Competitions, Awards & Opportunities
Since 1984, the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards has given school children ages K-12 the opportunity to express their poetic voices. Entries for the historic competition open every year, so get those keyboards and imaginations ready! See website for competition details, terms and conditions and entry information.
An initiative of the Heraldry and Genealogy Society of Canberra (HAGSOC), the competition is an opportunity for family history enthusiasts to share their writing, and is a forum to foster the preservation of family history research through stories.
Entries must be original, unpublished and not have won any awards. Short Story (The Rolf Boldrewood): up to 3,000 words on any topic, Poetry (The Apollo): up to 30 lines, Bush verse (The Allan Llewellyn): up to 52 lines.
In honour of historical novelist, Elizabeth Jane Corbett, the HNSA is offering the chance for a previously unpublished author from Australia or New Zealand to receive a mentorship with Wendy J Dunn to develop a completed first draft of an unpublished historical fiction manuscript for young adults.
Awards consist of two sections: the Australia-wide Open Short Story section, for stories of any subject up to a maximum of 1,500 words; and the Tom Black Memorial Poetry Prize for non-rhyming poetry (limit of 50 lines).
The 2021 Hilarie Lindsay Young Writers Competition is a short story competition for Australian school students. Students from years K-12 are invited to enter their best short stories of up to 2,500 words to be in the running to win a cash prize. SECTION 1: Years 10, 11 & 12 Up to 2500 words Prize $150 SECTION 2: Years 7, 8 & 9 Up to 2500 words Prize $125 SECTION 3: Years 5 & 6 Up to 1500 words Prize $100 SECTION 4: Year 4 & under Up to 1500 words. Prize $50
Have a daunting project but no support? Queensland Writers Centre’s Fishbowl Residency provides the writing space, mentorship and assistance for one lucky writer to complete a draft of their work. Over this ten-week residency, the successful resident works from our offices and shares their progress with our members. Applications are accepted all year round and are open only to current, financial members of Queensland Writers Centre.
Once a year, one writer is selected for the Flinthart Residency, getting the chance to spend 10 weeks working full-time on their next project at a dedicated space in the Queensland Writers Centre offices in the State Library of Queensland. They will be awarded a stipend and 15-hour mentorship with an industry professional to support them during their residency.
Awarded for an outstanding unpublished manuscript by an emerging Queensland writer. Authors who have previously self-published a full-length work with an ISBN are not eligible. Unpublished authors must not have an existing binding publishing contract or be in current contractual negotiations.
The prestigious Griffin Award recognises an outstanding play or performance text that displays an authentic, inventive and contemporary Australian voice. The award has a long history of recognising new talent and cementing the careers of Australian writers.
Manuscripts up to 80,000 words. 1st prize $2,500, editing and coaching package. Hawkeye Publishing may offer the winner a publishing contract. All entrants receive some judges’ feedback on their submission. $45 entry fee. See website for T&Cs. Sponsored by Brisbane Writers’ Workshop and Hawkeye Publishing.
The Department of English at the University of Sydney invites women poets to submit their collection of poems to Australia’s richest poetry prize, the Helen Anne Bell Poetry Bequest Award. The winning manuscript will be published by Vagabond Press.
Imagine 2200 draws inspiration from Afrofuturism, as well as Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, disabled, feminist, and queer futures, and the genres of hopepunk and solarpunk. They are seeking short stories that centre on climate solutions from the most impacted communities and bring into focus what a just, regenerative future could look like.
This award is made in a five year category cycle: Creative Prose, Drama, Visual Arts, Script Writing, Poetry. The Award is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creative artists. In 2021, the $20,000 award celebrates the best book of fiction by an Indigenous author published in the preceding five years.
Part of the Northern Territory Literary Awards. Entries open to original works of short fiction or a single poem by a person aged 12 to 18 years as of 1 January 2021 – up to three poetry entries per person with a 300-line limit or a short story up to 3000 words
Awarded for a poem of no more than 50 lines, this biennial award is named in honour of a much-loved member of the Society of Women Writers Victoria. Kathryn conducted poetry workshops in her home for members, who greatly benefited from her expertise and mentoring. After her death, the Society set up the Kathryn Purnell Poetry Prize in her honour. It is open to SWW members in all branches and female non-members. Entries must be written by women, and unpublished, original work, not concurrently entered in another competition, and not previously in receipt…
The KSP Writers’ Centre is proud to support the development of literary work by hosting a number of annual residencies and fellowships. Offers placements in the categories of Established; Upcoming; Emerging; Scholarship; Established; and Fellowships.
The Lane Cove Literary Awards is a prestigious national writing competition organised by Lane Cove Council that recognises writing excellence and fosters Australian writing talent.
The Lifted Brow & RMIT non/fiction Lab Prize for Experimental Non-Fiction is an annual writing prize that aims to unearth new, audacious, authentic and/or inauthentic voices from both Australia and the world. Submissions should convey meaning using unorthodox form, or style, or voice, or pointof-view, or approach/method, etc.
This award is for an emerging ACT region writer. Entries must be between 1,500–3,000 words. First prize is $600. The winning short story and up to three highly commended stories may be published in an issue of the ACT Writers Centre magazine.
The Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award presented by Waverley Council with support from Principal Sponsors Mark and Evette Moran, celebrates excellence in research and writing in Australia. It is the only major national literary award of its kind presented by a local council.
The Scholarships are awarded annually to candidates who show great promise in the arts and literature, with nine scholarship categories available, offered over alternate years: Acting, Architecture, Ballet, Instrumental Music, Painting, Poetry, Prose, Sculpture and Singing. Scholarship funds can be used to assist with study programs, professional training courses and/or mentor programs.
This prize celebrates the life of poet Martha Richardson. Prize for original unpublished poem of open theme to 40 lines. Offered biennially. Guidelines and entry forms online.
The Melbourne Prize for Literature and Awards recognise and reward excellence and talent in literature across all writing genres and career stages. The program includes the $60,000 Melbourne Prize for Literature 2021, the new $20,000 Professional Development Award 2021 and The $15,000 Writers Prize 2021.
The Miles Franklin Literary Award was established in 1957 through the will of writer Stella Miles Franklin. The bequest came as a surprise to the literary world as Franklin had told nobody – save her trustees – of her plans. Her will stipulates that ‘[the] prize shall be awarded for the Novel for the year which is of the highest literary merit and which must present Australian Life in any of its phases …’.