WRITING COMPETITIONS 2023
Listed below are upcoming Short Story competitions and other Writing competitions that you might like to enter. They are listed by submission closing date, not when the competition is open.
Please read any instructions and entry requirements on the competition/awards website.
If you would like your Short Story or Writing Competition to be listed, please email: competitions@writerstudio.com.au
JANUARY 2023
The 2023 Calibre Essay Prize
Prize money: $7,500
Entry fees
Current ABR subscribers: $20
Standard/non-subscribers: $30*
Closing Date: 15 January 2023
Website: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/calibre-prize/2023
Romance Writers of Australia
The Romantic Book of the Year (RUBY) is our contest for published novels and novellas by Australian or New Zealand authors. It includes sections for Contemporary, Historical, Suspense, Speculative Fiction, Romantic Elements and Novella.
Romantic novels (40K+) and novellas (10K–40K) which were first published (in digital or print) between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022. Limit of 3 entries per entrant.
Entry fee: $69.00 inc GST
Closing Date: Monday 16 January 2023
Website: https://romanceaustralia.com/our-contests/
Geelong Regional Libraries & Deakin University Local Word Writing Prize
Submissions of up to 3000 words are welcome from emerging and established writers in prose fiction and creative nonfiction.
The winner of the prize will receive a cash prize of $2000 and a one-hour mentoring session with a Deakin University writing practitioner. Publication on GRLC’s website and announcement in GRLC’s e-newsletter
Commended writers will receive a cash prize of $250 and publication on GRLC’s website and announcement in GRLC’s e-newsletter
Closing Date: 28th January 2023
Website: https://www.grlc.vic.gov.au/local-word-writers-prize
black&write! Writing Fellowships 2023
Fellowships for unpublished manuscripts by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers.
Two winning Fellows will each receive:
$10,000 prize money
Manuscript development with black&write!
Publication opportunity with Hachette Australia
Closing Date: 31 January 2023
FEBRUARY 2023
Stringybark Open Short Story Awards 2023
1500 words or fewer in length, have a link to Australia in it, be written for an audience aged 16 and above.
First Prize $500 + publication, Second Prize $300 Third & Fourth Prizes
Closing Date: 12 February 2023
Website: https://www.stringybarkstories.net/competitions/open—open-short-story-awards.html
The Tasmanian Writers’ Prize 2023
The prize is for short stories up to 3,000 words having an island, or island-resonant, theme.
The winning entry receives a cash prize of $500.
A selection of the best entries will be published in the Forty South Short Story Anthology 2023
Closing Date: 14 February 2023
Website: https://www.fortysouth.com.au/tasmanian-writers-prize
The Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition
The international Margery Allingham Short Mystery Prize is an open competition open to all – both published and unpublished authors from all over the world – for short stories of up to 3,500 words.
The entry fee is £12
The winner receives a generous cash prize of £500
Closing Date: 28 February 2023
Website: https://thecwa.co.uk/awards-and-competitions/margery-allingham-short-mystery-competition
Minds Shine Bright Writing Competition 2023
Each entry must be original, unpublished fiction or poetry written by the submitting author and included the theme of confidence in some way.
Word limits
up to 1000 words – flash fiction
1000 -5000 words – short story
up to 5000 words – short script
up to 260 lines – poetry
Prizes $1600 – The overall winner, plus publication in Confidence Minds Shine Bright Anthology 2023
$800 – for each of the four category winners plus publication in Confidence Minds Shine Bright Anthology 2023 (The overall winner is excluded from all other prizes) Categories include short stories, short scripts, flash fiction and poetry)
$175 – for each commended entry plus publication in Confidence Minds Shine Bright Anthology 2023
Closing Date: 28 February 2023
Website: https://mindsshinebright.com/
MARCH 2023
Mulga Bill Writing Award 2023
Goldfields Libraries and Eaglehawk Festivals Inc. are calling for entries from writers all over Australia for the annual Mulga Bill Writing Award. Writers are encouraged to take inspiration from the theme ‘gold’, and submit a poem (max. 25 lines) or short story (max. 2000 words).
Short story: $500 first prize, $150 second prize, Poetry: $200 first prize, $50 second prize
Entry fee is $5
Closing Date: 3 March, 2023
Website: https://www.ncgrl.vic.gov.au/mulgabillwritingaward
The SCWC 2023 Poetry Award 2023
The Award is open to submissions of poems up to 50 lines responding to the theme “In Colour”, with four prizes to win totalling $1300.
The Award will have guest judge Peter Ramm, published South Coast poet and winner of multiple awards including the SCWC 2021 Poetry Award.
Submission fee per poem is $15/$10 for SCWC members.
Closing Date: 5 March 2023
Website: https://southcoastwriters.org/scwc-poetry-award-2023
Little Black Dress Spooky Story Competition
The theme for 2022 is ‘After Midnight’. Adults: $10 per entry Youth: Free
YOUTH: Max 500 words, one entry only (Australian residents) ADULT: Max 1,200, unlimited entries (WA residents only)
Closing Date: 15 March 2023
Website: https://www.kspwriterscentre.com/spooky-story-competition
Peter Carey Short Story Awards 2023
Submissions open 30 January. The award is for short stories between 2000 – 3000 words, and is open to all Australian residents.
The winning entry receives $2000, while the runner-up wins $1000. First and second prized stories will also be published in the Spring 2023 issue of Meanjin.
Entry fee is $15 per story
Closing Date: 16 March 2023
Northern Beaches Writers’ Group Competition
Stories up to 2,500 words that are inspired by the theme of ‘RAIN’, along with at least one copyright-free image that reflects and enhances that story.
Stories can be non-fiction, fiction, or fiction inspired by true events. All genres and styles welcome.
Entry fee: $15. Multiple entries also welcome.
Prizes: First place ($250 + online publication), Second place ($100 + online publication).
Closing Date: 31 March 2023
Website: http://northernbeacheswritersgroup.com/northern-beaches-writers-competition/
Ada Cambridge Biographical Prose Prize
Williamstown Literary Festival Ada Cambridge Biographical Prose Prize
Type: Short non-fiction
Word limit: 1000-3000 words
Prizes: First Prize $500
Entry fee: $15
Open to all writers aged 18+ residing in Victoria.
Closing date: 10 March 2023
Website: https://www.willylitfest.org.au/home/writing-prizes/ada-cambridge-writing-prizes/
APRIL 2023
The Fogarty Literary Award
The Fogarty Literary Award is proudly sponsored by the Fogarty Foundation and Fremantle Press.
The prize is biennial and is awarded to an unpublished manuscript by a Western Australian author aged between 18 and 35 for a work of adult fiction, narrative non-fiction or young adult fiction. ‘
The winner receives a cash prize of $20,000 and a publishing contract with Fremantle Press.
Closing Date: 18 April 2023
Website: https://fremantlepress.com.au/submissions/fogarty-award/
Australian Book Review – Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
The Elizabeth Jolley Prize is for an original work of short fiction between 2,000 and 5,000 words, written in English.
Entry fee: Online entry (current ABR subscriber) $20
Online entry (standard/non subscriber) $30 Non-subscribers will receive digital access to ABR free of charge for four months.
First prize: $6,000, Second prize: $4,000, Third prize: $2,500)
Closing date: 24 April 2023
Letter Review Prize for Poetry
Length: Each individual poem should not exceed 70 lines.
Prizes: $800 USD total prize pool. First Prize is $400 USD and publication, Second Prize is $250 USD and publication, Third Prize is $150 USD and publication. All entries are considered for publication.
Entry Fee: $15 USD for one poem, $27 for two, and $35 for three. You may enter as many poems as you wish.
Closing Date: 30th April 2023
Website: https://letterreview.com/information/
Furphy Short Story Competition 2023
Theme: Australian Life in all its diversity
Type: Short story
Word limit: 5,000 words
Prizes: Winner $15,000, Second place $3,000, Third place $2,000
Closing date: 30 April 2023
Website: https://www.furphystory.com.au/furphy-literary-award/open-short-story-competition/
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
Type: Story fiction and essay
Prize: Winner for both categories $3,000
Closing date: 30 April 2023
Website: https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/tom-howard-john-h-reid-fiction-essay-contest
Screencraft 
US Screenwriting Competitions
Comedy/Feature Film/Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Closing Date: 30 April
Website: https://screencraft.org/screenwriting-contests/
Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize
Type: Short story fiction
Word limit: up to 2,000 words
Entry fee: €20 for the first entry, €10 for every further entry (max 5 per person)
Prizes: Winner €1,500 (see the link below for full prize information)
Closing date: 30 April 2023
Website: https://desperateliterature.com/prize/
MAY 2023
Writer’s Digest 92nd Annual Writing Competition
Categories: inspiration/spiritual, memoirs/personal essay, non-fiction essay or article, genre short story, mainstream, rhyming poetry, humour
Prizes: Winner $5,000 in cash and publication
Each category winner will also win $1,000 in cash and the publication of their piece
Closing date: 5 May 2023
Website: https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/annual-writing-competition
ARA Historical Novel Prize
A new literary prize for historical fiction
Prizes: Adult category winner $50,000, with two additional shortlisted authors winning $5,000 each
Closing date: Early bird entries 9 May, general entries 14 June
2023 PAGE International Screenwriting Award
A US-based screenwriting competition for the following three formats: feature film scripts, short film scripts and TV pilots. The competion is open to anyone over 18, including Australian residents.
Entry fee: $87
You may enter your script in whichever category or categories you choose. The price of the first category is included in your entry fee, and if your script fits in more than one genre, you may enter it in more than one category for an additional $18 each.
Prize: $25,000 Grand prize
Closing date: 15 May 2023
Website: https://pageawards.com/the-contest/
2023 Sutherland Shire Environment Centre’s R D Walshe Memorial Writing for the Environment Prize
Short story – no more than 800 words
Prizes: Winner $500, Second place $250, Third place $100
For the Over 60 category: Winner: $500, Runner-up: $100
Closing date: 31 May 2023
Website: https://www.ssec.org.au/grants-and-awards/rd-walshe-memorial-writing-for-the-environment-prize/
JUNE 2023
The Big Issue’s 19th annual Fiction Edition
Theme: We are looking for stories of all kinds – literary, comedy, romance, sci-fi, crime, and everything in between
Prizes: Every author published is paid $500
Closing date: 1 June 2023
Website: https://thebigissue.org.au/news/19th-fiction-edition-submissions-now-open/
Imagine 2200: Write the future
Theme: imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world.
Word limit: 3,000 – 5,000 words
Prizes: Winner $3,000, Second place $2,000, Third place $1,000
An additional nine finalists will each receive $300
Closing date: 13 June 2023
Website: https://grist.org/climate-fiction/imagine-2200-contest-submissions/
Green Stories Novel Prize
Theme: All submissions must conform to the green stories criteria of showcasing positive visions of a more sustainable society or incorporating green solutions into the context of an otherwise mainstream story.
Word limit: Typically novels are 60,000 – 95,000 words. Submit three chapters* (minimum of 4000 words, maximum 10,000 words) as one document that must include the following:
- the first chapter
- another chapter that best showcases how your novel meets the green stories criteria
- a third chapter (suggest the final chapter if possible)
- a synopsis between 500 and 1000 words (name and contact details optional – we can identify via submission page) that covers genre, plot, characters, and details of how it meets the green stories criteria of showcasing positive visions of a more sustainable society or incorporating green solutions into the context of an otherwise mainstream story.
Entry fee: free!
Prizes: Winner £1000/$1200, Second place £500/$600
Closing date: 23 June 2023
Website: https://www.greenstories.org.uk/upcoming-competitions/adult-novel-prize/
Wyndham Writing Awards
The Wyndham Writing Awards returns in 2023 to inspire, encourage and recognise emerging Victorian adult writers and literary creators. Open to Victorian adult residents aged 18+
Type and word limit:
- Short Story: Between 1,500 and 3,000 words
- Poetry: 60 lines maximum
- Flash Story: Between 100 and 600 words
Prizes: $3,600 total prize pool across the 3 categories
Closing date: 30 June 2023
National Writing Competition 2023
The Society’s National Writing Competition is open to women writers who are residents of Australia, aged 18 years+, members and non-members.
Type: Short Story Fiction, Short Story Non-Fiction and Poetry
Entry fee: $30 members and $45 non-members
Prizes: Winner $500, Highly Commended $250 and Commended $100
Closing date: 30 June 2023
Website: https://womenwritersnsw.org/national-writing-competition/
The Moth Short Story Prize 2023
The Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as their story is original and previously unpublished.
Word limit: 3,000 word
Entry fee: €15 per story
Prizes: Winner €3,000, Second place is a week at Circle of Misse plus open travel stipend, Third place €1,000
Closing date: 30 June 2023
Website: https://www.themothmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=8227&page=23
Flash 500 Fiction Competition
This is a quarterly open-themed competition, open to all international writers.
Word limit: 500 words
Entry fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories, £11 for three stories, £14 for four stories
Prizes: Winner £300, Second place £200, Third place£100
Closing date: 30 June 2023
Website: https://flash500.com/flash-fiction/
JULY 2023
SD HARVEY Short Crime Story Award
SD Harvey Short Crime Story Award is hosted by the Kennedy Foundation and recognises excellence in this genre of writing, either fiction or non-fiction. It is open to all budding crime writers and journalists.
Word limit: 2,000 – 5,000 words
Entry fee: $60
Prizes: Winner $1,000
Closing date: 1 July 2023
Website: https://www.sdharveyaward.com/
Letter Review Prize for Short Stories
Letter Review believes in the power of literature, and in the importance and magic of new writing. The top three winning entries are published by Letter Review, each with its own attractive original commissioned artwork.
No theme or genre restrictions, and this is open to writers around the world.
World limit: 1000-3000 words.
Entry fee: $20USD for one submission, $35USD for two, $45USD for three.
Prizes: Winner $600, Second place $250, Third place $150
Closing date: 1 July 2023
Website: https://letterreview.submittable.com/submit/261947/letter-review-prize-for-short-stories
The LIMINAL & Pantera Press Nonfiction Prize
Theme: ARCHIVE. Archives are not merely sites where knowledge is retrieved, but sites where knowledge is produced. What is placed in an archive is often a monument to political authority—and the narrative that authority wishes to tell.
Word limit: max 4,000 words
Prizes: Winner $10,00 Second place $2,000
Closing date: 1 July 2023
Website: https://writersvictoria.org.au/the-liminal-pantera-press-nonfiction-prize/
The Richell Prize
Type: Works of adult fiction or adult narrative non-fiction are accepted
Prize: Winning Entry: $10,000 and a 12-month mentorship with Hachette Australia
Entries must be saved as a single PDF, comprised of the following:
- The first three chapters of the work with a maximum word length of 20,000 words;
- A one-page synopsis;
- A chapter breakdown of the rest of the work, no more than two A4 pages long;
You will also need to write a statement up to 750 words about how winning the prize will further your writing career, to be entered in the online form at the time of submission.
Closing date: 7 July 2023
Website: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/the-richell-prize-for-emerging-writers/
E.M. Fletcher Writing Competition
A flash fiction competition with a twist! The competition commences on 14 July 2023, and at this time, NQW will announce the competition criteria by email to those who have registered for email updates. Writers will then have 60 hours to submit a 600-word piece of original fiction in response to the given criteria.
Word limit: Maximum 600 words
Entry is free
Prizes: Winner $300
Closing date: 16 July 2023
Albury City Short Story Award
Open to any theme!
Word limit: Maximum 3,000 words
Entry fee: $10
Prizes: Winner $1,000, Second place $200 book voucher, Third place $100 book voucher
Closing date: 25 July 2023
Website: https://www.writearoundthemurray.org.au/competitions/alburycity-short-story-award
Short Stories Unlimited Short Story Competition – Urban
Theme: As the name suggests, the stories in this competition must relate to an urban/city/metro environment. It can be autobiographical, based on fact or a work of pure fiction. All we are after is a story well told. Entertain us!
Word limit: Strictly up to 5,000 words
Entry fee: $10
Prizes: Winner $200 and publication, Second place $100 and publication, Third place $50 and publication
An additional two highly commended authors will receive $20 and publication
Closing date: 31 July 2023
Port Writers Open Writing Competition
Genre: Short Fiction and Poetry
Word limit: Short fiction – up to 2500 words. Poetry – up to 32 lines.
Entry fee: $10 per entry (maximum of 3 entries per category)
Prizes: Winner $200, Second place $50, Hastings Prize for local author $50 (for local writers in the Port Macquarie-Hastings geographic area)
Closing date: 31 July 2023.
Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2023
The Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2023 is open to writers across the globe. Stories do not need to follow any particular theme or genre, but must be written in English.
Word limit: Maximum 3,000 words
Entry fee: £9.
Prizes: Winner £1000, plus a free creative writing course of the winner’s choice and publication on the site. 2 runners-up: £200 each.
Closing Date: 31 July 2023
Website: https://creativewritingink.co.uk/competitions/creative-writing-ink-short-story-competition/
AUGUST 2023
The Best Australian Yarn Short Story Competition
Everyone has a story to tell. Share yours in the world’s richest short story competition for published and unpublished writers.
Word limit: 1000 – 25o0 words
Prizes:
- Overall Winer $50,000
- Runner up $3,000
- The Navitas ESL Prize $3,000
- The First Nations Storytelling Prize $3,000
- Regional Australia Winner $3,000
- Readers Choice $2,000
- Eight Shortlisted Finalists $1,000 each
Closing date: 1 August 2023
Website: https://bestaustralianyarn.com.au/
Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Writing Competition 
We’re looking for stories with powerful beginnings, rising tension, and a climax that resonates, to the theme of DETOUR. Short stories about alternative routes, roads less travelled, unexpected journeys, that examine lessoned learned, cautionary tales, surprising endings, friends made along the way.
Theme: Detour/s
Word limit: up to 1,000 words
Entry fee: $15
Prizes: Winner $250AUD Hawkeye Publishing Gift Voucher + anthology cover based on the winner’s story
Closing date: 1 August 2023
2023 Sutherland Shire Literary Competition
This competition is open to Australian residents over 18 years of age, and this year writers are asked to consider what’s been EMERGING in their creative work in recent times.
Theme: Emerging
Writers are invited to submit their individual, original works in the following categories:
- Traditional verse (max 80 lines)
- Free verse (max 80 lines)
- Short story (max 2,000 words)
Entry fee: $20 per entry
Prizes: Winner $1,000, Highly Commended $500
Closing date: 14 August 2023
Website: https://cms.ssc.nsw.gov.au/Community/Library/Sutherland-Shire-Literary-Competition
Periscope Literary Open Fiction Short Story Award 2023
This UK-based competition is open to all international writers 18+. To be considered, entries must be original fiction of up to 1500 words, inspired by the theme ‘Identity’.
Word Limit: 1500 words
Entry fee: £10 per story
Prizes: Winner £1,000
Closing date: 15 August 2023
Masters Review Summer Short Story Award
This US-based Short Story Award welcomes submissions of previously unpublished fiction or creative nonfiction.
This contest is for emerging writers only. Writers with single-author book-length work published or under contract with a major press are ineligible.
Word limit: up to 6,000 words
Entry fee: USD $20
Prizes: Winner USD $3,000 plus online publication, Second place $300, Third place $200
Closing date: 27 August 2023
Website: https://mastersreview.com/short-story-award-for-new-writers/
Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2023
Word limit: up to 3,000 words
Entry fee: £9
Prizes:
1st prize: Winner £1000, plus a free creative writing course of the winner’s choice and publication on website, 2 runners-up: £200 each.
Closing date: 31 August 2023
Website: https://creativewritingink.co.uk/competitions/creative-writing-ink-short-story-competition/
Olga Masters Short Story Award 2023
Entries must be a single story of 2000 to 4000 words, written in English, with the theme of life in rural Australia.
Word limit: up to 2,000 – 4,000 words
Entry fee: $25
Prizes: Winner $1,500, Second place $500
Closing date: 31 August 2023
Website: https://www.olgamastersshortstoryaward.com/guidelines
Anthology Short Story Award 2023
Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, this short story competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world.
There is no restriction on theme or style.
Word limit: maximum 1,500 words
Entry fee: €18
Prizes: €1,000
Closing date: 31 August 2023
Website: https://dystopianstories.com/events/anthology-short-story-award-2023/
SEPTEMBER 2023
KSP Poetry Competition
Entries must be original and unpublished. All poetry styles and themes are acceptable.
Entry fee: $10 per poem, no limit on entries
Prizes: Winner $300, plus a weekend residency at the KSP Writers’ Centre, Second place $150
Closing date: 27 September 203
Website: https://www.kspwriterscentre.com/poetry-competition
New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Non-fiction
Word limit: up to 2,500 words
Entry fee: $10
Prizes: Winner $500
Closing date: 28 September 2023
Website: https://www.newc.org.au/thunderbolt-prize-for-crime-writing.html
Woorilla Poetry Prize 2023
Judith Rodriguez Open Section
Word limit: up to 50 lines per poem
Entry fee: $20 per poem
Prizes: Winner $3,000, Second place $500
Closing date: 30 September 2023
Website: https://www.woorilla.org.au/
Creators of Justice Literary Awards
This Creators of Justice Literary Award features works which highlight the struggle for human rights and social justice the world over. These may be imagined in any manner in which the writer sees fit, however, it must be based in our signature values. We do not publish work that is based in anger, or stems from an “us v. them” mentality.
Writers may submit one poem, one essay (up to 2500 words) and/or one short story (up to 2500 words)
No entry fee
Prizes: Winner $150, Second place $100, Third place $50
Closing date: 30 September 2023
Website: https://www.ihraf.org/creators-of-justice-literary-awards
Scribes Writer Short Story Competition – 2023
Genre: Short Story
Theme: Open
Work limit: 1,000 words
Entry fee: $10 per entry
Prizes: Winner $200, Second place $100
Closing date: 30 September 2023
Website: http://www.scribeswriters.com/prose-competition/
OCTOBER 2023
Grindstone Literary International Novel Prize 2023
Genre: All genres are accepted, with the exception of work aimed at children, and erotic fiction.
Word limit: Manuscripts may be finished or part-finished at the time of submission. All manuscripts must have a finished (or projected finished) length exceeding 70,000 words.
Entry fee: £20
Closing date: 1 October 2023
Website: https://www.grindstoneliterary.com/novel-prize
Blacktown 2023 Mayoral Creative Writing Prize
Word limit: 25 lines for a poem, up to 500 words for a Short Story
Entry fee: $0
Prizes: Winner (Poetry category) $200, Winner (Short Story category) $200
Closing date: 2 October 2023
Website: https://www.westwords.com.au/project/blacktown-2023-mayoral-creative-writing-prize/
2023 Ernestine Hill Memorial Award
Type: Short Story, in a rural setting
Word limit: 4,000 words
Entry fee: $20 per entry
Prizes: Winner $1000
Closing date: 21 October 2023
Website: https://fawnsw.org.au/entry-form-2023-ernestine-hill-memorial-short-story-award/
Writers’ Studio Short Story Competition 2023
Type: Short Story
Word limit: Between 1500 words and a maximum of 2500 words
Entry fee: $11
Prizes: Winner $500 / Second Prize: $250 / Third Prize: $100 + the top 3 winning entries will be published on our website.
Closing date: 5pm Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Website: https://www.writerstudio.com.au/about-writing/writers-studio-short-story-competition-2023/
NOVEMBER 2023
Commonwealth Short Story Prize
The competition is only open to short fiction, but it can be in any fiction genre–science fiction, speculative fiction, historical fiction, crime, romance, literary fiction–and you may write about any subject you wish.
Word limit: 2,000 – 5,000 words
Free entry
Prizes: Overall winner £5,000. Regional winners will receive £2,500
Closing date: 2 November 2023, 12am BST
Website: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/short-story-prize/
The Masters Review Novel Excerpt Contest
Open to any genre, you may submit an excerpt from any section of your completed or in-progress novel.
Word limit: Maximum 6,000 words
Entry fee: $20
Prizes: Winner $3,000, Second Place $300, Third Place $200
Closing date: 12 November
Anthology Travel Writing Competition
The Anthology Travel Writing Competition is open to original and previously unpublished travel articles in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. We are looking for an engaging article that will capture the reader’s attention, conveying a strong sense of the destination and the local culture.
Word limit: Maximum 1,000 words
Entry fee: €15
Prizes: The winner will receive €500 and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology.
Closing date: 30 November 2023
Website: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/travel-writing-competition/
Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition
This competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast poems in the English language, and can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world
Word limit: 40 lines
Entry fee: €7 per poem or €30 for a batch of five
Prizes: Winner €2,000, Second place €500, Third place €250, 10 x runners up will win €50. Plus all winners will be published in Southword.
Closing date: 30 November 2023
Website: https://munsterlit.ie/odonoghue-competition/
DECEMBER 2023
Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize 2024
Manuscripts submitted by applicants must be their own original, unpublished work and should be strong commercial fiction, including but not limited to contemporary women’s fiction, science fiction, romance, crime and YA, or commercial non-fiction, including but not limited to memoir, biography, history, self-help, business.
The following types of work are not eligible:
- Poetry and plays.
- Works intended for the academic market.
- Cookery manuscripts.
- Travel diaries (Note: travel memoirs written creatively for a commercial market are eligible).
Work limit: 80,000 words
Entry fee: $45
Prizes:
Closing date: 15 December 2023
Website: https://hawkeyebooks.com.au/hawkeye-publishing-manuscript-development-publication-prize/
Flash Fiction Competition
Open theme
Word limit: Up to 500 words
Entry fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories, £11 for three stories, £14 for four stories
Prizes: Winner £300, Second place £200, Third place £100
Closing date: 31 December 2023
Website: https://flash500.com/flash-fiction/
JANUARY 2024
Calibre Essay Prize
We welcome essays of all kinds: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental
Word limit: Between 2,000 and 5,000
Entry fee: Current ABR subscribers: $20
Standard/non-subscribers: $30
Prizes: Winner $10,000
Closing date: 22 January 2024
Website: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/calibre-prize/2024
