Listed below are upcoming Short Story 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’s own website. Please note: We take no responsibility nor assume liability for any of the competitions listed, it is up to the entrant to undertake due diligence before entering any competition.
If you would like your Writing Competition to be listed, please email a short blurb about your competition, the closing date and website link to: competitions@writerstudio.com.au
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MARCH 2026
The Sorrento Creative Writing Prize
The Sorrento Creative Writing Prize is a Future Leaders Initiative. The Prize celebrates the annual Sorrento Writers Festival and its mission to bring writers and readers together.
Open to Australian citizens and residents aged 18 and over, entries must be original creative writing between 2,500 and 3,000 words. The winner will receive $5,000 and their writing featured at the 2026 Sorrento Writers Festival and on their website.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Sunday, 1 March 2026
Website: https://www.writing.org.au/sorrento-creative-writing-prize-2026/
The Jennifer Burbidge Short Story Award
The Jennifer Burbidge Short Story Award was established in 2001 by Mary and Andrew Burbidge to honour the life of their eldest daughter, Jennifer, who died aged 21.
The prize is open to all writers in Australia. Entries must be the author’s original work of no more than 3000 words and involve the theme of disability in an Australian setting. The winner will receive $500 and will be published on the Williamstown Literary Festival Writing Anthology and website.
Entry fee: $15 AUD
Closing Date: Sunday, 8 March 2026, 11:59pm
Website: https://www.willylitfest.org.au/jennifer-burbidge-writing-award
The Good Dog! International Film Festival
Good Dog! is not for profit and champions storytellers, writers and filmmakers. The festival is a writing and film festival screening engaging films that include a dog held in Sydney Harbour, Australia.
Entries must be short stories of 5,000 words or less. Prize is a Winner’s certificate and $100 per category. All profits are distributed to Australian dog charities.
Earlybird Entry fee: $30
Earlybird Closing Date: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Website: https://filmfreeway.com/TheGoodDogInternationalFilmFestival
Peter Carey Short Story Awards 2026
This award has honoured Bacchus Marsh’s own Peter Carey and this year the Moorabool Shire Libraries and local writers Jem Tyley-Miller and Wayne Marshall celebrate its 10th anniversary.
This award is for short stories between 2000 and 3000 words and is open to all Australian residents aged over 18. The winning entry receives $2000, while the runner-up wins $1000. The winning story will also be published in an upcoming edition of Overland Literary Journal, with the runner-up published at Overland Online.
Entry fee: $15 per story
Closing Date: Thursday, 12 March 2026, 6pm
2026 Book Links Short Story Competition
Book Links is a volunteer run, not for profit organisation aimed at establishing and growing vibrant spaces to nurture communities where children and young adults are exposed to literature; stimulated to be imaginative and artistic; and where stories and their creators are valued.
Entries should be a short story, maximum of 1500 words, suitable for children of any age up to 15 years old. The winner will receive $250, and they will be invited to have their story published on the Book Links website.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Saturday, 14 March 2026
Website: https://booklinks.org.au/competitions-adults/
2026 Hungerford Award
Fremantle Press is an independent book publisher, based in Western Australia, and embedded in the Australian cultural landscape. The biennial Hungerford Award is Western Australia’s most prestigious award for an unpublished work of adult fiction, narrative non-fiction, young adult fiction or verse novel by an unpublished writer.
Only unpublished original manuscripts of at least 50,000 words and no more than 100,000 words may be entered for the Award. It offers a cash prize of $15,000 from the City of Fremantle, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a fellowship at the Centre for Stories.
Entry fee: $35 AUD
Closing Date: Sunday, 15 March 2026, 11:59pm (AWST)
Website: https://fremantlepress.com.au/submissions/hungerford/
FEBRUARY 2026
Stringybark Open Award 2026
This is Stringybark’s flagship short story award. The award is open-themed, with the only creative requirement being a link to Australia.
Entries must be 1,500 words or fewer, include a connection to Australia, and be written for readers aged 16 and above. The total award pool is valued at over $1,420 in cash and books, offered to support and encourage writers in their creative work.
Entry fee: $15 for one story, $28 for two stories, $39 for three stories (max)
Closing Date: Sunday, 1 February 2026, 11:59pm (AEDT)
Website: https://www.stringybarkstories.net/competitions/open—open-award-2026.html
Early Career Writer Award
The Award was established in 2016 to celebrate Australian women’s contribution to the screen and stage and to promote the interest of the public in their work.
The Early Career Writer Award ($10,000) is presented to a woman or non-binary writer who is in the early stages of their career and has had their debut work first professionally produced, screened or broadcast between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2025.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Wednesday, 4 February 2026, 5pm (AEDT)
Website: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/awards/early-career-writer-award
Next Generation Indie Book Awards
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers.
The award is open to independent publishers and authors worldwide and is now accepting entries written in English and released in 2024, 2025 or 2026 or with a 2024, 2025 or 2026 copyright date.
Entry fee: $80 per title for the first category entered, and $65 for each additional category entered
Closing Date: Friday, 13 February 2026
Website: https://www.indiebookawards.com/
The Ninth Heaven Writing Prize
Ninth Heaven is an independent literary project, based in Sydney Australia, dedicated to works that demonstrate human flourishing. Our annual Writing Prize seeks short fiction that is ambitious in its scope, attentively crafted and engaging.
Open to writers aged 18 and over, entries should be between 1000 to 2000 words in any genre or style. All shortlisted stories will be published in Ninth Heaven, with cash prizes awarded to the top two entries.
Entry fee: $10 AUD
Closing Date: Saturday, 14 February 2026, 11:59pm (AEDT)
Website: https://www.ninthheaven.co/competitions/nh-summer-short-story-comp/
The Sheila Malady Short Story Competition
Since 1991, the annual Shakespeare on the River Festival has been running in April/May in Stratford, Australia. The festival has created an enduring Arts legacy for Stratford that showcases community, professional theatre, and the broader Arts scene.
Writers of fiction are invited to submit stories of up to 2000 words to the theme, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. All genres of short stories are accepted but do not accept non-fiction, memoir, plays, poetry or songs.
Entry fee: $10 for adult writers, $5 for entries from writers 18 years and under.
Closing Date: Monday, 16 February 2026, 11:59pm (AEDT)
Website: https://www.stratfordshakespeare.com.au/competition-information
Next Generation Short Story Awards
This not-for-profit short story awards program is brought to you by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest international book awards program in the world for indie authors and independent publishers.
The Next Generation Short Story Awards is open to all authors, even first-time authors, in the U.S., Canada, or internationally who have an original short story or poems (5,000 words or less) written in English that has not been previously published at the time of entry.
Entry fee: $25 USD for the first category and $20 USD for each additional category entered for the same story
Closing Date: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Website: https://shortstoryawards.com/
The Hilarie Lindsay Prize
The Hilarie Lindsay Prize is an open competition that challenges women writers nationally to submit an unpublished work of fiction or non-fiction on the subject of social justice.
Submissions must be unpublished, in English, the original work of the entrant and must not exceed 5000 words. The winner will receive a prize of $2,000.
Entry fee: $10 AUD
Closing Date: Friday, 27 February 2026, 6pm (AEDT)
Website: https://womenwritersnsw.org/news/the-hilarie-lindsay-prize
Flash 500: Short Stories Competition
This is an open-themed competition that accepts short stories of all genres with strong characters and a well-crafted plot.
Entries must be in English, cannot exceed the 3000-word limit and must not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere. First prize will be awarded £500, 2nd prize £200 and 3rd prize £100.
Entry fee: £7 for one story, £12 for two stories, £16 for three stories, £20 for four stories
Optional critiques: £30 per story
Closing Date: Saturday, 28 February 2026
Website: https://flash500.com/short-stories/
Sutherland Shire Literary Competition
The Sutherland Shire Literary competition aims to promote the diverse cultural heritage of the Sutherland Shire whilst contributing to the rich tradition of literary practice in Australia.
Australian residents over 18 years of age 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). First prize is $1000.
Entry fee: $15 AUD per poem/story
Closing Date: Saturday, 28 February 2026, 11:59pm (AEST)
Website: https://libraries.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/sutherland-shire-literary-competition
Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize
The Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize is a writing prize dedicated to celebrating the spirit of our friend Tom Grass, a multi-talented writer, avid reader, and fearless traveller.
Open to emerging writers aged 25+, the prize welcomes short pieces of stand-alone prose in either Fiction or Non-Fiction (1,500 – 3,000 words). It can be adapted from a longer work but must be satisfying to read by itself. First prize is £1000.
Entry fee: Free
Early Closing Date: Saturday, 28 February 2026
Final Closing Date: Tuesday, 31 March 2026
Website: https://www.tomgrassprize.com/
JANUARY 2026
Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest
Story Unlikely is a literary magazine that publishes fiction and nonfiction.
Submissions cannot exceed 7,000 words (except for WRITER level Members, who get a bonus 3,000 words added). There are no restrictions on age or location of participant.
A $5,000 prize package will be divvied up: $3,000 first place, $1,000 second place, $750 third place, and $250 for the REPRINT CATEGORY. The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely’s website and will be strongly considered for our annual (print) sample magazine. All three placing stories (and reprint winner) will be published in the monthly issue, and all three will be professionally illustrated.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Wednesday, 14 January 2026, 11:59pm (CST)
Website: https://www.storyunlikely.com/#contest
Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition
The Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition is an exciting monthly challenge for authors Australia-wide.
Entries can be up to 1500 words (maximum) and may be any genre; fiction, opinion, history, etc., but they must respond to the set prompt. The current prompt is ‘over the bridge’.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Friday, 23 January 2026
Website: https://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/blog/2022/01/wakefield-weekly-writing-competition/#more-4620
Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
Not Quite Write podcast explores the intricacies of fiction writing, media and current events from a writer’s perspective.
Choose a team and write a 500-word story based on your team’s 3 prompts to compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes & print publication. The competition is open to writers of all levels of experience worldwide.
Entry fee: $35 AUD
Closing Date: Sunday, 25 January, 11:59pm (AEDT)
Website: https://notquitewritepodcast.com/prize/
Writers in Residence: Botanic Gardens of Sydney
Two Australian writers will be chosen to create new works inspired by the Gardens, with behind-the-scenes access granted to the institution’s unique sites, staff, collections, and world-leading science facilities during a three-month residency in 2026.
Successful applicants will create one or more written works inspired by the Gardens, with creative and inventive use of the resources and collections on offer being welcomed. Each writer will receive a $15,000 stipend to support the residency.
Entry fee: N/A
Closing Date: Tuesday, 27 January 2026, 5pm
Website: https://www.botanicgardens.org.au/about-us/our-people/work-us/writers-residence-expressions-interest
The 2026 Louie Award
The Louie Award is for fast fiction — a story of less than 500 words. As well as being in the crime genre, each year entries must also feature or incorporate a specific theme or word. The theme for this year is: Bubble.
The Louie Award is open to all Australian writers but must be a member of the Australian Crime Writers Association. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and two highly commended writers will receive a $125 cash prize each. All three writers will receive a certificate and their stories will be published on the Australian Crime Writers Association website.
Entry fee: $7
Closing Date: Friday, 30 January 2026
Website: https://www.austcrimewriters.com/about-the-louie-award
Odyssey Victoria’s Short Story Competition 2025
Odyssey Victoria is a state-wide, specialist treatment organisation dedicated to improving the lives of individuals who experience significant or long-term problems from alcohol and other drug use.
Summer holidays often bring sun-soaked afternoons, adventure, and cherished memories – yet not every story is carefree. This competition invites you to craft a short story of up to 1500 words set against the backdrop of summer, incorporating themes of drugs or alcohol. First place wins $1000 and a one-year membership to Writers Victoria.
Entry fee: $10 per submission (max 3 entries)
Closing Date: Friday, 30 January 2026
Website: https://odyssey.org.au/short-story-competition-2025/
ASA/HQ Fiction Prize
The Prize honours a tradition that reaches back thousands of years: storytelling. It is seeking the best of commercial fiction: vibrant writing that entertains, enlightens, and provokes lively water-cooler conversations.
The Prize is for a novel, book-length, work of commercial fiction not previously published. The winner will receive a publishing contract with HQ, with a $10,000 advance against royalties, and the runner-up will receive $500 and a year’s membership with the ASA.
Entry fee: $70 (free for ASA members)
Closing Date: Friday, 30 January 2026, 5:00pm (AEDT)
Website: https://www.asauthors.org.au/award/asa-hq-commercial-fiction-prize/
Anthology Short Story Competition
Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology 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. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish. The winner will receive €1,000 and the winning story will be published in a future issue of Anthology.
Entry fee: €15 (Early Bird)
Early Bird Closing Date: Saturday, 31 January 2026
Website: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/short-story-competition/
Bristol Short Story Prize
Bristol Short Story Prize (BSSP) is an annual, international writing competition for writers over 16 years old and welcomes entries from any genre and from published and unpublished authors alike.
Entries should be up to 4000 words from any genre for the chance to win £1500 and publication in the Bristol Short Story anthology. All shortlisted entries will receive £50, be published in the print anthology and receive a free copy.
Entry fee: £14 (limited numbers of free entries available on application if the fee is a barrier to entry)
Closing Date: Saturday, 31 January 2026, 11:59pm (BST)
Fiction Factory: First Chapter + Synopsis Competition
Fiction Factory is a UK based small but passionate group of writers, mentors and editors that run frequent competitions for a wide range of authors, flash fiction and short story writers, poets and novel writers.
Send a maximum of 5,000 words of your First Chapter only. The winning entry will be read by literary agent Joanna Swainson of the Hardman & Swainson Agency. Winning entries will be published on the Fiction Factory website, subject to the author’s permission.
Entry fee: £18
Closing Date: Saturday, 31 January 2026
Website: https://fiction-factory.biz/first-chapter-synopsis-competition/
GenreCon Short Story Competition
An initiative of Queensland Writers Centre, GenreCon is Australia’s leading conference dedicated to genre writers, annually featuring an impressive line-up of leading names in Australian and international genre fiction across a weekend of panels, seminars, and special events.
Open to all Australian or New Zealand citizens or residents. Entries cannot exceed the maximum 1,000 words on the theme of ‘Inkling’ and should be previously unpublished. One Winner will be offered $500, online publication and an invitation to attend the GenreCon 2026 Launch Night event.
Entry fee: $15 (free for GenreCon ticketholders and Queensland Writers Centre members)
Closing Date: Saturday, 31 January 2026
Website: https://www.genrecon.com.au/2026-opportunities#short-story-comp
DECEMBER 2025
2026 Think+DO Tank Foundation’s Weekend Writers’ Residency
Think+DO Tank Foundation envision this residency as a space for community, conversation, and making art. We want to make the writing road a little less lonely, and more accessible.
Four writers from Greater Western Sydney will be offered a five-month residency held fortnightly on Saturday afternoons from late January to late June 2026 at Think+DO Tank Foundation’s Community House in Fairfield.
To apply, submit a writing sample of no more than five pages of the work you would like to develop during the residency. It can be in languages other than English. Include a cover letter of no more than two pages explaining your project, why you would like to participate in the residency, and your writing experience. This document needs to be in English.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Monday, 1 December 2025, 11:59pm
Website: https://foundation.thinkanddotank.net.au/writing-residencies
2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize
Supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, and named after the late Neilma Gantner, the 2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize seeks excellent short fiction of up to 3000 words themed around the notion of ‘travel’ — imaginative, creative and literary interpretations are strongly encouraged.
This competition is open to all writers, nationally and internationally, at any stage of their writing career. The winning writer will receive $5000 and their short story will be published in Overland. Two runners-up will each receive $750.
Entry fee: $12 AUD (Overland subscribers), $20 AUD (non-subscribers)
Closing Date: Friday, 5 December 2025, 11:59pm
Website: https://overland.org.au/prizes/overland-neilma-sidney-short-story-prize/
The Patrick White Playwrights Award
The Patrick White Playwrights Award has been an annual initiative of Sydney Theatre Company since 2000. It is held in honour of Patrick White’s contribution to Australian theatre and to foster the development of Australian playwrights. The Award exists to showcase an unproduced script.
Every year, the Company invites playwrights to submit their unproduced full-length plays for consideration by the New Work team as part of the Award. Following a rigorous reading and assessment process, a cash prize of $7,500 is given to one play that is original, artistically ambitious, and has a distinctive theatrical voice.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Monday, 8 December 2025, 9am (AEDT)
2026 Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize
The Hawkeye Manuscript Development Prize has proven fertile ground for uncovering new and emerging talent, with eight titles from previous Hawkeye Prizes published, and five more soon to be released.
Manuscripts must be submitted by applicants 18 and over and must be their own original, unpublished work. Submissions 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 and business. Manuscripts for adult fiction and non-fiction must be a maximum of 80,000 words in length.
Entry fee: $45 AUD or $99 AUD to include 1-2 pages of constructive feedback
Closing Date: Friday, 12 December 2025, 6pm (AEST)
Website: https://hawkeyebooks.com.au/pages/hawkeye-publishing-manuscript-development-publication-prize
2026 Penguin Literary Prize
The Penguin Literary Prize was established to find, nurture and develop new Australian authors of literary fiction – in keeping with Penguin Random House’s proud tradition of publishing this country’s greatest writers.
This prize is open to Australian residents aged 18 and over. Submissions should be completed, unpublished works of fiction of up to 100,000 words along with a 300 word synopsis and pitch.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Monday, 15 December 2025, 11:59pm (AEDT)
Website: https://www.penguin.com.au/penguinliteraryprize
The 7th Annual Story Foundation Prize
Story is a tri-annual print publication devoted to the complex and diverse world of short fiction.
Submissions must be previously unpublished works of fiction of up to 10,000 words. The winner will receive $1500 and publication in their summer 2026 issue for a single short story.
Entry fee: $25 (per entry) with each entrant receiving a one-year subscription to Story.
Closing Date: Monday, 15 December 2025, 11:59pm (PST)
Website: https://www.storymagazine.org/news/the-7th-annual-story-foundation-prize/
Magabala Books: First Nations Romance Anthology
Based in Broome, Western Australia, Magabala Books publish Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, artists and illustrators from all over Australia.
Magabala Books calls for submissions of short works of romance fiction from 1000 to 5000 words by First Nation writers for a world-first anthology, edited by Melanie Saward, Ambelin Kwaymullina, and Kate Cuthbert.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Wednesday, 31 December 2025, 5pm (AWST)
Flash 500: Flash Fiction Competition
When it comes to prizes, it often seems as though flash fiction is the poor relation of writing competitions. This, however, is a flash fiction competition where the prize money truly reflects the skill required to encapsulate an entire story in just 500 words.
Entries must be in English, cannot exceed the 500-word limit and must not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere. First prize will be awarded £300, 2nd prize £200 and 3rd prize £100.
Entry fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories, £11 for three stories, £14 for four stories
Optional critiques: £15 per story
Closing Date: Wednesday, 31 December 2025, 11:59pm (UK time)
Website: https://flash500.com/flash-fiction/
Rhiza Edge Short Story Competition
Wombat Books has been sharing stories and creating memories with families for over ten years, and over six years with Rhiza Edge, our imprint for teenagers.
Entries should be fantasy short stories between 1000 and 5000 words. They are open to stories from urban through to high fantasy with no specific theme except entries should be hopeful and encouraging stories for teen readers.
Entry fee: $16.50 (per story) or $11 (per story) for School or Uni Students/Pensioners
Closing Date: Wednesday, 31 December 2025
Website: https://wombatrhiza.com.au/rhiza-edge-short-story-competition/
The Henshaw Press Short Story Competition
Henshaw Press was launched by a small group of dedicated writers, editors, lecturers and, of course, readers who wished to actively support creative writing.
The competition is open to anyone over 16 years of age and entries must be a fictional short story of up to 2,000 words on any theme. No more than five stories can be submitted from the same writer per competition. First prize will be awarded £200, 2nd prize £100 and 3rd prize £50.
Entry fee: £6 GBP
Optional Feedback: £14 GBP
Closing Date: Wednesday, 31 December 2025, 11:59pm (GMT)
Website: https://www.henshawpress.co.uk/
NOVEMBER 2025
2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
The 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize is open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and over. The prize 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.
Submissions must be between 2,000 and 5,000 words. The regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives a total of £5,000. The winning stories are published online by Granta and in a special print collection by Paper + Ink. The shortlisted stories are published in adda, the online literary magazine of the Commonwealth Foundation.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Saturday, 1 November 2025
Website: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/short-story-prize/
2026 Balnaves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fellowship
The Fellowship model seeks to be deeply collaborative and to support the selected Fellow to create a work for the stage, engage the Fellow in the experience of being in a company structure, and offers the opportunity to support other Indigenous artists through Belvoir’s creative development and programming processes.
If you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander playwright, writer/director or director the Fellowship provides the Fellow the opportunity to work at Belvoir as a resident artist to create their work, subject to negotiation with the Fellow’s availability and location over a two-year period. Across this period, they will receive a full commission to develop a new original work, and wages to work in the Belvoir’s Artistic and Programming team.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Monday, 10 November 2025, 6pm (AEST)
The Varnish Prize for Fiction
Varnish is a literary journal dedicated to ensuring that exceptional written works last. Their aim is to publish evocative written art with timeless beauty, with the writer’s vision enriched and preserved beyond the moment in which it is published. They encourage writers to find joy in language and be inventive with form.
Submissions are limited to one story per writer and must be prose fiction of up to 5000 words. The Varnish Prize for Fiction is looking for submissions of the most compelling, formally-inventive, and vital unpublished short fiction. The winner will receive $350 and all finalists and shortlisted writers will be published in Varnish Online.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Saturday, 15 November 2025
Website: https://www.varnishlit.com/varnish-fiction-prize
The Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition
The Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition is an exciting monthly challenge for authors Australia-wide. Each month, they release a new prompt for authors to respond to.
Entries may be any genre; fiction, opinion, history, etc., but they must respond to the set prompt in either the body of the entry, and/ or as the title. Submissions may be no longer than 1500 words in length and may include relevant images.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Friday, 21 November 2025
Website: https://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/blog/2022/01/wakefield-weekly-writing-competition/#more-4620
The Dorothy Hewett Award
The Dorothy Hewett Award is a national award for unpublished manuscripts and is run annually in the month of November. The award is open to Australian citizens or residents aged 18 or over who have completed a manuscript and are seeking publication regardless if they have been published before or not.
The work must be currently unpublished and belonging to one of these genres: fiction, narrative nonfiction, poetry, verse novel or memoir. The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000 and will be offered a publishing contract by UWA Publishing.
Entry fee: $30 AUD (limit of one entry per applicant)
Closing Date: Sunday, 30 November 2025, 5pm (AWST)
Website: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/pages/dorothy-hewett-award
Griffith Review 92: Lost and Found Anthology
Griffith Review is a literary and current affairs journal that’s aimed at a general readership – although they’re part of a university, they’re not an academic publication. We publish work by established and emerging writers – most from Australia, some from overseas – and they curate each edition loosely around a particular theme.
Submissions should respond to the theme ‘Lost and Found’ and can be fiction or non-fiction of up to 4000 words. Winners will be published in the May 2026 edition of the Griffith Review.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Sunday, 30 November 2025, 11:59pm (AEST)
Website: https://www.griffithreview.com/for-writers/
2025 Perentie Prize
Perentie Press are passionate about crafting visual stories that are hopeful, that unleash imagination, inspire conversation, and that are read, over and over again. They publish graphic novels for school-aged children between 5 and 17.
The 2025 Perentie Prize is open to any Australian or New Zealand author over the age of 18. Manuscripts entered should be complete and must be the original work of the participant and unpublished. The Prize is for graphic novel manuscripts (text only). The winner will receive an offer of publication with Perentie Press, as well as a $2500 advance towards royalties.
Entry fee: $30 AUD (per entry)
Closing Date: Sunday, 30 November 2025
Website: https://perentiepress.com/perentie-prize
OCTOBER 2025
The Letter Review Prize
The Letter Review is a literary journal dedicated to publishing new work, and assisting writers with help to get published, performed, and produced.
The Letter Review welcomes entries of short fiction, poetry, books and non-fiction. 2-4 winners will be announced from each category who will be published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Up to 20 writers will be shortlisted.
Entry fee: $15-$25 USD depending on category
Closing Date: Wednesday, 1 October 2025, 2pm
Website: https://letterreview.com/information/
2026 NSW Literary Awards
The NSW Literary Awards are the richest and longest running state-based literary awards in Australia and cover all genres of writing. These annual awards honour distinguished achievement by Australian writers, contribute to Australia’s artistic reputation, and draw international attention to some of Australia’s best writers and to the cultural environment that nurtures them.
Submissions must be primarily in the English language and all nominees (writers, illustrators and translators) whose works are entered must be living Australian citizens or hold permanent residency.
Earlybird Entry fee: $75 AUD (applicable until 6 October 2025, 5pm)
Regular Entry fee: $100 AUD
Closing Date: Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 5pm
Website: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/awards/nsw-literary-awards
2025 Hope Prize
The Hope Prize is an international short story competition open to writers worldwide aged 18 and over. They are seeking powerful, original stories of hope, fiction or creative non-fiction, from both emerging and established voices.
Submissions must be prose short stories of up to 5000 words. The winner will receive $10,000 AUD, and shortlisted stories will be published in a Simon & Schuster anthology.
Earlybird Entry fee: $20 AUD (applicable until 30 June 2025, 11.59pm AEST)
Regular Entry fee: $30 AUD
Closing Date: Friday, 31 October 2025, 11:59pm (AEST)
Website: https://www.thehopeprize.com/
2025 The Writers’ Studio Short Story Competition
The Writers’ Studio are a creative writing studio in Sydney providing Online and Live-in-Studio writing courses. For over 30 years, they have worked with everyone from award-winning professionals to complete beginners helping them realise their creative dreams.
The Writers’ Studio Short Story Competition is a celebration of emerging writers and is open to anyone aged 18 and over. Submissions must be between 1500 words and a maximum of 2500 words. The Top 3 Winning Entries will be published on the Writers’ Studio website with the first-place prize being $1000.
Entry fee: $20 AUD
Closing Date: Friday, 31 October 2025, 5pm (AEST)
Website: https://www.writerstudio.com.au/about-writing/the-writers-studio-short-story-competition-2025/
SEPTEMBER 2025
2025 Newcastle Short Story Award
The Newcastle Short Story Award showcases outstanding short fiction from across Australia, judged by award-winning authors Catherine McNamara and Mirandi Riwoe, whose work spans continents, genres, and literary communities.
Entries of original, unpublished fiction up to 2,000 words by Australian citizens aged 18+ residing anywhere in the world. Prizes range from $200-$3,000, with shortlisted entries published in the annual award anthology.
Entry fee: $22 (Hunter Writers’ Centre members), $27.50 (non-member)
Closing Date: Sunday, 14 September 2025, 8pm (AEST)
Website: https://hunterwriterscentre.org/2025-newcastle-short-story-award/
Creative and Cultural Residency at Vaucluse House
The Vaucluse House Creative and Cultural Residency Program offers time, space, connection and inspiration. It is a multidisciplinary non-residential program providing fully subsidised access to four sunny studio spaces within a shared cottage for 12 months.
The program is open to all NSW-based creative practitioners at any stage of their career who are enthusiastic about the opportunity to connect audiences with their work.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Sunday, 14 September 2025
Website: https://mhnsw.au/creative-and-cultural-residency-vaucluse-house/
IWC International Debut Novel Competition
The International Debut Novel Competition marks 14 years of the Irish Writers Centre’s determination to find and celebrate new voices of literature from around the world. Formerly known as Novel Fair, the International Debut Novel Competition is an annual literary competition that awards twelve unpublished novelists with the opportunity to pitch their novels to leading publishers and literary agents.
Applicants are required to submit a 5,000-word extract of their novel, as well as a 500-word synopsis. The 12 winners are given the opportunity to skip the queue and pitch their novels face-to-face or zoom-to-zoom to publishers and agents.
Entry fee: €58.50 (Irish Writers Centre members), €65 (non-member)
Closing Date: Sunday, 14 September 2025, 11:59pm
Website: https://irishwriterscentre.ie/international-debut-novel-competition/
2025 Dickinson Memorial Literary Competition
Braille House fosters a culture of integrity, respect, and empowerment. The competition provides a unique opportunity for people with low or no vision to tell their stories and to share their talents with others.
Submissions should be up to 2000 words for ages 13+ or 1500 words for 12 years and under in hard-copy Braille, a Word document, Simbraille or a Duxbury-readable file.
Entry fee: $10 per entry
Closing Date: Friday, 19 September 2025, 4pm
Website: https://www.braillehouse.org.au/education/dickinson-memorial-literary-competition-2025
2025 Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest
Since 2014, Book Pipeline has helped authors secure literary representation, publishing deals, and adaptation opportunities by connecting them with publishers, agents, editors, and film industry professionals. Through its Unpublished and Adaptation contests, Book Pipeline discovers exceptional fiction and nonfiction from both emerging and established authors.
Seeking unpublished manuscripts across 10 categories of entry; Comic & Graphic Novel, General Fiction, Literary, Middle Grade, Mystery & Thriller, Nonfiction & Memoir, Picture Book, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Young Adult. Select publishers and agents get first look at the top picks for each category.
Entry fee: $65
Closing Date: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Website: https://bookpipeline.com/contest/unpublished-contest
West of the Moon AFTS Anthology
The Australian Fairy Tale Society is a group of passionate, talented writers, illustrators, storytellers and scholars interested in fairy tales.
Seeking entries of original, unpublished fiction up to 3,000 words, flash fiction of up to 1,000 words or poetry up to 50 lines. Submissions must be a tale that is immersed, blended or woven into an Australian context.
Entry fee: $10 per entry
Closing Date: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Website: https://australianfairytales.com/west-of-the-moon/
Anthology Flash Fiction Competition
Established to inspire creativity, great writing and to provide a platform for publication. The Anthology Flash Fiction Competition is open to original and previously unpublished flash fiction pieces on any theme or genre in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. We are looking for writing that is clever and unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling story.
Open to both new and established writers, articles submitted must not exceed 250 words. The winner will receive a €300 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology.
Entry fee: €12 per entry
Closing Date: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Website: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/flash-fiction-competition/
Marj Wilke Short Story Award
Women Writers Queensland are a women’s writing organisation that welcomes anyone with a passion for writing, from published authors to those discovering their voices.
Seeking entries of original, unpublished fiction of up to 1,500 words by Australian women writers over the age of 18 years. Prizes include; First $500, Second $350, and the Lauren Elise Daniels Encouragement Award $125, plus certificates.
Entry fee: $15 or $40 for maximum of three entries
Closing Date: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Website: https://womenwritersqld.org.au/marj-wilke-short-story-award/
2025 Armadale Writers’ Award
The Armadale Writers’ Award is a creative writing competition open to adult writers living in Western Australia.
Works must be original unpublished prose and have a 1000 to 3000-word count. The judges will be seeking originality of themes, plot development, story structure and overall quality of writing. Prizes include; First $1000, Second $750 and, Third $500.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Tuesday, 30 September 2025, 11:59pm (AWST)
Website: https://library.armadale.wa.gov.au/armadale-writers-award
AUGUST 2025
UQP Mentorship Prize for Under-represented Writers
UQP has long been supporting the writing of marginalised and under-represented authors. This new mentorship offers prospective authors from under-represented communities the space, time, financial support and professional development that is needed to write.
Submissions should be the first 5,000 words of a new work of fiction, non-fiction, or children’s fiction. Two winners will receive $5000, a residency at UQP’s office at The University of Queensland including return flights and accommodation, mentorship, editing, a professional development session and consideration of the final manuscript by a UQP publisher.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Friday, 1 August 2025, 5pm (AEST)
Website: https://www.uqp.com.au/pages/uqp-mentorship-prize-for-under-represented-writers
Pitchable 2025
Queensland Writers Centre’s Pitchable program is all about great ideas – and what to do with them.
To enter, all you need is an idea or concept… and a short synopsis, elevator pitch or overview. Pitches for any kind of story, and in any genre or style, are welcomed — whether it be for a novel, non-fiction book, video game, film, TV series, stageplay.
Entries are open to all Australian writers, unpublished and emerging through to published and established. You don’t need a manuscript or full-length work, but if you have one it needs to be original, uncontracted, unpublished and unproduced.
Entry fee: $30 (QWC members), $50 (non-members)
Closing Date: Tuesday, 5 August 2025
Website: https://queenslandwriters.org.au/pitchable-program-guidelines
The Wheeler Centre: The Next Chapter 2026
The program elevates Australian stories that aren’t being told and nurtures a new wave of writers to tell them. The Next Chapter will select a group of ten writers and provide each of them with a stipend of $15,000, a handpicked mentor to work closely with them on bringing their writing to life and opportunities to connect with peers, agents, publishers and readers.
Entrants must permanently reside in Australia (does not have to be an Australian citizen) and be at least 18 years of age. Submissions can be any long form piece of writing including prose, graphic novels, poetry, and hybrid works.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Friday, 8 August 2025, 5pm (AEST)
Website: https://www.wheelercentre.com/the-next-chapter/how-do-i-apply
Lane Cove Literary Awards 2025
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.
Writers over 16 years of age are invited to submit unpublished works. Prize categories include short stories up to 3000 words (Prize $2,000), poetry of up to 1000 words (Prize $1,500) and travel stories of up to 2000 words (Prize $1,500).
Entry fee: $15.50 per entry
Closing Date: Wednesday, 20 August 2025, 5pm
Website: https://www.lanecove.nsw.gov.au/Community/Library/Lane-Cove-Literary-Awards
Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction
Not Quite Write Podcast explores the intricacies of fiction writing, media and current events from a writer’s perspective. The Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction (also known as FLESH Fiction) is an erotic flash fiction competition hosted by the Not Quite Write Podcast and running for the first time in 2025.
Entrants will compete for a share of AU$1,000 cash and calls for erotic stories of no more than 1,500 words written in response to the theme: “Making the unsexy irresistible.” Anyone over the age of 18 anywhere in the world is eligible to enter.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Sunday, 24 August 2025, 11:59pm (AEST)
Website: https://notquitewritepodcast.com/fleshfiction/#accept
Green Stories Flash Fiction Competition
Green Stories’ mission is to create a cultural body of work that entertains and informs about green solutions, inspires green behaviour and raises awareness of the necessary transformations towards a sustainable economy.
Writers are invited to submit a story with the theme ‘epiphanies’. This would be about transformation, when a moment of epiphany causes one or more characters to change for the greener. Entrants will compete for a £300 prize for the winning story plus £100 prize for 7 runners up. Submissions should be unpublished and under 500 words, open to anyone over the age of 18, anywhere in the world.
Entry fee: Free but entrants must purchase at least one book from the Green Stories project as a guide to competition criteria.
Closing Date: Wednesday, 27 August 2025
Website: https://www.greenstories.org.uk/flash-fiction-competition-epiphanies-2/
2025 Marjorie Barnard Short Story Award
The Fellowship of Australian Writers is looking for short stories up to 3000 words that have not been previously published. The winner will receive $500.
Entry fee: $15 per entry
Closing Date: Sunday, 31 August 2025, 6pm
Website: https://fawnsw.org.au/conditions-2025-marjorie-barnard-short-story-award/
2025 OutStanding LGBTQIA+ Short Story Competition
The annual OutStanding Short Story competition provides a safe and supportive environment for both emerging and established writers to share their stories.
Other than a set length of 750 words and a different theme each year there are no restrictions; entries might express the triumph and joy of alternate sexuality, or the pain and difficulty. Winning stories will be published on their Facebook page, and website.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Sunday, 31 August 2025, 11:59pm (AEDT)
Website: https://outstandingstories.net/
JULY 2025
The Letter Review Prize
The Letter Review is a literary journal dedicated to publishing new work, and assisting writers with help to get published, performed, and produced.
The Letter Review welcomes entries of short fiction, poetry, books and non-fiction. 2-4 winners will be announced from each category who will be published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Up to 20 writers will be shortlisted.
Entry fee: $15-$25 USD depending on category
Closing Date: Tuesday, 1 July 2025
Website: https://letterreview.com/information/
Write Around the Murray Short Story Competition
Since 2007, Write Around the Murray has welcomed some of Australia’s best authors, illustrators and storytellers to the Albury Wodonga region.
Writers from across Australia are invited to enter the Write Around the Murray Short Story Competition. There is no set theme, and first prize winner wins $1000 AUD. Just submit your most inspired writing of up to 3000 words.
Entry fee: $10 AUD
Closing Date: Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 11:59pm
Website: https://www.writearoundthemurray.org.au/competitions/wam-short-story-award
State Library of NSW Fellowships
The Library offers a number of prestigious and competitive fellowships to support the study, writing and teaching of Australian history and culture.
These Fellowships are for experienced historical and archival researchers who can demonstrate evidence of their scholarly research and publication. Previous recipients have included early career academics, independent researchers and writers, and professional historians.
Closing Date: Friday, 11 July 2025, 5pm (AEST)
Website: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/about/awards-fellowships/fellowships
The Richell Prize
Hachette Australia, together with the Richell family, established The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers in partnership with The Guardian Australia and The Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF).
The Prize is open to unpublished Australia-based writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction who have completed at least the first three chapters of a work with a maximum word length of 20,000 words. Writers do not need to have a full manuscript at the time of submission, though they must intend to complete one.
The winner receives $10,000 in prize money, donated by Hachette Australia, and a year’s mentoring with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Sunday, 13 July 2025, 11:59pm (AEDT)
Website: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/the-richell-prize-for-emerging-writers-2025/
2025 E.M. Fletcher Writing Competition
The E.M. Fletcher Writing Award is an annual short story writing competition on a family history/genealogy theme. The genre of writing is not limited, and the broad theme allows plenty of scope for creativity.
Entries for the best short story of 1500-2000 words will be in contention to win prizes of up to $1000.
Entry fee: $20 (Family History ACT members), $30 (non-members)
Closing Date: Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Website: https://www.familyhistoryact.org.au/writingcompetition
The Gutsy Great Novelist Page One Prize 2025
The Gutsy Great Novelist Page One Prize, brought to you by award-winning novelist and writing teacher Joan Dempsey, is open to all writers internationally over 18 who are working on an as-yet-unpublished novel.
This annual prize aims to find the best first page of a novel-in-progress written in the English language. Both previously unpublished and published writers are eligible to submit to the Page One Prize, as long as the page you’re submitting is from an unpublished novel.
Entry fee: $20 USD
Closing Date: Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Website: https://gutsygreatnovelist.com/page-one-prize/
Port Writers: 2025 Open Writing Competition
The Mid North Coast of NSW has its own community writers’ group – Port Writers Inc. Established in 2015, they have welcomed and given experienced and aspiring writers a chance to connect, network, socialise and hone their craft.
There is no restriction on theme or style. Open to all Australian residents over the age of 18, short stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 2,500 words and poetry should be limited to 32 lines. The winner will receive $200.
Entry fee: $10 per entry (limit of 3 entries per category)
Closing Date: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Website: https://www.portwriters.com.au/competitions/2025-open-writing-competition/
Anthology Short Story Competition
Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology 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. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish. The winner will receive €1,000 and the winning story will be published in a future issue of Anthology.
Entry fee: €18 per entry
Closing Date: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Website: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/short-story-competition/
JUNE 2025
Seniors Card Short Story Competition 2025
The NSW Dept of Communities and Justice and FAW are conducting a Short Story Competition. The Top 100 stories will be published in Seniors Stories Volume 11 and receive a NSW Seniors Card Membership.
Submissions should be short stories of up to 1000 words. The theme for this year is ‘Then and Now’.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Sunday, 1 June 2025, 6pm
Website: https://fawnsw.org.au/conditions-of-entry-seniors-card-short-story-competition-2025/
The Big Issue: 2025 Fiction Edition
The Big Issue Fiction Edition is Australia’s bestselling fiction magazine, publishing new works by local authors for more than 20 years.
Submissions must be previously unpublished short stories between 500 and 3000 words. Entrants must be based in Australia and if published, will be paid $500.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Monday, 2 June 2025, 11:59pm (AEST)
Website: https://thebigissue.org.au/news/fiction/
HNSA: ARA Historical Novel Prize
The ARA Historical Novel Prize is the flagship award of the Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA), celebrating exceptional works in historical fiction.
The $150,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize is open for submissions in two categories – Adult and Children & Young Adult (CYA). $100,000 will be awarded to the Adult category winner and $30,000 for winner of the CYA category.
The prize is open to authors who are citizens or residents of Australia and New Zealand. The Awards are open to novels in which the majority of the narrative must have taken place at least 50 years before publication. The eligibility period applies to novels published between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.
Entry fee: $80 AUD
Closing Date: Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 5pm (AEDT)
Website: https://hnsa.org.au/ara-historical-novel-prize
Loom Issue 1: ‘Quaver’
Loom is a new, national interdisciplinary literary journal. Loom will work in conversation with non-textual artistic mediums—both thematically, via longform visual art, music, film, game and theatre criticism; and formally, via the publication of experimental interdisciplinary literary work. For their first issue, Loom is seeking work that critically, thematically or formally engages with music and sound. Music writing in its broadest possible form.
They are seeking previously unpublished work, and writers may submit up to three pitches and/or drafts for consideration. For fiction and essays, submissions should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. You are welcome to send a pitch, a draft, or a more fully developed piece. All selected artists will receive $180 for their work.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Thursday, 12 June 2025, 11:59pm (AEST)
Website: https://www.loomlitmag.com/submit
AWMA Writing Competition
Albury Wodonga Martial Arts (AWMA) is celebrating their 10th year with a writing competition on the theme of Martial Arts with Martial Artists Magazine Australia publishing the winning entries.
It can be either fiction or non-fiction up to 1000 words and you don’t have to be a martial artist to enter.
Entry fee: $10
Closing Date: Saturday, 14 June 2025
Website: https://www.austwriters.com/awmacomp-info
Waverly Council: 2025 Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award
The Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award acknowledges works demonstrating excellence in research, literary merit, readability and value to the community.
In 2025, eight prizes totalling $53,000 in prize money are offered for literary works of any genre that are newly published between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025. Nominations must be the original work of no more than two joint Australian authors and must be submitted in English.
Entry fee: $55 AUD per nomination (Earlybird price)
Closing Date: Monday, 16 June 2025, 11:59pm
The Verandah Legacy Prize
Verandah is a long-standing literary and arts journal proudly run by creative writing and visual art students at Deakin University. This year’s theme is Legacy — and they’re calling for bold, original work that honours the past, reckons with the present, or dares to imagine the future.
To celebrate the legacy of Verandah’s 40th edition, a special $750 cash prize will be awarded to one standout submission published in V40. Writers and artists are invited to submit work across several categories, including fiction and nonfiction short stories or creative essays of up to 2,500 words, poetry of no more than 100 lines, or a page of graphic narrative, artwork, or photography.
Entry fee (applicable to Non-Deakin University students or staff):
$5 AUD for 1 submission
$9 AUD for 2 submissions
$12 AUD for 3 submissions
Closing Date: Friday, 27 June 2025, 11:59pm
Website: https://verandahjournal.com.au/submission-guidelines/
Unpublished Novel Award
The Unpublished Novel Award celebrates stellar unpublished manuscripts in seven genres: Children’s & Young Adult, Crime & Mystery, Horror, Literary Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Thriller & Suspense.
A panel of esteemed, shortlist judges with backgrounds in book publishing, film, and television will select one exceptional manuscript in each genre to receive a $10,000 grant to support it on the journey to publication.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Friday, 27 June 2025
Website: https://blcklst.com/programs/2025-unpublished-novel-award
Bundyi Writing Prize
The Bundyi Writing Prize aims to discover creative, compelling and original works of adult fiction that celebrate First Nations voices.
The prize will be awarded to an outstanding unpublished manuscript by an emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writer (a writer who maybe have appeared in anthologies and literary journals but is yet to have a full-length manuscript published) and will receive a cash prize of AUD$10,000 sponsored by Simon & Schuster Australia, including manuscript development with a First Nations editor.
Entry fee: Free
Closing Date: Monday, 30 June 2025, 11:59pm (AET)
Website: https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/p/BundyiAUPrize
AAWP and UWRF Translators’ Prize
This prize is offered by the Australasian Association of Writing Programs in partnership with the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF), and is open to translators at any stage of their career.
The award is for entries unpublished in English, including online publication. Entries must be no more than 30 lines (poetry) or 3000 words (prose), and entrants can translate their own work into English. Entries must be accompanied by a ‘Translator’s Statement of Intention’ (up to 400 words) addressing the aims of the translation.
Entry fee: $20
Closing Date: Monday, 30 June 2025
AAWP and SW Novella Prize
The Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) and Spineless Wonders publishing (SW) is looking to discover a novella manuscript that may push the boundaries of traditional genre and literary form.
This competition is open to writers at all stages of their careers. Entries should not exceed 5,000 words (prose) or 50 lines (poetry).
Entry fee: $20
Closing Date: Monday, 30 June 2025
Heroine Women’s Writing Prize
Writing The Heroine publishes literary writing by women. The Heroines Anthology’s particular focus is on telling lost women’s history, untold stories, and myths, fairy tales, folklore or legends reimagined from the perspective of their women characters.
Submissions should be single poems of up to 3 pages or short fiction up to 2500 words. The theme of Heroines Anthology Volume 6 is ‘WITCHCRAFT’.
Entry fee: $15
Closing Date: Monday, 30 June 2025
Website: https://www.writingtheheroine.com/heroines-anthology-submissions
The Moth Short Story Prize 2025
Founded in June 2010 by Rebecca O’Connor and Will Govan, The Moth is an iconic printed art & literature magazine featuring poetry, short fiction and art.
The Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone over 16 from anywhere in the world, as long as their story is original and previously unpublished. Submissions must be short stories of up to 3000 words.
Entry fee: €15 per story
Closing Date: Monday, 30 June 2025
Website: https://www.themothmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=8227&page=28
