Todd New Writer's Bursary

Annual bursary, being offered for the last time in 2024, awarded to a published writer or playwright at an early stage of their career to write a new work.

Overview

This year the Bursary is offered through Creative Fellowship Fund – Round 1

Timing

For activities taking place between: 19 June 2024 and 19 March 2026
Opens: 18 March 2024
Closes: 18 April 2024
Results due: 19 June 2024

Who can apply

To be considered for the Bursary you must be:

a New Zealand citizen or Permanent Resident
a published writer of Literature or a playwright
at the early stage of your career

What can be funded

The Bursary supports a writer or playwright at an early stage of their career to develop a new work over a six-month period.

The Bursary is $25,000 and is a contribution towards living costs, materials and resources to develop a new work.

See previous recipients of the Todd New Writer's Bursary

Additional access payment

If you identify as Deaf or disabled, or experience disability or an impairment, and are awarded a grant through this fund, you can claim an additional access payment on top of your grant.

The payment is to help with the costs of meeting your access needs, such as NZSL interpreters, support people, or accessible travel. You can read more about the access payment in If you receive funding.

What to include in your application

Your application must include responses to the following three questions:

What do you want to do?
What have you been doing recently and how will this grant contribute to what you want to do now?
Why is it important to do this now and how do you think this will benefit your practice?

You do not need to supply a budget in your application because the funding amount is fixed.

You do not need to reference the Bursary in your application.

How to apply

Apply using the online application form for Creative Fellowship Fund – Round 1, which is available in the CNZ portal when the funding round is open.

Support making an application

If our systems are not accessible for you, speak to a Literature adviser to find the best way for you to apply.

How we assess your application and make decisions

Applications for the Bursary are assessed as part of Creative Fellowship Fund – Round 1 and follow the same process and decisions making.

To receive the Todd New Writer Bursary, you must first be awarded a Creative Fellowship grant.

Your application is assessed by different people, depending on which funding pool you apply to. There are three funding pools for this fund:

General arts funding pool – An artform-based panel of external peer assessors and Creative New Zealand staff assess your application and make the funding decisions.
Ngā toi Māori funding pool – A panel of Ngā toi Māori assessors and Creative New Zealand’s Ngā toi Māori staff and assess your application and make the funding decisions.
Pacific arts funding pool – A panel of Pacific arts assessors and Creative New Zealand’s Pacific arts staff assess your application and make the funding decisions.

You can find advice about selecting a funding pool in Making an application.

When assessing your application, assessors consider whether the grant will allow you to take risks and develop new ideas, and whether developing a new work: