As part of nation-wide efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19, the board and CEO of Melbourne Writers Festival have made the difficult decision to move the 2020 festival online. The Festival’s digital program will be announced in the months ahead. We will be exploring different platforms to amplify the voices of our writers, as part of our collective response to this crisis. 

We continue to need your financial support to make the festival happen in 2020, and to keep the organisation viable in the years ahead.  Only 25% of the income we need to sustain MWF comes from government. Your support is essential to keep alive the important and diverse festival you know and love. 

Your investment in MWF supports the following areas:

Excellence: Bringing the most exciting local and international writers to Melbourne for a festival of diverse, challenging and inspiring conversations.  

Education: Fostering the next generation of storytellers through the Schools’ Program, Australia’s biggest literary event for students.  

Equity:  Keeping Festival events affordable and accessible for new audiences, and supporting us to empower diverse communities through new programming and co-presentations. 

The Festival's legacy is strong, but we need your help to continue to thrive in these challenging times.  Please support us today. 

We welcome donations of all sizes, with gifts of $500 and above recognised publicly on the website and in print.