First Nations Fellowship
or Varuna Copyright Agency First Nations Fellowships ; or Copyright Agency Fellowships for First Nations Writers
Subcategory of Varuna Awards and Fellowships Varuna Fellowships
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History

Five fellowships are awarded annually to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers from anywhere in Australia.

The fellowship program is open to writers of all genres of fiction, narrative non-fiction, poetry, children's books, graphic novels, dramatic/screen writing, writing for radio, translation, essays or short fiction.

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2024

recipient (Flagship Fellowship) Yasmin Smith for their poetry collection ‘salt wattle’
recipient Melanie Saward for 'The Next Chapter'.
recipient Sharleigh Crittenden for 'The Children Nobody Wanted'.
recipient Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker for 'when we taught sand to think'.
recipient Colin Locke for 'Who Does Grandfather Talk To?'

Year: 2023

recipient (Flagship Fellowship) Ali Cobby Eckermann for her historical fiction work ‘Kali’
recipient Bebe Backhouse for their collection of poetry ‘if this is the end’
recipient Alison J. Barton for their collection of poetry ‘Not Telling’
recipient Tahnee Carter for their fantasy/speculative manuscript, Koa
recipient Alita Childs for their fiction manuscript, Third and Final Call
recipient Rosa Diarmada for their young adult manuscript, Salt.
recipient Julie Gough for their non-fiction narrative, Disclosure.
recipient Darby Jones for their essay, Unintelligible Bodies.
recipient Ellen van Neerven for their poetry manuscript, Love Me (More).
recipient Maria Van Neerven for their collection of poetry
recipient Lucy Norton for their collection of poetry, even sacred things come undone.
recipient Barrina South for their manuscript of poetry
recipient Wesley Stubbings for their screenplay/script, The Seed

Year: 2022

recipient Jenny Fraser for her narrative nonfiction manuscript ‘Jidda’
recipient Kalem Murray for his crime fiction/modern fantasy/horror manuscript ‘Frayed Threads’
recipient Brooke Scobie for her fantasy/speculative fiction manuscript ‘The Unwoven’
recipient Kerry Bulloojeeno Archibald Moran for her narrative nonfiction manuscript‘Our Mob: Stories from Silver City Aboriginal Reserve, Anaiwan Country’
recipient Neika Lehman for their poetry manuscript ‘niyakara tibalti – dream travel’
recipient Luke Patterson for his poetry manuscript ‘TEK’.

Year: 2021

recipient Krista Dunstan for her YA work 'Noble Intentions'.
recipient Lisa Fuller for her YA fantasy 'Washpool'.
recipient Veronica Gorrie for her narrative nonfiction work 'Teresa'.
recipient Ash Johnstone for her YA work 'Ceridwen's Academy'.
recipient Jannali Jones for her crime novel 'The Harraville Three'.
recipient Brenda Saunders for her poetry collection, 'Bird on a Wire'.

Year: 2019

recipient Yvette Holt for poetry manuscript 'Hands of My Mother'.
recipient Raelee Lancaster for poetry collection 'Crush'.
recipient Jazz Money for poetry collection 'Halcyon'.
recipient Morgan-Lee Snell for poetry collection 'Oi, Cunt'.
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