Category: Writing competitions

Whether you’re already a pro at prose, or would simply like to dip your toe into the poetry writing waters – there’s nothing quite like a deadline to spur you on. That’s why writing competitions are such an effective motivational tool. We’re giving you the gentle nudge you may need and

“Write what you know,” said every writing teacher ever. What better place to start with life… We’ve all got one or know someone who has one, right? With the Walter Stone Award for Life Writing there’s $1,500 up for grabs. Whether your piece falls under biography, memoir, autobiography, or monograph,

With generous prize money up for grabs, the Barbara Jefferis Award is offered for the best novel that positively depicts females. If you are an Australian author with a novel that fits the brief, now is your chance to enter! From the press release: Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the

Are you an aspiring playwright looking for an opportunity to showcase your original work? Submit your script in this year’s Ensemble Stages Play Reading and break a leg! From Ensemble Theatre’s website Would you like to test your new play out in front of an audience? Submit your work to

Ah, the novella — the oft forgotten relative of the novel. But historically novellas have shaped the literary landscape — think Kafka’s The Metamorphosis or Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. So we were excited to hear about a novella competition run by Busybird Publishing. They are looking for novellas between 20,000 words and

Lovers of romance, now is the time to get in and get your nominations in for the AusRom Today’s Reader’s Choice Awards. According to the AusRom Today website, the categories are: Best New Author Best Established Author Cover of the Year, and Book of the Year The top ten nominations

Hey history buffs! Do you love your Victorian history? Australian Victorian history, that is! Entries for the Victorian Community History Awards are now open. From the Public Record Office of Victoria: The Victorian Community History Awards recognise excellence in historical storytelling. The range of award categories reflects the variety of formats

Attention writers based in Victoria: The City of Melbourne this month launched its fourth biennial Lord Mayor’s Creative Writing Awards. (In the alternate years, it’s a photography competition.) According to Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, the awards celebrate Melbourne’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature (you just learnt something new)

Are you under 35 years old and ready for your big break? Well, Allen & Unwin are calling… From the website: Do you dream of being a published writer? Enter Australia’s most prestigious award for an unpublished manuscript. The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award is one of Australia’s richest and the most

If you have a young adult or children’s book story in the works and want a deadline to work towards – today is your lucky day! Perhaps unlucky day if you wanted that deadline to not be in the first half of 2015… But the good news is that submissions for the Text

Today Pan Macmillan announced a new competition with very little fanfare – no website announcement, just a single Facebook image. And perhaps there’s a good reason: it’s so simple, they are about to be inundated! Submit a 1000 word story using the characters from William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet before Friday 3 April 2015 and

From press release: Submissions are now open for Griffith REVIEW’s The Novella Project III competition. Winning novellas will share in a $25,000 prize pool and will be published in Griffith REVIEW 50: The Novella Project III (November 2015). In 2012, Griffith REVIEW 38: The Novella Project played a major role

There are millions of fiction books in the world, all different in some way, and yet all with one thing in common – they’re one-sided conversations. You begin reading, then the author tells you things until you’re finished reading. Next.

But what happens when the conversation becomes two-way? In this world of ebooks and global audiences, Sydney writer James Evangelidis has chosen an intriguing device to engage readers. With his debut book, Maze of Keys (being released online on 17 September), he doesn’t just ask you to read the book, he wants you to solve it too – and win big!

Okay, interest piqued. We hunted him down and asked a few questions.

Attention all playwrights! Here’s a unique chance to not only win some cash, but also see your work performed by an actor on stage, thanks to HotHouse Theatre, La Trobe University and the 2014 Write Around the Murray festival. From HotHouse’s website: Solo – A monologue Writing Competition Solo is a