A collection of writing competitions, prizes, awards and opportunities open for submissions throughout the year for adult writers residing in NSW, Australia.
JUNE
30 June: Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards
The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards seek to capture the imaginations of school students across Australia, inspiring them to express their thoughts and feelings through the medium of poetry in their pursuit of literary excellence. The optional theme for 2025 is ‘All the Beautiful Things’. Students are encouraged to write about topics and experiences that spark their poetic genius (in whatever form they choose.)
30 June: Bundyi Writing Prize
The Bundyi Writing prize winner will receive a cash prize of AUD$10,000 sponsored by Simon & Schuster Australia and includes manuscript development with a First Nations editor. The winner will also have the opportunity to receive a standard book publishing contract with the Bundyi Imprint in relation to their Manuscript. Entries open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers.
30 June: AAWP and SW Novella Prize 2025
Have you written a novella in prose or verse? Or a hybrid novella that crosses genre boundaries? Enter the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) and Spineless Wonders publishing (SW) ‘Novella Prize’ for your chance to win. If you win you will receive a judges’ report from an established literary author. You will also receive a $500.00 cash prize and fully subsidised conference fees to attend the annual conference of the AAWP (December 2025) where you will be invited to read from your work.
30 June: 2025 National Young Writers Festival (NYWF) Regional Advisory Group Call Out
The National Young Writers’ Festival (NYWF) is launching a Regional Advisory Group and are seeking six artists and writers from regional New South Wales to form the group. Advisory roles will be paid a contribution fee. NYWF will acknowledge contributions from the Regional Advisory Group, and feedback from each meeting will be compiled into a short report to inform festival planning and strategy.
30 June: AAWP / Westerly Magazine Life Writing Prize 2025
The Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) and Westerly Magazine once again offers a prize for Life Writing. The prize is open to writers at all stages of their journey; emerging and established writers are welcome to enter. The prize recognises excellence in nonfiction, creative nonfiction and hybrid modes of storytelling. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize, a one-year subscription to Westerly, and conference fees to attend the annual conference of the AAWP, where they will be invited to read from their work. The winner’s work will be considered for publication by Westerly.
30 June: Sudden Writing Prize
AAWP and Express Media are deeply interested in capturing a composite ‘picture’ of what people are writing about. They invite creative work—short-short fiction, ‘sudden’ fiction, ‘sketchy’ stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, as well as hybrid forms. We accept submissions on the following scale: up to 400 words prose, 40 lines for poetry, 200 words for prose poems, and the equivalent for hybrid forms. Submissions must be previously unpublished. The winner receives $500, their work published on the Express Media website and a Voiceworks subscription, and a one-year membership to the AAWP.
30 June: Heroines Anthology Volume 6 & Heroine Women’s Writing Prize
Writing The Heroine publishes literary writing by women. Their special theme for this edition is witchcraft. First prize winner receives $500. The first prize may be won by either a poem or a piece of short fiction. All short-listed entries are published in Volume 6 of the Anthology.
JULY
2 July: Write Around the Murray Short Story Competition
Entries are open for the Write Around the Murray Short Story Competition. Win up to $1000 with an entry fee of $10 for submissions of up to 3000 words.
8 July: Human Rights Essay Prize 2025
The Human Rights Essay Prize recognises essays that thoughtfully engage with human rights issues across the globe, with a special focus on voices from the Indian Ocean region. The prize is open to writers worldwide. The prize is $10,000 AUD and a round-trip to Perth, Western Australia to deliver a lecture based on the winning essay.
11 July: $311,00 in Paid Fellowships at the State Library of NSW for 2026
Applications are now open for $311,000 in paid Fellowships at the State Library of NSW for 2026. Many of these opportunities are supported by the State Library of NSW Foundation and their generous benefactors.
13 July: The Richell Prize
The Richell Prize is open to unpublished writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction. Writers do not need to have a full manuscript at the time of submission, though they must intend to complete one. The winner receives $10,000 in prize money, donated by Hachette Australia, and a year’s mentoring with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers.
15 July: Hongxue Prize for Literature
The Asia-Australia Youth Association is pleased to announce that submissions are now open for the Hongxue Prize for Literature. Judged by authors Xinran Xue, Gillian Rubinstein, Isabelle Li, Mirandi Riwoe and Beth Yahp. Supported by the WA Museum, the Golden Dragon Museum and the Singapore Global Network, prizes include cash, signed books, tickets and a trophy. It is open to university students and young professionals aged 18-10.
31 July: The Children’s Peace Literature Award
The Children’s Peace Literature Award recognises books in which the main character(s) encourage the peaceful resolution of conflict and/or promote peace at the global, local or interpersonal level. Authors who have published a book for children (up to 18 years) in the period commencing two years prior to July 2025 are eligible for consideration for the prize. Successful candidates for the Children’s Peace Literature Award will receive an equal share of the award of $4000.
AUGUST
1 August: UQP Mentorship Prize for Under-represented Writers
UQP is delighted to announce a mentorship and residency prize for under-represented writers. Two winners will receive $5000, a residency at UQP’s office at The University of Queensland including return flights and accommodation, mentorship, editing, a professional development session and consideration of the final manuscript by a UQP publisher. UQP is looking for 5,000 words of a new work of fiction, non-fiction, or children’s fiction.
8 August: The Next Chapter
The Next Chapter program elevates Australian stories that aren’t being told and nurtures a new wave of writers to tell them. In 2025, The Next Chapter will select a group of ten writers and provide each of them with a stipend of $15,000, a handpicked mentor to work closely with them on bringing their writing to life and opportunities to connect with peers, agents, publishers and readers.
11 August: Peter Blazey Fellowship
Worth $20,000, the Fellowship honours the larger-than-life figure of Peter Blazey — journalist, author and gay activist. This award is for a work-in-progress by writers with a publishing record. They’re calling for entries in the non-fiction fields of biography, autobiography, memoir and life writing.
14 August: 2025 Woollahra Digital Literary Award
Opening on 16 May, The Woollahra Digital Literary Award is a national literary award supporting innovation in Australian literature and publishing, encouraging writers producing work in a digital medium. Winners can receive up to $2,500 in their category.
15 August: Poetry in Translation Prize
Giramondo Publishing, Fitzcarraldo Editions and New Directions are pleased to announce the Poetry in Translation Prize, a new biennial award for an outstanding poetry collection translated into English. Opening to submissions on 15 July, the Poetry in Translation Prize is open to living poets around the world, writing in any language other than English. The winners will receive an advance of $5,000, to be shared equally between poet and translator, followed by simultaneous publication in Australia and New Zealand with Giramondo, in North America with New Directions, and in the UK and Ireland with Fitzcarraldo Editions.
20 August: Lane Cove Literary Awards 2025
Writers over 16 years of age are invited to submit unpublished works. Prize categories include Short Story Prize $2,000, Poetry Prize $1,500 and Travel Story Prize $1,500. Additional prizes may be awarded in the following categories The Burns Bay Bookery Residents Prize $500, Synergy Youth Prize (16 – 24 years) $500, WAIG Women Writers Prize $500 and Wise Sage Prize (65+ years) $500. Entry fee is $15.50.
29 August: The Pearl Prize
The Pearl Prize is presented by Osborne and Fawkner Publishing as part of Midsumma Festival 2026. A writing award where Queer writers have a platform of self-expression through the writing landscape and into publication. Finalists will be selected and published and the winner of The Pearl Prize announced during Midsumma Festival 2026. The Winner of The Pearl Prize will receive a gift which includes a cash payment, and a copy of The Pearl Prize 2026.
31 August: Majorie Barnard Short Story Award 2025
The Fellowship of Australian Writers is looked for short stories up to 3000 words that have not been previously published. The winner will receive $500, and the entry fee is $15 per entry.
31 August: Hilarie Lindsay Short Story Competition for Australian School Students 2025
Entries are sought in the following categories; section one (years 10, 11 & 12, up to 2500 with a prize of $150), section two (years 7, 8 & 9, up to 2500 words with a prize of $125), section 3 (years 5 & 6, up to 1500 words with a prize of $100) and section 4 (years 4 and under, up to 1500 words with a prize of $50). The entry fee is $5.
31 August: Young Creatives Awards
The Young Creatives Awards are open to people aged 12 to 24 who live, work or study in the Inner West. Work can be submitted for the following categories: writing, visual arts, film. The winner of each age group and category will receive $500. Finalists’ written works are collated into a book and kept in the Inner West library collection.
31 August: Sister’s in Crime’s 32 Scarlet Stiletto Short Stories Awards
More female criminal talent – of the literary kind – is about to be uncovered, thanks to Sisters in Crime’s 32nd Scarlet Stilleto Awards for Australian women’s best short crime and mystery stories. The 2025 round, just announced, offers $13,050 in prizes.
SEPTEMBER
1 September: Heywire Competition
Heywire is a lived experience storytelling competition from the ABC, calling for stories from young people aged between 16-22 in regional, rural and remote Australia. Entries must be a true story about an aspect of your life. Stories can be in any format: text, video or audio — whatever form suits you best!
26 September: Poem Forest 2025
Poem Forest is a free nature writing prize for young people and accredited teachers that plants a native tree for every poem received. Since 2021, over 22,500 poem trees have been planted, nurturing vital ecological and creative ecosystems for generations to come.
29 September: 2025 Mayoral Creative Writing Prize
The Mayoral Creative Writing Prize 2025 is open to adults and children who live in Blacktown city. The poems and short stories must be works of fiction. The theme is ‘in the moment’. All entries can be either poetry or short stories. Winners aged 17 or younger will receive $200. The school they attend will receive a corresponding $100. Adult winners will receive $300. All winners and highly commended writers will have their work published in the 2025 Blacktown Mayoral Anthology by WestWords.
30 September: ‘West of the Moon’ Anthology
The Australian Fairy Tale Society is looking for submissions for their next anthology, ‘West of the Moon’. They are looking for original and unpublished work including poems, flash fiction and short stories. These can be aimed at young adult or older adult readers, but G-rated. There is a $10 submission fee for each entry. It will be a blind judging process, and the selected authors will join high-profile guest contributors paid an honorarium.
30 September: Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing
Writers Victoria is pleased to be partnering with Nillumbik Shire Council again to present the Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing 2026. This prestigious biennial national prize offers contemporary Australian writers an opportunity to win cash prizes and to profile their work. A total prize pool of $17,500 will be awarded. The winning entries will be published in an anthology and presented at a major public event in May 2026.
OCTOBER
15 October: The Caledonia Novel Award 2026
Now in the 12th year of competition, The Caledonia Novel Award is an Edinburgh-based, international award for unpublished and self-published novelists in all genres for adults and YA. The top prize will receive £1,500.
31 October: The 2025 Hope Prize
The Hope Prize is seeking powerful, original stories of hope, fiction or non-fiction, from both emerging and established voices. The winner will receive $10,000 AUD, and shortlisted stories will be published in a Simon & Schuster anthology, with 100% of royalties supporting their charity partner.
31 October: Woollahra Digital Literary Award – Judge EOI
Woollahra Libraries selects four judges annually for the Woollahra Digital Literary Award, celebrating outstanding Australian writing and digital innovation in literature and publishing. Judges are appointed for a 1–3 year term (August–November), receive an honorarium, and independently assess entries.
GENERAL JOURNAL & MAGAZINE SUBMISSIONS
Babyteeth Journal
Accepting submissions across many artforms, including poetry, prose and scripts.
Cordite Poetry Review
A quarterly Australian and international journal of poetry, criticism and research. Regularly open for submission of unpublished poems from Australian and overseas-based writers.
Frankie Magazine
A bi-monthly magazine welcoming submissions from writers that have their own individual voices, speaking their minds.
Griffith Review
Open four times each year, accepting submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and occasional special projects.
HEAT Literary Magazine
Welcoming submissions of fiction, essays, hybrid forms and translated works, HEAT is published six times a year in a slim, intimate format, that throws sharp focus on the work of the featured authors.
Island Magazine
A not-for-profit premium Australian literary magazine of fiction, poetry, nonfiction and arts features. Looking to provide opportunities for new, emerging and established writers from Australia, New Zealand and Australians living abroad.
Mascara Literary Review
Currently accepting fiction and non-fiction up to 3000 words and reviews 1200-1500 words.
Meanjin
Meanjin publishes quarterly in print and daily online. Submissions are open periodically and when open, they welcome pieces written in any language by Australian writers and artists. Pitches or pieces from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and racially marginalised people, and people with disability are strongly encouraged.
Meniscus
An online, free access literary journal publishing high quality, innovative poetry, short fiction, and creative essays in English, or in other languages with a good parallel translation. Meniscus publishes two issues a year: in April, and in October.
Overland Magazine
Accepting submissions of completed fiction and non-fiction articles and poems, 3000 words or less.
Quadrant
Accepts unsolicited, previously unpublished articles that fit within its general profile of a journal of ideas, essays, literature, poetry and historical and political debate.
Southerly
One of Australia’s oldest literary journals, Southerly accepts short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and academic essays from Australian and New Zealand citizens, or residents of Australia.
The Human Writers
The Human Writers began as an Australia-based webzine but is now seeking previously unpublished non-fiction contributions from writers aged 50+ from all around the world. Writers 50+ can send stories of 1000 words or fewer, including a photo with their piece, and where they live.
Westerly
Publishes short stories, micro-fiction, poetry, memoir and creative non-fiction, artwork, comics, essays and literary criticism.
Writing NSW publishes these free listings in good faith but does not endorse or warrant the accuracy of any information.
Find out more about getting published and submitting your writing to journals with our information sheets.