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:
- May—sports writing (drafts for expert review due Monday 9 May; submissions due Tuesday 17 May)
- June—food writing (drafts for expert review due Monday 13 June; submissions due Tuesday 21 June)
- July—fantasy writing (drafts for expert review due Monday 11 July; submissions due Tuesday 19 July)
- August—flash fiction (drafts for expert review due Monday 8 August; submissions due Tuesday16 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.
2. Night Parrot Press Flash Lab
The brief: submit a flash fiction story under 500 words.
Open to: Western Australian writers aged between 12 and 17 years.
Entry fee: free to submit.
Prizes: one story will be selected each week to be published on Night Parrot Press’s website. (You can read the current Story of the Week on the website now.)
Closing date: rolling.
More information: visit Night Parrot Press’s website.
3. The Nan Manefield Young Writers’ Award
The Brief: Submit either a poem or short story of up to 750 words.
Open to: Sydney NSW metropolitan, based young people, aged between 11 and 18 years of age.
Cost: free.
Categories: The competition is judged in five age categories by a panel of award winning authors.
Prizes: Prizes totalling over $2,000. All winners will also be offered the opportunity to attend a special writers masterclass.
Closing date: Friday 6 May 2022.
More information: entry conditions and online entry form can be found on the North Sydney Council website.
4. What Matters? National Writing Competition 2022
The brief: Submit an original written work of up to 600 words in prose or poetry, either fiction or non-fiction. Start with an issue of significance to you, and express your views with conviction
Open to: school students in years 5 to 12 from Australia.
Categories: Years 5 and6, years 7 and 8, years 9 and 10 and years 11 and 12.
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: Prizes are awarded in 4 categories: Years 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12. $350 for each category winner and $200 for each category runner-up. Winners and runners-up will also receive a book pack from Allen & Unwin.
Closing date: Friday 6 May 2022.
More information: visit Whitlam Institute’s website.
5. The Best Australian Yarn Short Story Competition 2022
The brief: Submit fiction that is between 1500 and 2500 words.
Open to: Australian published and unpublished writers, students, anyone over the age of 12.
Categories and prizes: overall winner – $30,000; WA Winner – $4000; Regional Australia winner – $3000; Youth winner – $2000 plus mentoring; Reader’s Choice – $2,000; Other nine shortlisted for the overall prize – $1000 each.
Entry fee: free.
Closing date: Tuesday 31 May 2022.
More information: visit the competition’s website.
6. Get Song Writing Prize
The brief: write a song and provide the lyrics and a simple vocal track performed by you or someone else. Submit up to two songs.
Open to: Australian high school students in Years 9-12.
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: prize pool valued at over $1200.
Closing date: Monday 6 June 2022.
More information: University of South Queensland’s website.
7. Make Your Own Story Book Competition 2022
The brief: Create an original story book or picture book. Individual and school based entries will be accepted.
Open to: all WA students from Pre Primary to Year 8.
Entry fee: free.
Closing date: Friday 10 June 2022.
More information: can be found on the CBCA WA’s website, where you can also download an entry form and watch author Sean E. Avery in a series of videos talking about to create a storybook or picture book.
8. RD Walshe Memorial Writing for the Environment Prize
The brief: submit a fictional piece of prose up to 800 words on the topic of peace and sustainability.
Categories: up to 18 years, 19 to 25 years and over 65.
Entry fee: appears to be free (but check the competition’s website).
Prizes: in each age category there will be a first prize ($500) and a runner-up ($100). In addition, the Sutherland Shire Writers Group has offered a prize of $100 for a junior writer.
Closing date: Friday 17 June 2022.
More information: visit the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre’s website.
9. Little Stories. Big Ideas Competition
The brief: submit flash fiction that is 100 words or less on the theme of ‘ghost’. Any literary style is welcome – short-story form, poem, haiku, limerick, song – but entries must be in English.
Open to: Australian secondary school students
Categories: Years 7 to 9 and Years 10 to 12.
Entry fee: free.
Prizes: the year 10 to 12 category winner receives an Express Media Membership and the latest issue of Voiceworks Magazine; the year 7 to 9 category winner wins a StoryCraft writing mentorship.
Closing date: Friday 24 June (for term two entries).
More information: visit the Little Stories, Big Ideas website.
10. Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards
The brief: Write a poem with an optional theme: ‘in my opinion’. Please note that it is an optional theme. The Society encourages students to write about topics and experiences that spark their poetic genius (in whatever form they choose).
Open to: Australian students.
Cost: depends on the number of entries a school or individual is submitting.
Categories: Lower Primary (Years K – 3); Upper Primary (Years 4 – 6 + 7 in SA); Assisted Learning Primary; David Maher Award for Small Schools; Junior Secondary (Years 7 – 9); Senior Secondary (Years 10 – 12); Assisted Learning Secondary; Schools Award; Kurrunbede Award.
Prizes: Monetary prizes and gift packs are awarded to category winners and runners-up.
Closing date: Thursday 30 June 2022.
Further information: Go to the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards website. There you will find info about conditions of entry and fees involved, as well as learning resources to help you get creative.
11. Armadale Young Writers’ Awards
The brief: submit prose (short story) up to 2,000 words.
Open to: students in years 3 to 12 who reside or attend school in the City of Armadale.
Categories: years 3 &4; years 5 & 6; years 7 & 8; years 9 & 10, years 11 & 12.
Entry fee: appears to be free.
Prizes: first prize ($200), second prize ($150), third prize ($100)
Closing date: Thursday 30 June 2022.
More information: visit the City of Armadale website.
12. The Golden Pen Writing Award
The brief: Submit a story up to 3,000 words on the theme of ‘Everyday Magic’.
Open to: Western Australian students in years 4 to 12.
Categories: years 4 to 6; years 7 to 8; years 9 to 12.
Entry fee: appears to be free.
Prizes: see the terms and conditions page on the competition website for details.
Closing date: Sunday 20 March 2022.The closing date has been extended to Sunday 17 July 2022 (due to the Scribblers Festival being postponed until September).
More information: visit the Scribblers 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!
