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. Write the World (ongoing monthly competitions)
Write the World describes itself as a ‘community of young writers (ages 13-18), 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 include:
- September—film/TV series review (drafts for expert review due Monday 13 September; submissions due Tuesday 21 September 2021)
- October—nature and environmental poetry (drafts for expert review due Monday 11 October; submissions due Tuesday 19 October)
- November—novel writing (drafts for expert review due Monday 8 November; submissions due Tuesday 16 November)
- December—creative nonfiction (drafts for expert review due Monday 29 November; submissions due Tuesday 7 December)
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.
2. Pulch Mag in Print
The brief: Write about anything and everything, from politics, to culture, to identity, fictional short stories, poems, screenplays and experimentative writing. The editors are particularly interested in stories that include marginalised or minority voices and themes. You are encouraged you to keep your piece between 1000 and 2000 words, however we are open to longer or shorter pieces.
Open to: young people living in or from WA aged 26 or under.
Closing date: Tuesday 21 September 2021.
Further information: head to Pulch Mag‘s website.
3. KSP Short Fiction Competition
The brief: submit fiction with engaging characters and a compelling narrative. All fiction styles and themes are acceptable.
Word limits: 1,000 words for the youth category; 2,500 words in the adult category.
Open to: Australian residents.
Categories: youth (up to 17 years); adult (18 and above)
Entry fee: free for youth; $10 for adults.
Prizes: First place $300 prize for open plus weekend residency at the KSP Writers’ Centre (non-transferable, $300 value) and $100 first place prize for youth; second place certificates with $150 prize for open and $50 for youth; up to five commended certificates for both open and youth; Mundaring National Young Writers encouragement award for under 14s with $25 prize; Shire of Mundaring Encouragement Award: Membership to KSP Writers’ Centre.
Closing date: Thursday 9 September 2021.
More information: visit the KSP Writers’ Centre website.
4. Poem Forest Competition
The brief: Submit a single poem no more than 20 lines and linked to the theme of nature.
Open to: Australian students and young people (aged 18 and under), an accredited teacher or a parent/guardian.
Categories: lower primary (F–Year 3); upper primary (Years 4–6); lower secondary (Years 7–9); upper secondary (Years 10–12); accredited teacher (All ages); threatened Species (F–12); the Australian Botanic Gardens local prize (F–12).
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: All POEM FOREST entries will be published and in the running for $5,000 worth of prizes, including $500 cash for each category, book packs from Copyright Agency and Magabala Books, as well as Garden tours, trees and publication opportunities.
Closing date: Friday 17 September 2021.
More information: head to Red Room Poetry’s website.
5. Hugo Throssell Writing Award for Youth
The brief: choose one of the photo prompts on the competition’s webpage for inspiration, and write either an essay or creative short story on the theme of war and remembrance.
Word limits: Junior: Max 500 words; Senior: Max 700 words.
Open to: students who live, or go to school, in the Shire of Mundaring (in Western Australia).
Categories: Junior (youth 9 to 12 years); Senior (youth 13 to 17 years).
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: Winners will be invited to an award ceremony at the KSP Writers’ Centre in December, where they will have the opportunity to read an excerpt of their work aloud.
Closing date: Thursday 23 September 2021.
More information: visit KSP’s website.
6. KSP Poetry Prize
The brief: Submit a poem of up to 50 lines.
Open to: Australian residents (Western Australian resident for the Annette Cameron Encouragement Award).
Categories: Youth KSP Poetry Awards (10 to 17 years); Open KSP Poetry Awards (18 years plus); Annette Cameron Encouragement Award (for current West Australian residents over the age of 18 who have never published a full collection of poetry either in print or online).
Entry fee: free for youth; $10 for other categories.
Prizes: First place $300 prize for open plus weekend residency at the KSP Writers’ Centre (non-transferable, $300 value) and $100 first place prize for youth; Annette Cameron Award for an Unpublished WA Poet: $150; second place certificates with $150 prize for open and $50 for youth; up to five commended certificates for both open and youth; Mundaring National Young Writers encouragement award for under 14s with $25 prize.
Closing date: Thursday 30 September 2021.
More information: visit KSP’s website.
7. Writing Tournament
The brief: submit up to 500 words in and genre and style on the theme of ‘border reivers’. The Border Reivers were “a lawless population of raiders, murderers and thieves. They flourished in the 16th century on the borders of England and Scotland, but were wanted by neither country.” You may submit a maximum of one entry per month until the closing date.
Open to: anyone aged 8 to 16.
Categories: 8 to 12 & 13 to16.
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: Various including publication (see the competition’s website for details).
Closing date: Tuesday 28 September 2021.
More information can be found on William J. Kite’s website, where you will also find details and links relating to the Border Reviers as well as ideas to get you started writing.
8. Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers
The brief: Write a short story of up to 3,000 words.
Open to: Indigenous writers who are 30 years or younger at the closing date of the competition.
Prizes: First place is a $5000 prize, publication in Overland’s print magazine, and a three-month writer’s residency at the beautiful Trinity College, the oldest student residence at the University of Melbourne. Two runner-up prizes of $500 may also be awarded.
Closing date: Tuesday 2 November 2021
More information: Entry conditions and online entry form can be found on the Overland Literary Journal website.
9. Wombat Books Illustration Challenge 2021
The brief: submit original illustrations from for the creation of the picture book Screen Free Holiday. Pick on of the spreads provided in the picture book text (on the Wombat Books website) and illustrate something that matches, leaving room for the text to go when printed. You are free to illustrate just one or multiple spreads.
Open to: Australian school-aged students, aged 5-18.
Entry fee: a previous purchase of one of Wombat Books’ other illustration challenges.
Prizes: winning illustrations will be published in a new book which is due for release in 2022. Illustrators will receive two free copies of the book. They will also be acknowledged on the Wombat Books website.
Closing date: Tuesday 30 November 2021.
More information: head to Wombat Books.
10. 2022 Storyfest National Poetry Prize
The brief: submit poems up to 50 lines excluding the title, on any subject.
Open to: to all current secondary students attending school in Australia. Students receiving home schooling are eligible to enter. Entrants must be under 19 years of age as at date of close of entries on 3 December 2021.
Categories: junior secondary (years 7 to 9); senior secondary (Years 10 to 12).
Entry fee: $20.
Prizes: One winner will be selected from each category and at the discretion of the judges, up to five short-listed highly commended runners up will be selected. The winner in each category will receive $300. Category winners will have the opportunity to attend Somerset Storyfest, be billeted by students of the Somerset Wordsmiths’ Club, and attend the events at Storyfest over the three days, where the national winners will be announced and awarded prizes at the Literary Long Table Dinner. This decision will be at the discretion of the competition organisers.
Closing date: Friday 3 December 2021.
More information: visit Storyfest’s website.
11. 2022 Storyfest National Novella Writing Competition
The brief: submit a novella of no less than 8,000 words and no more than 20,000 words.
Open to: to all current secondary students attending school in Australia. Students receiving home schooling are eligible to enter. Entrants must be under 19 years of age as at date of close of entries on 3 December 2021.
Entry fee: $20.
Prizes: There will be monetary prizes awarded to all state winners and one prize of $2,500 will be awarded to the national winner. The state winners will receive personalised advice on their winning manuscripts from Penguin Random House (Australia). State winners will have the opportunity to attend Somerset Storyfest, be billeted by students of the Somerset Wordsmiths’ Club, and attend the events at Storyfest over the three days, where the national winner will be announced. This decision will be at the discretion of the competition organisers. Accompanying the monetary prize will be a full editorial report on the national winning manuscript.
Closing date: Friday 3 December 2021.
More information: visit Storyfest’s 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!
