Whatever your writing goals for 2023, you’ll find a range of opportunities in our round-up of literary prizes, competitions, fellowships, calls for submissions and more below—updated weekly!
Subscribe to our weekly e-news for the latest opportunities straight to your inbox, and view a list of Australian and international publications here.
Writing prizes are a great way to give yourself a deadline, build your publication credits, as well offering a financial incentive at any stage of your writing career. Keep an eye on our program of workshops to get you ready to enter your best work.
Please note that inclusion on this page is not an endorsement. Writers should always carefully check terms and conditions for information on fees, rights, and eligibility.
Do you have an opportunity to share? Submit it for review here.
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September
First Friday
of each season
Prizes
Furious Fiction
On the first Friday of a new season (March, June, September, December), you are invited to submit a short story up to 500 words and be in the running to win $500.
Entries close
4 September
Open for submissions
Nunga Anthology, opportunity for First Nations creatives
Editors Dominic Guerrera and Karen Wyld invite Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander storytellers to submit poetry, fiction and graphic stories for an upcoming Wakefield Press anthology. Although not limited to South Australian storytellers, this anthology will showcase new and established First Nations creatives based in SA and neighbouring communities. Closing 4 September.
Entries close monthly
Competition
The Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition
An exciting monthly challenge for authors Australia-wide. Each month, they release a new prompt for authors to respond to. The prize for the winning author (or authors) includes gift vouchers and the publication of winning entries on the Wakefield Press blog.
Entries close
1 September
Grants
Carclew’s Project & Development grants for individuals
Carclew offers grants to early career artists aged 26 years or under, for arts projects with a tangible outcome and/or skills and career development. Project & Development grants for individuals provide up to $10,000 and are offered twice per year for activity occurring in the following six months. Closing 1 September.
Entries close
10 September
Competitions
Aniko Press Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Swollen. Word limit: 100 words (not including title). First prize: Publication on website and social media, a copy of “The Details” by Ia Genberg, plus a copy of the latest issue of Aniko Magazine. Runner up: Publication on our website and social media, plus a copy of the latest issue of Aniko Magazine. Email your entry and a short bio to [email protected] with the subject line “August Flash Fiction Comp.” Entries are limited to two per person. Feel free to interpret the theme however you like – be daring, be imaginative, have fun!
Entries close
11 September
Fellowship
Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli Fellowship for Writers
Open to mid-career writers, this $13,500 fellowship is awarded to someone in recognition of their literary achievements and commitment to humanity and social justice issues. Applicants must be under the age of 40 and identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA+, living with a disability, or culturally and linguistically diverse. Closing date: Monday 11 September.
Entries close
22 September
Prizes
POEM FOREST
A free nature writing prize that breathes life back into the natural world that sustains us. Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, POEM FOREST invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations. Since 2021, over 10,700 poem trees have been planted. All POEM FOREST Prize entries are published in our digital library and have the chance to win $5,000 in prizes, including $500 cash for each category, book packs, garden tours, plants, journals and more. Entries are now open, closing Friday 22 September 2023.
Entries close
24 September
Book fair
Strange Folds Zine Fair
Join Baby Teeth Journal for Strange Folds Zine Fair on September 24th! Join our Postal Zine Swap if you can’t make it to the Fair in Person. 24 September.
Entries close
29 September
Open for submissions
Story Unlikely open for submissions
Seeking short stories of all genres (fiction and nonfiction). 8 cents a word (cap payment at $150), though we do accept stories up to 10k in length. Reprints are 1 cent a word capped at $50. All published stories are professionally illustrated and no submission fee. Submission period runs from 2 January through 29 September.
Entries close
30 September
Competition
Campbelltown Writer’s Competition
The annual Campbelltown Writer’s Competition invites writers from across South Australia to submit their original stories inspired by the theme of seasons. Entries can be fiction or non-fiction but must not exceed 2,500 words and must have a link to Campbelltown. All genres and styles welcome. Categories: junior, youth and open. Prizes of cash gift cards. Entries by by 11pm Saturday 30th September.
Entries open
September
Fellowship | Scholarship
Magabala Books Fellowship and Scholarship
The Fellowship, worth $10,000 is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers is intended to provide valuable time for a mid-career author to work on a current manuscript. The scholarships support professional development relating to writing, illustration and storytelling, and are open to both emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers, artists, illustrators and storytellers. The next round of applications open in September 2023.
Entries close
30 September
Grants
Country Arts SA Quick Response Grants
Up to $3000 for Individuals; Up to $5000 for Organisations/Community Groups. Grants will fund professional development opportunities for artists and arts workers or small project opportunities. The program supports immediate need that arises. Open 10 times each year during the following months: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. Applications must be submitted by 11:29pm (ACST) on the last day of each month.
Entries close
30 September
Grants
May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust 2024 Ian Wilson Memorial Fellowship
Apply for this “gift of time and support”, which includes accommodation, local support, and travel to Adelaide providing creative time away from home for 21 nights in March 2024. Closing date: Saturday 30 September.
October
Entries close
1 October
Prizes
Woorilla Poetry Prize
Be part of a highly recognised poetry competition that has assisted poets for over 30 years. Enjoy the opportunity to win cash prizes and have your work published in multiple categories. Closes 1 October.
Closes
1 October
Prizes
Southern Cross Short Story Competition
Ballarat Writers Inc is inviting entries to the 2023 Southern Cross Short Story competition, from authors writing in English on the theme of TRACKS OF DESIRE to a maximum of 3,000 words. First prize AUD$1000 with runner-up prizes $400 2nd place and $100 3rd place, and two certificates of commendation. This year’s judge is internationally renowned Graeme Simsion. Closing date 1 October.
Closes
2 October
Prizes
Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing 2024
This prestigious biennial national prize offers contemporary Australian writers an opportunity to win cash prizes and to profile their work. Entries are invited for the following categories: short stories (The Alan Marshall Short Story Award) of up to 2500 words on the theme ‘Resistance’, and memoirs of up to 2500 words. The prize is open to all Australian residents. A total prize pool of $17,500 will be awarded. Closes 2 October.
Closes
9 October
Prizes
2024 Peter Porter Poetry Prize
Celebrating twenty years of world poetry, Australian Book Review welcomes entries to the 2024 Peter Porter Poetry Prize, one of Australia’s most lucrative and respected poetry awards. The prize – worth a total of AU$10,000 – is open to all living poets writing in English. The winner will receive $6,000, with the four other shortlisted poets receiving $1,000 each. Entries must be an original and unpublished single-authored poem of not more than 70 lines. 9 October.
Closes
13 October
Commissions
Tarnanthi – Writing Commissions Call-out
Writers SA and the SA First Nations Writers Group are inviting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers living in South Australia to take part in a series of paid writing commissions for Tarnanthi.
Selected writers will be invited to respond creatively to works of art in the Tarnanthi exhibitions and programs. These written responses can be in the form of essays, memoir, poetry and short fiction, as well as criticism and reviews, up to 1500 words in length. Writers will be paid according to Australian Society of Authors rates and will have the support of an editor prior to publication.
Works will be published in a printed booklet produced by the Art Gallery of South Australia. They will also be shared in live readings at Tarnanthi First Friday events between October and January.
Contact Writers SA at [email protected] to inquire or take part.
To apply, please send a 50-word writer bio and in a few sentences let us know why you’d like to be involved. Applications close on Friday 13 October.
Closes
10 October
Submissions
Pitch to The Liminal Review of Books
Writers of colour and Indigenous writers are invited to pitch to the Liminal Review of Books. To apply, you’ll need: a developed pitch of the review/essay you’d like to write and a writing sample that shows you at your best.
Closes
20 October
Prizes
Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize
Prize for New and Emerging Poets seeks poetry by writers who have published no more than one collection of poems, and is one of the richest prizes for emerging poets. In 2023, the major prize is $6000, with a second prize of $2000 and a third prize of $1000. All three winners will be published in Overland.
Closes
20 October
Fellowships
SA Literary Fellowships
Writers SA and the State Library of South Australia have partnered to offer the inaugural SA Literary Fellowships program to support emerging, established, and First Nations writers. Annual Fellows receive a cash prize (2 x $10,000 Mid-Career; 1 x $10,000 First Nations; 2 x $3,000 Emerging), travel stipend, residency, public readings and more. Applications close 20 October.
Closes
20 October
Prizes
2023 Newcastle Short Story Award
Hunter Writers’ Centre is pleased to announce the 2023 Newcastle Short Story Award is now open for submissions. With a first prize of $3,000, the Newcastle Short Story Award has gained recognition as one of Australia’s premier short story competitions, attracting high-calibre writers and esteemed judges. Accepting works of fiction up to 2,000 words by Australian residents and/or citizens aged 18 years and over. 20 October.
Closes
28 October
Submissions
Heroines Anthology
Heroines Anthology Volume 5 is a GLOBAL POETRY EDITION. Women poets are invited to submit poetry that reimagines women in myth, fairy tale, folklore or legend, or poems that tell women’s lost histories, or untold stories from across the globe. 28 October.
Closes
31 October
Competitions
The Best of Times Short Story Competition #36
Genre: Humorous short stories up to 2,500 words. Prizes for first, second and third place. Certificates for highly commended and commended stories. Entry fee $10 per story. 31 October.
Closes
Monthly
Competitions
The Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition
An exciting monthly challenge for authors Australia-wide. Each month, they release a new prompt for authors to respond to. The prize for the winning author (or authors) includes gift vouchers and the publication of winning entries on the Wakefield Press blog.
Closing
31 October
Grants
Country Arts SA Quick Response Grants
Up to $3000 for Individuals; Up to $5000 for Organisations/Community Groups. Grants will fund professional development opportunities for artists and arts workers or small project opportunities. The program supports immediate need that arises. Open 10 times each year during the following months: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. Applications must be submitted by 11:29pm (ACST) on the last day of each month.
Closes
6 October
Competitions
NSW Premier’s Literary Awards
The annual awards are the richest and longest running state-based literary awards in Australia, covering all genres of writing. All works must have been first published, performed, screened or broadcast and made publicly available between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023. Entries close at 5 pm, Friday 6 October 2023.
November
Find out more
Closes
8 November
Call for submissions
UQP Anthology
UQP is seeking submissions for an anthology of personal essays by autistic women and gender-diverse writers, co-edited by Jo Case and Clem Bastow, to be published in early 2025. All published essays will be paid $600. See link for further info and FAQs. Contributions must address the theme of how their autistic identities have shaped their lives and identities, but are not restricted to life stories or diagnosis journeys. Formal diagnosis not required. 8 November.
Closes
10 November
Competitions
Miles Franklin Literary Award
One of Australia’s most prestigious literature prizes, the 2022 Miles Franklin accepts applications from publishers until Friday 10 November 2023.
Closes
16 November
Fellowship
Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship
The Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, valued at $20,000, supports Australian writers working on biography project (including memoir). The annual Fellowship commemorates the work of Hazel Rowley (1951–2011). 16 November.
Closes
26 November
Mentorships
2024 Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship Program
The mentorship is awarded annually to an unpublished Indigenous writer who has made substantial progress on a work of fiction or non-fiction. The program will pair an emerging Indigenous writer from anywhere in Australia with a senior Indigenous writer for a structured year-long mentorship. 26 November.
Closing
November
Grants
Country Arts SA Quick Response Grants
Up to $3000 for Individuals; Up to $5000 for Organisations/Community Groups. Grants will fund professional development opportunities for artists and arts workers or small project opportunities. The program supports immediate need that arises. Open 10 times each year during the following months: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. Applications must be submitted by 11:29pm (ACST) on the last day of each month.
Closes
Monthly
Competitions
The Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition
An exciting monthly challenge for authors Australia-wide. Each month, they release a new prompt for authors to respond to. The prize for the winning author (or authors) includes gift vouchers and the publication of winning entries on the Wakefield Press blog.
Closes
November
Prizes
Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize ($6500)
Overland’s prize seeking short fiction of up to 3000 words themed around the notion of ‘travel’; open to all writers, nationally and internationally, at any stage of their writing career. The winning story will receive a $5000 first prize and be published in Overland’. Usually closes November.
Closes
November
Prizes
Nakata Brophy Short Fiction and Poetry Prize for Young Indigenous Writers
First place is a $5000 prize, publication in Overland’s print magazine, and a writing residency (of up to three months) at Trinity College. Usually closes November.
Closes
November
Prizes
Commonwealth Short Story Prize
The prize is free to enter and open to any citizen of a Commonwealth country who is aged 18 and over. It is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words). Regional winners each receive £2,500 and the opportunity to be published online by Granta magazine, and the overall winner receives £5,000. A free prize for unpublished short fiction, open to any citizen of a Commonwealth country. Translations or entries in languages other than English are also accepted. Usually closes November.
Opens
November
Prizes
The Stella Prize
The Stella Prize awards the best book by an Australian woman, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry with $50,000. Nominations usually open November.
Closes
November
Awards
CBCA Book of the year awards
The annual Children’s Book Council of Australia awards aim to promote and celebrate quality literature for young Australians and support a wide range of Australian writers and illustrators of children’s books. Entries are open March–November.
December
First Friday
of each season
Prizes
Furious Fiction
On the first Friday of a new season (March, June, September, December), you are invited to submit a short story up to 500 words and be in the running to win $500.
Closes
Monthly
Competitions
The Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition
An exciting monthly challenge for authors Australia-wide. Each month, they release a new prompt for authors to respond to. The prize for the winning author (or authors) includes gift vouchers and the publication of winning entries on the Wakefield Press blog.
Closes
Monthly
Competitions
Australia Council Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups Grants
This program funds a range of activities that deliver benefits to the arts sector and wider public, including national and international audiences. Grants are available from $10,000 to $50,000. Closing 5 December.
