Young Writers: Competitions
If you’re a young writer in Australia, and have been wondering about opportunities to submit your work, then look no further. This post contains a list of writing competitions for young writers in Australia, together with useful information such as word limits, closing dates and links to entry forms.
Be sure to check back regularly, though, because I’ll update the post whenever info about other competitions (or publishing opportunities) are released. You can also sign up for my monthly newsletter, in which I always include a list of opportunities for the coming month.
The competitions listed are in order of closing date, apart from the first one listed, as it has a different competition each month.
1. IndigoTeen Magazine
The brief: submit short stories, essays and novellas, memes, and comics, fan fiction and poetry, graphic design and artwork.
Open to: young people from 13 to 19 years old.
Entry fee: free to submit.
Closing date: rolling.
More information: visit IndigoHub’s website.
2. Write the World (ongoing monthly competitions)
Write the World describes itself as a ‘community of young writers (ages 13-19.5), hailing from over 80 countries’. Write the World holds monthly competitions, developed around a particular idea or genre of writing. The competitions encourage you to try out new genres and share your work with other readers, as well as offering the opportunity to receive peer and expert feedback, before submitting your final piece.
Upcoming topics:
April 2026 — poetry and spoken word competition: joy and pain and wonder (opens on Monday 6 April; draft for optional expert review due Monday 13 April 2026; closes on Monday 27 April 2026)
May 2026 — to be revealed: competition genre to be announced a month prior (opens on Monday 4 May 2026; draft for optional expert review due Monday 11 May 2026; closes on Monday 25 May 2026)
June 2026 — personal essay competition: build a bridge (opens on Monday 1 June; draft for optional expert review due Monday 8 June; closes on Monday 22 June 2026)
July 2026 — to be revealed: competition genre to be announced a month prior (opens on Monday 6 July 2026; draft for optional expert review due Monday 13 July 2026; closes on Monday 27 July 2026)
Entry fee: Free.
Prizes: Winning entrant receives $100. Runner-up and best peer reviewer are awarded $50. All three winners will be featured on their blog.
More info: For a more detailed information about each topic, including deadlines (for draft and final submissions) and prizes, head to the Write the World website.
3. Calanthe Collective Prize for Unpublished Poetry
The brief: submit up to three poems up to 50 lines.
Open to: high school age (as well as adult category).
Entry fee: free for under 18 category; $10 for open category.
Prizes: In the under 18 category, the winner will be awarded $400. 2 x highly commended entries will receive $100 each. In the open category, the winner will be awarded $1000 and 2 x highly commended entries will receive $250 each.
Closing date: Tuesday 31 March 2026.
More info: visit the Calanthe Press website.
4. Little Black Dress Spooky Story Competition
The brief: write a story on the theme of “glitch” also contains significant elements of eeriness/spookiness and a clear connection to the theme.
Open to: Australian writers aged 8 to 17 years (as well as a category for adults).
Categories and word counts: Youth, 12 and under — 500 word count; Teen, 13-17 years — 1000 word count.
Entry fee: free for youth categories.
Prizes: see competition webpage for details.
Closing date: Monday 6 April 2026.
More info: visit the KSP Writers’ Centre website.
5. Peter Cowan 600 Short Story Competition
The brief: write a short story with a maximum of 600 words. Stories may be of any theme, narrative structure, or genre but they MUST be 600 words or less.
Open to: Australian writers.
Categories: open, novice, seniors and youth.
Entry fee: $7 for youth category (12 to 17 years), $12 for other categories.
Prizes: see the competition’s web page for details.
Closing date: Thursday 30 April 2026.
More info: visit the Peter Cowan Writers Centre website.
6. Future Leaders Writing Prize
The brief: Submit a fiction or non-fiction piece of writing (800 to 1,000 words) on any topic.
Open to: Year 11 and 12 students.
Entry fee: free.
Prize: in 2026, the award winner will receive $1,000. Where there is more than one winner the
prize money will be shared. The winners of the Future Leaders Writing Prize will have their work published.
Closing date: Friday 1 May 2026.
More info: visit the Future Leaders website.
7. Laura Literary Awards
The brief: write a short story or poem. For word limits, please refer to the competition’s web page.
Open to: ages 5 to 18 (plus categories for adults).
Entry fees: free for under 18 category; $10 for entries in the open section.
Prizes: visit the competition’s web page for details of categories and prizes.
Closing date: Friday 8 May 2026. Please note that entries must be posted in, so allow plenty of time for your entry to be delivered.
More info: Rocky River ’Riters Blog.
8. What Matters? Writing Competition
The brief: share what matters to you through original writing of 600 words or less. Entries may be fiction, non-fiction, persuasive writing, poetry or prose, giving you the freedom to express your views on any issue you care about.
Open to: students in Years 5 to 12 across Australia.
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: prizes are awarded for each category: Year 5/6, Year 7/8, Year 9/10, and Year 11/12. See the competition website for details.
Closing date: Friday 15 May 2026.
More info: visit the Whitlam Institute’s website.
9. South Perth Young Writers Award
The brief: submit stories up to 1,500 words.
Open to: students from Year 1 through to Year 10 who live in or attend school within the City of South Perth.
Categories: Lower Primary Years 1-2; Middle Primary Years 3 to 4; Upper Primary Years 5 to 6; Lower Secondary Years 7 to 8; Upper Secondary Years 9 to 10.
Entry fee: free to enter.
Prizes: Shortlisted entrants are invited to attend a one-on-one workshop with a published local author, who will provide tailored feedback on their stories. All finalists are awarded prizes up to the value of $150. All finalist entries will be published in a SPYWA Anthology. A copy of the Anthology will be gifted to each finalist and to their school library, and another copy is held in the City of South Perth Libraries collection.
More info: City of South Perth’s website.
10. RD Walshe National Writing for the Environment Prize: Spoken Words Matter
The brief: submit a script for a short play up to 1000 words.
Open to: writers who are under 19, 19 to 25 years and over 65.
Entry fee: appears to be free to enter.
Prizes: visit the competition’s web page for details.
Closing date: Sunday 31 May 2026.
More info: visit the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre’s website.
11. Make Your Own Storybook Competition
The brief: create a picture book or story book that tells an original story, using original text and illustrations. Maximum word count is 5000 words. Illustrations must be produced by the student.
Open to: Western Australian students from pre-primary to year 8.
Entry fee: free to enter.
Prizes: three prizes area awarded for each category.
Closing date: Friday 5 June 2026.
More info: visit the Make Your Own Story Book Competition website.
Over to You
Just a quick note: if you do enter a competition, take time to read the guidelines carefully to ensure you’re entry meets the requirements, so that it’s accepted. This can include seemingly minor details such as size, font and spacing of your text.
If you’d like some guidance on what to look out for, then take a look at an earlier post of mine, Writing Competitions: What You Need to Know Before Entering.
What are you waiting for? Start writing, keep writing – and let me know how you go!
