Now in its eighth year, Viva la Novella is once again open for entries.

We want your novellas. We want extraordinary stories that surprise, unnerve, discomfort and inspire. The competition is open to all genres and in the past we have awarded the prize to dystopian spec-fic, a reimagined Colonial story and realist fiction – among others. 

Seizure invites Australian and New Zealand residents to submit their completed novella manuscripts for consideration. We are looking for two writers, who will each receive a $1000 prize and publication with Seizure in print and digital formats.

What’s a novella? By our reckoning it’s 20–50,000 words of solid narrative goodness. We’ll take an over/under of 10% (ie no fewer than 18 000 words / no more than 55 000 words) but anything outside that is ineligible.
What isn’t a novella? Collected short stories are ineligible. Also, we’re sticking with fiction but that includes auto-fiction and/or semi-fictionalised life writing. We’re open to all genres but also works that self-identify as anti-genre.
Why a novella?  Because they are great. You don’t need big word counts to communicate big ideas and you don’t need eight hundred pages to tell a great story.
What’s the prize? $1000 + print and digital publication with Seizure. Winners will have their manuscript carefully shepherded to publication by an editor and the Seizure team. The winning novellas will be designed with the usual Seizure flair and unleashed in digital and printed form in bookshops, on our website and ebook retailers.

There is no fee to enter.
Entries close December 31st 2019
Shortlisting February 2020 
Publication September 2020
For further information, please contact [email protected]

For terms and conditions, head to the competition page.