripts or other relevant texts as their required support material.

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.

Other support material can be submitted AFTER the closing date but 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 10 working days before the board meeting.

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.

Important information

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 Australia Council staff.

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 individual writers and picture book illustrators to undertake residencies in Australia and overseas

A grant of up to $18,000 for travel and living and/or research expenses
Applications for this grant close on 30 March 2012
Decisions will be advised in mid-July 2012
Funded projects can start 1 August 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.