Writing NSW is pleased to announce the winner of the 2026 Varuna Fellowship is Miranda Michalowski for her work, Bad Art.
The winner of this award, selected through blind judging from a field of over 80 exceptional entries, will receive a much-prized fellowship at The National Writers’ House to develop her work.
The judges this year were writer, journalist and playwright Saman Shad, Literary Agent Justin Ractliffe and Writing NSW Operations Manager, Andrew Glassop. Entries were judged blind.
The judges commented on the winning entry:
‘Bad Art stood out for its distinctive voice and compelling characters. From the opening, we’re thrown into the world of a young woman navigating the obsessions, insecurities and intense relationships of art school. The writing captures the messy complexities of youth and queer desire. With its brilliantly drawn characters and gripping narrative, Bad Art is a worthy winner.’
‘A very worthy winner. Bad Art brilliantly depicts the obsessions and insecurities of being young and creative. The characters feel real, the dialogue has that brittle art-school zing, the milieu is effectively and vividly evoked, and the narrator is as witty, self-loathing and elegiac as you could want. A confident and committed work – I’m looking forward to seeing it find the audience it deserves.’
Michalowski commented on her win, ‘I’m absolutely delighted to be named as the winner of the Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship. I’ve adored studying with Writing NSW as a Year of the Novel participant this year, and feel very lucky to receive their continued support. They have been instrumental in supporting my move into prose writing, as someone with a theatre background. This time at Varuna will give me the perfect opportunity to continue developing my debut novel, enriching the characters and the world. I’m looking forward to spending time in such a beautiful place, and expanding my writing community.’
The judges also awarded runners-up prizes to Annette Chennell for The Social Tundra and to Hilary Bell for Tricky. Both of the runners-up will receive a 1-year complimentary Writing NSW membership.
On The Social Tundra, they said:
‘The writing is evocative. The honesty of the storytelling and the strength of the narrator’s voice draw us into her world at a time of profound loss. It offers a vivid sense of place and thoughtful exploration of grief.’
‘Good memoir is very hard to pull off but The Social Tundra has the rare qualities of immediacy and quality of voice, emotional weight, and a powerful sense of place. The literalness of the tundra metaphor might have been clunky in the hands of lesser writers but the author makes it effective and moving.’
‘It is rare for memoir to speak with such urgency in its first few pages. The main character is one we want to see more of, even though we find her at her lowest point. A strong work that will develop as the author revisits it.’
On Tricky, they said:
‘Tricky is a cleverly conceived and wonderfully written play. I could imagine the characters and their interactions coming to life on stage. The writing was confident and engaging. I look forward to seeing it performed.’
‘As Run DMC so memorably proclaimed, “It’s Tricky!” An excellent idea for a play, expertly executed. It was easy to imagine how the text could be brought to life on stage and how entertaining and thought-provoking it would be for the audience.’
‘The playwright shows an immediate and engaging grip of character. The language sparked along with wit and verve, and the plot seemed full of delicious potential. A fabulous work that will need to be seen when it’s performed on stage.’
On reflecting on the judging process and pool of applicants, the judges noted:
‘Overall, this was a high calibre group who showcased strong writing ability. As a writer I know how hard it is for those who didn’t get through to have another piece of rejection, but I urge the writers to keep at it and keep writing. Your voice matters and there are more ways than one to get your work out into the world.’
—Saman Shad
‘Judging over 80 submissions across fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama wasn’t easy. And there was a remarkable consistency in quality across all entries. A huge congratulations to the very talented winner and highly commended entrants – they are all characterised by a strong, unique voice, dynamic characters and compelling narratives. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved with the judging process.’
—Justin Ractliffe
‘It’s easy to say it was a difficult decision, but here it truly was. Every entry had something to recommend it, something that caught the reader’s attention and opened up possibilities of where the text might go. Every writer should be congratulated for the level they have attained and the potential they still show.’
—Andrew Glassop
Awarded annually, the Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship is for a member of Writing NSW with a work ready for the next stage of development.
Miranda Michalowski is an award-winning writer for page, stage and screen, who lives on unceded Wangal land. She writes queer stories, and ones about messy women, often with an edge of dark comedy. Miranda’s coming-of-age play, Young Bodies/Somebody’s (published: Playlab), debuted at Flight Path Theatre in 2022. Her sophomore play, Saturday Girls (Playlab), was shortlisted for the Rodney Seaborn Award and debuted at Belvoir Downstairs in 2023. Miranda’s monologue play, Macaroni and Dead Things, won the Silver Gull Play Award in 2024. She has participated in the Fresh Ink and National Studio programs with ATYP, and has presented work with Hayes Theatre Co and Sydney Comedy Festival. In 2026, Miranda was selected for the esteemed First Break program with the AWG, and has worked as a notetaker for a range of television companies. Miranda was recently awarded the Young Writer scholarship for Year of the Novel with Writing NSW, where she is working on her debut novel, alongside completing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NIDA.
