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:
- January—book review (drafts for expert review due Monday 11 January; submissions due Tuesday 19 January 2021)
- February—song writing (drafts for expert review due Monday 8 February; submissions due Tuesday 16 February 2021)
- March—op-ed (drafts for expert review due Monday 8 March; submissions due Tuesday 16 March 2021)
- April—poetry and spoken word (drafts for expert review due Monday 12 April; submissions due Tuesday 20 April 2021)
- May—food writing: sources of sustenance (drafts for expert review due Monday 10 May; submissions due Tuesday 18 May 2021)
- June—science fiction short story (drafts for expert review due Monday 14 June; submissions due Tuesday 22 June 2021).
- July—sports writing (drafts for expert review due Monday 12 July; submissions due Tuesday 20 July 2021)
- August—flash fiction (drafts for expert review due Monday 9 August; submissions due Tuesday 17 August 2021).
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. Voiceworks Submissions
The brief: submit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, visual art and comics. The current theme is ‘reflex’.
Open to: Australians under the age of 25.
Categories:
- Fiction: send no more than two stories, each no more than 3,000 words.
- Poetry: send no more than three poems, each no more than 100 lines.
- Nonfiction: it is recommended that you pitch your nonfiction work before submitting it. For completed work, send no more than two pieces, each no more than 3,000 words.
- Art and comics: please keep in mind that Voiceworks is printed in duotone (only two colours of ink) and page dimensions are 170 x 245 mm. It is recommended you pitch your comics before submitting them. Send no more than three artworks or comics.
Closing dates for pitches and submissions:
- Nonfiction pitches—Sunday 10 January 2021.
- Fiction, completed nonfiction and poetry—Sunday 17 January 2021.
- Art, comics and comic pitches—Sunday 7 February 2021.
For more information: visit Voiceworks.
3. The 2021 Kat Muscat Fellowship
The brief: The Kat Muscat Fellowship offers professional development up to the value of $5,000 for an editorial project or work of writing by a young person, aged 16 to 30 and of an under-represented gender.
Open to: young people aged 16 to 30 and of an under-represented gender.
Closing date for applications: Sunday 10 January 2021.
Further information: visit Express Media’s website.
4. The Golden Pen 2021
The brief: Submit fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, comics or a graphic novel up to 3,000 words on the theme of ‘Big & Small’.
Open to: Western Australia residents across three age categories.
Categories: Senior (Years 9-12), Middle (Years 7-8), Junior (Years 4-6).
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: Winning entrants will win a cash prize of up to $500, Festival Book Shop vouchers and a creative writing Masterclass. Prizes for shortlisted entrants include bookshop vouchers and a creative writing Masterclass with a Festival author from the 2021 Festival program.
Closing date: Sunday 21 March 2021.
More information: visit the Scribblers Festival website.
5. Little Black Dress Spooky Story Competition
The brief: Submit spooky short stories up to 500 words (1,000 in the adult category) on the theme of ‘Voices’.
Open to: Western Australian writers.
Categories: youth and adult.
Entry fee: $5 for youth, $10 for adults.
Prizes: Youth first prize: $100, certificate, complimentary print copy of Spooky Story anthology; Youth second prize: $25, certificate, complimentary print copy of Spooky Story anthology; Shortlist/Highly Commended/Commended awards: Certificate and publication in anthology.
Closing date: Sunday 28 March 2021.
More information: visit the KSP Writers’ Centre website.
6. Laura Literary Awards 2021 (Prose)
The brief: Submit a short story on a subject of your choice. Word limits vary depending on the writer’s age group.
Categories, word limits and prizes:
- Open—up to 1500 words, prize $200
- Young Adult(13-18 yrs—up to 1200 words, prize $50
- Junior (9-12 yrs)—up to 800 words, prize $25
- Junior Primary (5-8 yrs)—up to 500 words, prize $15.
Entry fee: no entry required for student entries ($10 per entry for adults).
Closing date: Friday 7 May 2021.
More information: visit the Rocky River ‘Riters website.
7. CJ Dennis Poetry Awards
The brief: Submit a poem up to 60 lines.
Categories and prizes:
- Open Poetry—prize $200
- Open Bush Poetry—prize $200
- Young Adult Poetry(13-18 yrs—prize $50
- Junior Poetry (9-12 yrs)—prize $25
- Junior Primary Poetry (5-8 yrs)—prize $15.
Entry fee: no entry required for student entries ($10 per entry for adults).
Closing date: Friday 7 May 2021.
More information: visit the Rocky River ‘Riters website.
8. UNSW Bragg Student Prize for Science Writing 2021
The brief: Write a 800-word essay on a given topic. Watch this space for the 2021 topic.
Open to: year 7 to 10 secondary school students.
Entry fee: watch this space.
Prizes: watch this space.
Closing date: Submissions will be OPEN from April 2021. A closing date has not yet been announced.
More information: visit New South Publishing’s website.
9. Future Leaders Writing Prize
The brief: Submit a piece of writing (800 to 1,000 words). The writing can be fiction or non-fiction and on any topic
Open to: Year 11 and 12 students in Australian secondary schools.
Entry fee: appears to be free to enter.
Prizes: 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: Monday 31 May 2021.
More information: visit the Future Leaders 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!
