Joyce Thorpe Nicholson Creative Fellowship

The Joyce Thorpe Nicholson Creative Fellowship is open to emerging writers, early career arts practitioners and researchers. Applicants are required to nominate a project that actively responds to, or utilises the Joyce Thorpe Nicholson collection.

The project must be achievable within the collection access protocols relevant to the nominated collection and be delivered within 12 months of the Fellowship being awarded. Collaborative projects of up to three contributors will be considered.

The successful applicant will receive a $20,000 award.

A requirement of the proposal will be to outline how the project will showcase the Joyce Thorpe Nicholson collection to a wider audience and can be leveraged for future outreach and engagement activities.

Additionally, the recipient will be required to present a student focused workshop/co-curricular activity to be delivered during the Fellowship. It is expected this will be in the Creative Fellow’s area of expertise, (e.g. an author to present a writing workshop for students), and developed for delivery in collaboration with Archives and Special Collections curators, professional and academic staff.

To  browse the collection, please search the library catalogue using key search parameters “Joyce Thorpe Nicholson” or in our list of collection items. If you wish to view material in person, please make an appointment with the ASC Reading Room.

To be considered for this Fellowship, you must:

• Identify as a woman (trans-inclusive)
• Be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident
• Be a recent graduate, emerging writer or early creative practitioner (within the first 5 years of your career, or after graduation)
• Currently not being supported for this project through the University of Melbourne as a staff member
• If you are proposing to work with First Nations cultural material, you must provide a letter of support from a member of  the relevant community you are intending to work with

Applications from candidates who identify as any of the following are encouraged:

• Indigenous Australian or First Nations
• culturally and linguistically diverse
• d/Deaf
• disabled
• LGBTQI+

You are not eligible if:

• you have received or administered a grant for this project from the University of Melbourne
• you are claiming paid studying leave, your project is supported by University-derived funding, or is part of examination requirements toward a degree or similar qualification
• we will not accept applications from legally constituted organisations.

Please apply through the form at the end of this page

As outlined in the form, the applicants must submit

• a CV
• contact details, qualifications and relevant experiences, projects and publications and a project proposal of 500 words or less. The complete application should not exceed 2000 words.
• Letter of recommendation and / or details of relevant referees as requested in the form.

Any fellowship applications that have an Indigenous focus or Indigenous content must show a connection to the Indigenous communities relevant to the project. This could be in the form of either:

• a letter of support (from a member of the Indigenous community)
• a partnered or joint fellowship application.

Observing and following cultural protocols is necessary to ensure the cultural integrity of a project.

Applications are due at 11.55pm on Monday 11 May 2026.

Application form  questions can be previewed here. Please note that we are only accepting applications through the application form, accessed in the  Apply Here button below.

** You may be asked to attend an interview if shortlisted.

• The creative project is to directly respond to the Joyce Thorpe Nicholson collection in innovative ways that promote this unique collection and inspire further public and academic engagement around the collection.
• Excellence of the proposal, judged by its originality, timeliness, relevance, significance and engagement with the collections.
• Impact of the project on the professional development and advancement of the applicant, taking into account their previous professional experiences.
• The potential influence of the proposed project to create opportunities for fresh interaction and future engagement with the Joyce Thorpe Nicholson collection, its focus areas, and more broadly Archives and Special Collections.
• Relevance to the University's and Archives and Special Collections' research, teaching and learning, and engagement objectives.
• Evidence of skills and abilities of the applicant to carry out the proposed activity; the feasibility of the timetable associated with the activity.
• Ability to present a seminar, workshop, performance or related program as part of a program of co-curricular engagement with students to be delivered during the Fellowship. It is expected this will be in their area of expertise (e.g. an author to present a writing workshop for students). An outline of the proposed activity is to be addressed in the application.
• The potential impact of the Fellowship’s project on the broader arts sector will be considered. This will include how the Fellow’s activities will be documented, presented and shared, and whether the project develops or supports national and international collaborations.

Late  July  2026.

How will the Baillieu Library Special Collections Redevelopment impact access to the Joyce Thorpe Nicholson collection during the fellowship?

As a result, the successful Fellow will have limited time to make their selection of research items to use in their project; however, the Rare Books Curator and Collection Management team will work to provide extensive support to store identified collection items separately, and make them available wherever possible.

As part of your application, it would be advantageous to outline themes, topics of interest, specific collection items or anything else that may guide ASC staff in planning ahead and reserving material for the successful applicant during the first few weeks of the Fellowship. We anticipate the successful Fellow will commence work on their project in August. These items will remain accessible for the remainder of the Fellowship.