The $20,000 award is intended to further a work in progress from writers in the non-fiction fields of biography, autobiography and life writing.
The Peter Blazey Fellowship was established to honour the memory of Peter Blazey – journalist, author and gay rights activist – and has been made available through the generosity of Clive Blazey and Tim Herbert, brother and partner, respectively, of Peter Blazey.
Blazey was born in Melbourne in 1939 and worked for the Australian, the National Times and as a regular columnist for OutRage magazine. He published a number of books, including a political biography of Henry Bolte, and was co-editor of the short fiction anthology, Love Cries. His personal memoir, Screw Loose, was published posthumously in 1997.
The fellowship was launched by the Hon. Justice Michael Kirby in May 2004.
Past winners include Mykaela Saunders (2026), Ju Bavyka (2025), Fiona Murphy (2024), SJ Norman (2023) and Declan Fry (2021). See the full list of past winners.
Applications close on 27 July 2026.