Judith Bishop and Alison Entrekin awarded Creative Australia Fellowships

The two literature recipients are among 16 artists awarded 2026 Creative Australia Fellowships, each worth $80,000.

Judith Bishop and Alison Entrekin are the literature recipients among 16 artists awarded 2026 Creative Australia Fellowships, announced by Creative Australia on 21 September.

Each fellowship is worth $80,000, paid over up to two years. The fellowships are offered across nine areas of practice: literature, music, theatre, visual arts, dance, experimental practice, community arts and cultural development, First Nations arts, and arts and disability.

Creative Australia said the literature fellowships would support new work in poetry, creative non-fiction and literary translation, with the aim of bringing Australian stories to audiences across languages and borders. It did not set out each writer's individual project.

Other fellows include playwright Jane Harrison, Wiradjuri musician Zeppelin Hamilton, vocalist and composer Katie Noonan, dancer and choreographer Amrita Hepi, visual artist Angela Valamanesh, performance artist Brian Fuata, and arts practitioner and disability advocate Heidi Everett. The full list of recipients is on Creative Australia's awarded grants page.

Alice Nash, Creative Australia's executive director of arts investment, said the fellowships give artists "the time and space to take creative risks" and develop ambitious new work.