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:
November 2024 — short story competition: tell a tale (opens on Monday 4 November; draft for optional expert review due Monday 11 November; submissions due Monday 25 November).
January 2025 — nature & environmental writing: look closer (opens on Monday 6 January 2025; draft for optional expert review due Monday 13 January 2025; submissions due Monday 27 January 2025).
February 2025 — op-ed: raise your voice (opens on Monday 3 February; draft for optional expert review due Monday 10 February; closes on Monday 24 February).
March 2025 — songwriting: strike a chord (opens on Monday 3 March; draft for optional expert review due Monday 10 March; closes on Monday 24 March).
April 2025 — poetry & spoken word: emotion in words (opens on Monday 7 April; draft for optional expert review due Monday 14 April; closes on Monday 28 April).
May 2025 — environmental writing: your home (opens on Monday 5 May; draft for optional expert review due Monday 12 May ; closes on Monday 26 May).
June 2025 — personal essay: making meaning (opens on Monday 2 June; draft for optional expert review due Monday 9 June ; closes on Monday 23 June).
July 2025 — sci-fi and fantasy: open the door (opens on Monday 7 July; draft for optional expert review due Monday 14 July; closes on Monday 28 July).
August 2025 —flash fiction: a story in your pocket (opens on Monday 4 August; draft for optional expert review due Monday 11 August ; closes on Monday 25 August).
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. Little Black Dress Spooky Story Competition 2025
The brief: Write a story on the theme of ‘the call’. The theme is open to interpretation, as long as the piece contains significant elements of eeriness/spookiness and a clear connection to the theme.
Open to: all of Australia.
Categories and word limits:
1. Spooky Stories: Youth, 12 and under — 500 word count; Teen, 13-17 years — 1,000 word count
2. Horror Stories: Open/Adult 18 and over — 2,500 word count
Entry fee: free entry in for youth and teens category; $15 entry for open/adult category.
Prizes: see competition webpage for details.
Closing date: Thursday 13 March 2025.
More information: visit the KSP Writers’ Centre website.
4. Calanthe Collective Prize for Unpublished Poetry
The brief: Submit up to three poems up to 50 lines.
Categories: Under 18, restricted to high school aged people; and an Open category, which is restricted to poets who are yet to have a book or chapbook published by March 31 2025.
Entry fee: $10 for each individual Open entry. U18 entries are free.
Prizes: the winning poem in the Under 18 category will receive $400, with a $100 prize for two highly commended entries, and in the Open category $1000, with two Highly Commended prizes of $250. The winners in each category, together with Highly Commended entrants, will have their poems published on the Calanthe Press website. All prize money is in AUD.
Closing date: Monday 31 March 2025.
More information: visit the Calanthe Press website.
5. Future Leaders Writing Prize
The brief: submit submit a piece of writing (800 to 1,000 words) on any topic. The writing can be fiction or non-fiction.
Open to: Year 11 and 12 students in Australian secondary schools.
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: the award winner will receive $1,000. Where there is more than one winner the prize money will be shared.
Closing date: Thursday 1 May 2025.
More information: visit the Future Leaders website.
6. Laura Literary Awards
The brief: Write a short story or poem. Word limit depends on the category you enter.
Open to: Ages 5 to 18 (although it also includes categories for adults).
Categories:
- Section 1 – open prose – short story up to 1,500 words
- Section 2 – young adult prose (13 to 18 yrs) – short story up to 1,000 words
- Section 3a – primary prose (11 to 12 yrs) – short story up to 800 words
- Section 3b – primary prose (9 to 10 yrs) – short story up to 800 words
- Section 4 – junior primary prose (5 to 8 yrs) – short story up to 500 words
- Section 5 – open poetry – up to 60 lines
- Section 6 – open bush poetry – up to 60 lines
- Section 7 – young adult poetry (13 to18 yrs) – up to 60 lines
- Section 8 – primary poetry (9 to 12 yrs) – up to 60 lines
- Section 9 – junior primary poetry (5 to 8 yrs) – up to 60 lines
Prizes: see competition website.
Cost: No fee is required for student entry (but $10 per entry for adults).
Closing date: Friday 9 May 2025.
More information: Rocky River ’Riters Blog.
7. What Matters?
The brief: submit fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose of up to 600 words on an issue of significance to you.
Open to: students from Year 5 to Year 12 undertaking Primary or Secondary education in Australia.
Cost: Free.
Prizes: visit the competition prize page for details.
Closing date: Friday 17 May 2025.
More information: Check out the What Matters Writing Competition page for more details and to download an entry form for the state in which you live.
8. Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards
The brief: submit poems up to 80 lines. The optional theme for 2025 is yet to be announced. Entries can be via individual entry or through your school. There is a limit of three poems per student.
Open to: young writers from kindergarten to year 12.
Entry fees: $20 for an individual (who can enter up to three poems); $30 for up to 30 poems in a school; $60 for more than 30 poems; $80 for more than 100 poems.
Closing date: Monday 30 June 2025.
More information: visit the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards 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!
