RSWWF 2025 was spectacular. We celebrated the voices, stories, and ideas of women writers from across Australia. Over two inspiring days, the Festival brought together readers, thinkers, and creators to engage in powerful conversations, share unique perspectives, and spark new connections.
Highlights:
- Over 170 attendees took part across the two-day program of panels, workshops, and conversations.
- Thanks to generosity and support, the Festival reached its fundraising target for 2025 via the Australian Cultural Fund, raising $20,015 which will go directly towards writers' fees and help ensure the festival remains a sustainable and accessible platform for women’s storytelling.
- Amanda Hooton’s final copy of Finding Mr Darcy was sold at the close of the festival for $600 through our silent auction, with 100% of proceeds also going towards the RSWWF.
We are deeply grateful for the engagement of our supporters and guests, whose presence helped create the warm, vibrant atmosphere that defines this festival. Your enthusiasm, curiosity, and generosity continue to shape RSWWF into a truly special celebration of women’s voices in literature.
Australia's only literary festival run, owned and operated by women for women writers.
The Rose Scott Women Writers Festival (RSWWF) showcases the rich diversity of contemporary Australian women writers across fiction and non-fiction, in print, performance, and digital media, exploring personal, social, and political issues. The RSWWF is Australia's only festival dedicated to women writers, described as "one of the most significant literary festivals on Sydney’s cultural calendar" (stella.org.au). Conceived with the mission of celebrating and promoting women writers, the festival aligns with Australia's National Cultural Policy, "Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place." Our festival is an essential part of this vibrant ecosystem, offering a platform for dialogue, discovery, and the celebration of women's contributions to literature.
The Rose Scott Women Writers Festival was established in 2013 as an annual flagship event for The Women’s Club. Named after Rose Scott, one of the founders of The Women’s Club, it seeks to honour the memory of this influential woman who used her own writing – speeches, pamphlets, and letters – to influence social policy and improve the living conditions of women and children.
The Rose Scott Women Writers Festival (RSWWF) is looking forward to the future of celebrating and promoting women's writing in Australia. Save the date for our next Festival - 26 and 27 June 2027.
