In 2023, Newcastle Writers Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary. This milestone has been reached because of the generous support of our audience, artists, and sponsors, though our reliance on government funding for core funding also makes us vulnerable. Rising costs are also having a significant impact on our ability to present a bold and engaging festival program with the best Australian writers.

As we look ahead to the next decade, we are seeking donations in increments of $10 - we appreciate how tough the economic challenges are at the moment - to enable us to plan an exciting future.

You also may not be aware of the programs we run beyond the annual festival. Your donation will be used to ensure that our Story Hunter program for primary students can continue in 2024 and the Fresh Ink Prize for an emerging regional NSW writer reaches its fourth year. 

This is how your tax-deductible donation will help:

$10 – Provide lunch for one of our wonderful volunteers during the festival

$20 – Contribute to the travel costs of an interstate writer

$30 – Enable a primary student to attend our Story Hunter creative writing program for free

$40 – Support our Fresh Ink Prize for an emerging regional NSW writer

$50 – Help subsidise our free events to enable accessibility for all 

$60 – Support the festival's accessibility through live streaming and Auslan interpretation

$70 – Ensure we can attract the best writers in Australia to Newcastle

$80 – Support the festival’s sustainability in the face of rising costs

$90 – Provide fair payments for writers in the program

$100 – Contribute to planning the next 10 years of Newcastle Writers Festival