Named in honour of poet, novelist and short story writer Neilma Gantner (1922-2015), the travel fund recognises the unique value of travel in the development of new writing and literary careers.

The Travel Fund supports emerging, midcareer, and established Australian writers and literary sector workers in pursuing professional development opportunities. This includes writers, editors, agents, publishers, librarians, booksellers, employees and associates of literary organisations and journals, and other literary professionals currently living in Australia.

Applicants can apply for grants between $2,000 and $10,000. These grants support professional development through travel.

Terms and conditions

1. Applications must be made online. If the online application form isn’t accessible to you, let us know: (03) 9917 8461 or jemail Gabriella Munoz at gaby@writersvictoria.org.au
2. Applicants must be Australian citizens or residents (currently living in Australia).
3. Applicants must be aged 18 or over.
4. Applicants must be emerging, midcareer or established Australian writers and literary sector workers (not beginners) with a demonstrated publication and/or career history.
5. Applicants can only make one submission per round.
6. Where relevant, activities must comply with the Australia Council's First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts.
7. Joint applications for collaborative travel projects will be accepted. Collaborative projects are subject to the same $10,000 maximum grant request as individual projects.
8. Late applications will  not  be accepted. Please note the deadline time of 11:59pm AEST on Sunday 23 March 2025 – you will not be able to apply after this time. Due to high internet traffic, the online form might be slow to load around the cut-off time; Writers Victoria is not responsible for connection issues, and we recommend submitting your application well in advance of the 11:59pm cut-off time to avoid potential delays that may cause you to miss the deadline.
9. The judges’ decision will be final. No correspondence will be entered into.
10. Applicants from former rounds (both successful and unsuccessful) may reapply in this round. However, preference will be given to writers who haven’t previously received a Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund grant.
11. Recipients agree to abide by the terms of the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund agreement.
12. All recipients agree to comply with public health restrictions before, during, and following travel.
13. Travel activity must be undertaken within one year following the date of the agreement. For Round 11, this means travel must take place between 1 July 2025 - 1 July 2026 (dates inclusive). If unexpected restrictions impact a recipient’s travel, changes to this timeline may be negotiated with Writers Victoria staff.
14. Recipients will be fully responsible for coordination and delivery of travel activity (including appropriate insurances, etc).
15. Recipients will be required to complete an acquittal within two months of the end of the travel activity.
16. Recipients will be required to write a 500-word article about the travel activity for potential publication by Writers Victoria and/or The Myer Foundation.
17. Recipients will be required to acknowledge the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund, The Myer Foundation, and Writers Victoria in any promotion or publication resulting from the work supported during the activity.
18. Recipients will be required to reimburse the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund should any of the conditions be breached, or the project not undertaken as outlined (without prior written agreement).
19. Writers Victoria staff or Committee of Management members are not eligible to apply.
20. Uploaded documents must be in either PDF or Word Doc formats. If providing audio support material, you must upload it in .mp3 format. If providing video support material, you must upload it in .mp4 or .avi format.
21. Supporting documentation must be meet the size limits: a maximum of one  A4 page for each uploaded file, or a maximum of three minutes for an audio or video file.

• Email: gaby@writersvictoria.org.au