Current competitions
These are writing competitions that are open to Australian residents at the moment. They are not run by the NT Writers’ Centre, so please contact the individual organisation listed if you have any specific question about any competition.
Under the silver tree
Closing Date: 1 March 2019
Entry Fee: Yes
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: https://indigenousstory.com.au/awards/
Poems and stories to a theme. There’s a junior section also. read more
Poetica Christi Press 2019 Poetry Competition
Closing Date: 30 April 2019
Entry Fee: Yes
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: www.poeticachristi.org.au
Entries from poets aged 16 and over on the theme of ‘Love’s footprint’ . Poems up to 50 lines (inc.spaces). 1st prize $300, 2nd prize $100. A total of 25 poems will be chosen by a judge and published in the 2019 anthology. read more
The Best of Times short story competition
Closing Date: 30 April 2019
Entry Fee: Yes
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: www.bestoftimes.com.au
Funny short stories up to 2,500 words. read more
2019 Bristol Short Story Prize
Closing Date: 1 May 2019
Entry Fee: Yes
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: www.bristolprize.co.uk
Stories may be on any theme or subject and must be previously unpublished. Maximum word count is 4,000, there is no minimum. Entry fee is £9 (about AUD 16). 20 stories will be shortlisted and published in Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 12. The winner and 2 runners up will be selected from the shortlist and announced at an awards ceremony in October 2019. 1st prize is £1,000 (about AUD 1,800), 2nd prize is £500 (about AUD 900), 3rd prize is £250 (about AUD 450). 17 further prizes of £100 (about AUD 180) will be presented to the remaining… read more
Positive Words February Mini-competition
Closing Date: 28 February 2019
Entry Fee: Yes
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: http://positivewordsmagazine.wordpress.com/
Dear Fellow Writers, I hope you can share the following information with your members and readers. Positive Words magazine was started in 2002 and since then has published hundreds of writers in the monthly issues. It is a self-funded project with memberships to the magazine and competition fees (after prizes) helping to keep the magazine in production. It runs on a shoe-string budget, a labour-of-love and I draw no wages or remuneration but contributors receive a complimentary issue when their story or poem is featured. Positive Words Magazine February Mini-Competition.Write a poem in ten lines or less, or a short… read more
Positive Words Short Story & Poetry Competition 2019
Closing Date: 23 April 2019
Entry Fee: Yes
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: http://positivewordsmagazine.wordpress.com/
Dear Fellow Writers, I hope you can share the following information with your members and readers. Positive Words magazine was started in 2002 and since then has published hundreds of writers in the monthly issues. It is a self-funded project with memberships to the magazine and competition fees (after prizes) helping to keep the magazine in production. It runs on a shoe-string budget, a labour-of-love and I draw no wages or remuneration but contributors receive a complimentary issue when their story or poem is featured. Positive Words Magazine Short Story & Poetry Competition 2019. Open theme. Short stories up to… read more
Call for entries for 2019 Best Australian Science Writing anthology
Closing Date: 31 March 2019
Entry Fee: No
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: http://www.newsouthpublishing.com/articles/best-australian-science-writing-2019/
The Best Australian Science Writing, published by New South Publishing, is a celebration of science writing in all its forms and about all scientific fields, and submissions are invited for the ninth edition of the anthology. The anthology includes news stories, features, blogs, opinion pieces, poems, short stories, book excerpts up to 7000 words. We’re after a mix of lengths, so send your shorts, your longs and everything in-between. To be considered for the anthology, pieces must have been published – or be scheduled for publication – in print or online anywhere in the world in 2018 or 2019. Authors… read more
2019 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards
Closing Date: 26 April 2019
Entry Fee: Yes
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: www.cwl.nsw.gov.au
Entries in the 2019 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards are now open. There are three categories: Short Story, Contemporary Poetry and ABC Central West Radio Children’s Writing Awards. There are generous cash prizes to be won – $2,000 for the Contemporary Poetry winner and $2,000 for the Short Story winner. Entry forms are available to download from the Central West Libraries website www.cwl.nsw.gov.au. read more
Grieve Writing Competition
Closing Date: 15 May 2019
Entry Fee: Yes
Prizes Offered: Yes
More Information: https://hunterwriterscentre.org/grieve-project/
Hunter Writers Centre is calling for – poems up to 36 lines or stories/personal essays up to 500 words on loss and grief – approximately 110 works are published in the annual anthology. – the 6th anthology was published in 2018. – team of judges from grief and loss industries as well as from the literary world – over $7000- in prizes Grief may be associated with the loss through death or separation, of any person or thing, e.g., family, friend, pet, relationship, occupation, money, housing, habitat/environment, independence, youth, health, mobility, freedom, etc. read more
