The Parramatta Laureate in Literature (2026-2027): Call for Applications
The City of Parramatta, the Sydney Review of Books (SRB) and the Writing and Society Research Centre (WSRC) are delighted to call for applications for the second Parramatta Laureate in Literature (2026-2027).
Applications can be made via the SRB’s Submittable portal. Applications are now open and close on 10 November 2025.
To apply for the Parramatta Laureateship in Literature, please first download and read the Information Sheet found at the bottom of this page, which includes details about the Laureateship, selection criteria, application process and cultural guidance. First Nations authors and Writers of Colour are welcome and encouraged to apply.
About the Laureateship
As the central river city of Sydney, Parramatta is the home of the Dharug Peoples who have continuously cared for culture and Country for more than 60,000 years through song, dance, knowledge sharing and storytelling. We honour and acknowledge the Burramattagal Clan of the Dharug Nation, Traditional Custodians of this beautiful river city. The City of Parramatta continues to create stories and thrive from this foundation of culture, welcoming people to our city from across the nation and the globe.
Parramatta is a future-focused city that celebrates the community’s many cultures through award-winning initiatives, festivals and venues. To tell the story of this growing and dynamic region that is developing rapidly as one of Australia’s major economic, cultural and educational centres, the City of Parramatta, together with program partners the Sydney Review of Books (SRB) and the Writing and Society Research Centre (WSRC) at Western Sydney University, established the Parramatta Laureate in Literature Program. Following the successes of the inaugural Laureateship (2024-2025), we are delighted to call for applications for the second Parramatta Laureate in Literature (2026-2027).
The Laureateship recognises the unique and vital work of writers as contributors to narratives of place – through storying, remembering histories, and shaping a creative vision for our shared future. This is an exciting opportunity to put literature at the heart of cultural conversations and art practice within the Parramatta region.
The Laureate
The Laureate will be a highly regarded writer who has made an outstanding contribution to literature, is actively making new work, and ideally has connections to the Parramatta region. The Laureate will produce a literary work of significance that aligns with the strategic vision of the Council’s award-winning plan, Parramatta 2050 (including its cultural strategy, Creative Parramatta), while advocating strongly for literature by publicly engaging with a diverse range of people, and inspiring current and future readers and writers.
The Laureate will be engaged by the SRB/WSRC after applications are reviewed by a Parramatta Laureate in Literature Advisory Panel. The panel will include representatives from local communities, the SRB/WSRC, City of Parramatta and the local arts sector; First Nations peer review will be sought where appropriate.
The Parramatta Laureate in Literature’s role includes writing significant and publishable new literary work in response to Parramatta 2050’s vision of Parramatta as ‘a global city full of world-class experiences and opportunities to gather, create and accelerate’. The Laureate will be supported by editors and writers from the SRB/WSRC, with cultural mentorship as appropriate. Applicants will be asked in their application to comment on their connections with the Parramatta region and experience in public engagement, and to give evidence for their publication achievements. They will also be asked to sketch a brief overview of the new work they propose to make while holding the Laureateship.
The term of the Parramatta Laureate in Literature’s appointment is 2026-2027. The Laureate will be awarded $50,000 to support the composition of a significant, new and publishable creative work in the first year of the appointment. During the second year of appointment, the Laureate will be mentored through a range of publication opportunities linked to the creation of that work.
How to Apply
Applications can be made via the SRB’s Submittable portal. Applications are now open and close on 10 November 2025.
To apply for the Parramatta Laureateship in Literature, please first download and read the Information Sheet at the bottom of the page, which includes details about the Laureateship, selection criteria, application process and cultural guidance. First Nations authors and Writers of Colour are welcome and encouraged to apply.
Download and read the Information Sheet →
Apply via the SRB’s Submittable portal →
Enquiries:
Dr Melinda Jewell
Coordinator, Sydney Review of Books
Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University
laureate@westernsydney.edu.au
More information on past Laureates here.
