The 2027 Creative Time Residential Fellowships, hosted by the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust, offer published children’s writers and illustrators a rare gift: a full month of uninterrupted time and space to focus entirely on their creative work. If you’re working towards opportunities like this but need to learn the foundations for writing compelling stories for young readers first, explore our courses in Writing Picture Books, Writing Chapter Books for 6-9 year olds, Writing Children’s Novels, or Writing Young Adult Fiction – build the skills you need before taking the next big step.
From the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust website:
Published authors or illustrators of at least one book for children or young people are invited to apply for “the gift of time”. The May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust provides accommodation, local support, and travel to our host city Adelaide.
What are the Creative Time Residential Fellowships (CTRFs)?
The May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust’s (MGCLTs) mission is to support the creativity and careers of contemporary Australian children’s authors and illustrators. We do this by providing CTRFs, which enable children's authors/illustrators to take up one-month residencies to concentrate intensively on their work and to advance their creative skills. Residencies are away from home in pleasant rent-free accommodation provided by the Trust.
They may also provide a stimulus to co-creators, expand their industry networks and contribute to the appreciation of children's literature in the communities they visit.
Some CTR Fellows will spend the entire month working on their creative project quietly alone; some may have a mentorship component to their CTRF; some may be provided with paid speaking, teaching and promotional activities by a MGCLT partner; and others may arrange their own speaking, teaching and/or promotional activities.
All work is paid at rates based on Australian Society of Authors rates and occupies no more than 15 hours of a 4-week residency.
In honour and acknowledgement of our National Patron and invaluable supporter Mary Wilson who has been generous in her wonderful and passionate support to the Trust over the past 24 years, each year, one of the CTR Fellows will be announced as our Mary Wilson Fellowship (MWF) recipient.
In honour of our long-term supporters Ian and Pamela Wall who have been generous in their extraordinary support to the Trust over many years, each year, one of the CTR Fellows will be announced as our Pamela and Ian Wall Fellowship (P&IWF) recipient.
The Trust works in the name of May Gibbs but has no connection with her financial legacy and does not hold the copyright on any of her works.
CTRF's Selection Guidelines
Applications for the CTRF's are received by the MGCLT Selection Committee.
The committee members are children’s authors and illustrators and others with an interest in Australian children’s literature. These members are familiar with, and support the Trust’s aims and objectives. Committee meetings are conducted by email through a presiding Chair.
Eligibility
- Proposals must be from authors or illustrators who have had at least one title for children or young adults published by a trade publisher.
- Proposals from authors and illustrators whose titles are solely published through education publishers are not eligible. We also regret that self/indie-published authors and illustrators are not eligible to apply. However, we are very aware that many authors/illustrators have created a fine body of work through these publishing avenues. Therefore, we urge authors and illustrators in this position to consider investigating the annual Ian Wilson Memorial Fellowship.
- Project proposals must be for unpublished work for children or young people up to the age of 18 years.
- Project proposals must be for work in development, but this can be at any stage of the project.
- The MWF has the additional eligibility criteria that the project proposal has a significant environmental theme.
Completed applications must be received by 5.00pm on Sunday 31st May 2026.
If you’re already a published creator in the children’s and YA space, the 2027 Creative Time Residential Fellowships are an incredible opportunity to focus, create and grow. For more information and to apply visit the May Gibbs website here.
And if you’re still developing your skills or working toward publication, now is the perfect time to start. Our courses in Writing Picture Books, Writing Chapter Books for 6-9 year olds, Writing Children’s Novels, or Writing Young Adult Fiction will help you build the foundation you need to one day take full advantage of opportunities like this.
Because sometimes, all it takes is the right support – and the right space – to turn a great idea into something extraordinary.
