A collection of writing competitions, prizes, awards and opportunities open for submissions throughout the year for adult writers residing in NSW, Australia.
APRIL
30 April: 2025 Furphy Literary Award
The 2025 Furphy Literary Award is open for writers to submit a short story of up to 5,000 words. Entry is free and three winners, along with an additional 13 shortlisted stories will be published in The Furphy Anthology 2025. Prizes include $15,000 for first place, $3,000 for second, and $2,000 for third place.
30 April: The Best of Times Short Story Competition
Wild Thoughts is looking for humorous short stories (any theme) up to 2500 words. Entry fee is $10 per story and you can enter as many times as you like. First prize will win 60% of total entry fees received, second prize: 15% of total entry fees received, third prize: 5% of total entry fees received. There will also be certificates for highly commended and commended stories.
30 April: 2025 High Country Words Writing Competition
Bushy Tales is an annual writers competition that has run in Mansfield for 10 years. It featured prizes for short story, memoir, poetry and bush poetry, culminating in an awards night and a Bushy Tales anthology of its own. Mansfield Readers & Writers Short Story Competition has been held twice, and has produced the beautiful Heart and Soul Anthologies.
30 April: The Peter Cowan 600 Word Short Story Competition
Stories may be of any theme, narrative structure, or genre but they MUST be 600 words or less. Poetry is not accepted. You may enter as many times as you wish. The competition is open to all ages, all abilities, all styles for a $12.00 entry fee. 1st prize is $200, 2nd prize $100, and 3rd prize $50.
30 April: Creative NSW Project Funding Applications for Creative Steps and Next Steps
Do you have a project or professional development opportunity that requires funding? You can apply for Creative NSW Creative Steps funding for new work, or Next Steps funding for professional development to advance your career. (Website will be updated to reflect round two dates and guidelines in March 2025).
MAY
1 May: Questions Writing Prize
The 2025 Questions Writing Prize aims to recognise and reward young Australian writers (18 to 30 years). The writing can be fiction or non-fiction on any topic as long as the piece remains between 1,500 and 2,000 words. The prize for the best writing submitted is $3,000 (where there is more than one winner the prize money will be shared). The winner of the Questions Writing Prize will have their work published in a forthcoming issue of Questions.
2 May: CEW Bean Prize
The Australian Army History Unit invites applications from Honours, Masters and PhD students who have completed and submitted their thesis for examination to an Australian university in the previous three calendar years. The CEW Bean Prize for Military History fosters the study of Army military history and heritage at the tertiary level.
5 May: Kyogle Readers & Writers Festival Writer-in-Residence
Now in its fourth year, this program supports regionally based writers to develop their manuscripts through the provision of accommodation, funding and a mentorship with an established author. This year’s iteration will support a Young Adult writer based in regional NSW (or South East Queensland*) with a mentorship from Hayley Lawrence.
5 May: Varuna Residential Fellowships
Varuna Residential Fellowships offer uninterrupted time to write in your own private studio and a one-hour mentorship conversation with a Varuna consultant. All food is provided, with an evening meal prepared by our chefs Jane, Sheila and Dionne, to be enjoyed with the companionship of your fellow writers – at any time, there are six writers-in-residence at Varuna.
5 May: 2026 Creative Arts Fellowship
Apply now for the National Library’s 2026 Creative Arts Fellowship. This $35,000 Fellowship is available to writers looking to develop new creative work using the National Library’s collections.
5 May: The Kathryn Purnell Poetry Prize
The Kathryn Purnell Poetry Prize is awarded for a poem of no more than 50 lines. This prize is open to all women poets across Australia and SWWV members abroad. The award is managed by the Society of Women Writers Victoria in memory of the late poet Kathryn Purnell.
5 May: The 2025 Living Stories Western Sydney Writing Prize
The Living Stories Western Sydney Writing Prize returns for its 5th year in 2025. Living Stories is a creative writing competition for residents of Western Sydney and Wingecarribee Shire, offering an opportunity at publication and cash prizes from a pool of over $8,000. Entries can either be a fiction short story (max 500 words), narrative non-fiction story (max 500 words), personal essay (max 500 words) or a poem (up to 25 lines).
6 May: Roderick Centre Residential Fellowship for Regional and Remote Writers
Presented in partnership with Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing (RCALC), three fellowships are available to writers living in regional and remote parts of Australia. Each of the three recipients will receive a two-week residency at Varuna, with full board and accommodation including a prepared evening meal, uninterrupted time to write in your own private studio, and the companionship of your fellow writers, rimbursement of all travel expenses from anywhere in Australia, including airfares and transfers and $600 towards other expenses. Each writer will be able to use this expenses budget to fit their individual needs.
7 May: 2025 Robert Gray Prize for Poetry
The Robert Gray Prize for Poetry is accepting submissions on ‘the subject of nature’, employing any form or approach to the theme. Each entry must be no longer than forty lines. Enter as many poems as you choose. The winning entry will receive a prize of $5000.
10 May: 2025 Poetry Competition
Responding to the theme of ‘LIFE CHANGING’, Kyogle Readers and Writers are inviting poems of any style, up to a maximum of 35 lines.
11 May: ZineWest 2025
ZineWest is an annual competition and print anthology for new and aspiring writers, 16 years and over, with a Western Sydney connection. They welcome word-based creative work we can reproduce in a print A5 zine. They publish around thirty writers and ten local artists.
12 May: June Shenfield National Poetry Awards
MARION is delighted to open entries for the 2025 June Shenfield Poetry Awards — a national annual prize established to commemorate poet June Shenfield and to encourage the writing, publishing, and reading of poetry. This award is for an emerging Australian poet and the first prize winner will receive AUD $1,000. Award winners and shortlisted poets may have their work published online in the MARION Journal and/or in a future poetry publication.
15 May: Eastwood/Hills FAW Literary Competition
The 2025 Annual Literary Competition and Boree Log Poetry Competition are now open. The competition closes on Thursday 15th May 2025. Certificates and monetary prizes are awarded to first and second place in each of our four categories.
15 May: Boree Log Award for Bush Verse 2025
The Boree Log Award for Bush Verse is looking for ballads in perfect rhyme and metre, with max 80 lines and an Australian bush theme. Entry Fee: $8 per entry – Maximum 4 entries per entrant.
16 May: 2025 Danger Awards
The Danger Awards honour books featuring Australia as a setting for stories about crime and justice. Four awards will be presented: for Best Crime Fiction, for Best Crime Fiction Debut, for Best Crime Non-Fiction and a People’s Choice award will be presented, selected from the shortlist in all three categories. In addition to the Danger Award trophy, each winner will receive $1000 in prize money (presented at the Danger Awards night on 13 September) and will be invited to speak at BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival 2026.
16 May: What Matters? Writing Competition
The What Matters? writing competition is currently open to school students in years 5 to 12 from Australia. Responding to the simple question ‘what matters?’, entrants are free to express their views on any matter they care about.
19 May: Judy Harris Writer-in-Residence Fellowship
Explore the power of creativity at the Charles Perkins Centre. The Writer-in-Residence Fellowship is open for Australian creative writers to apply for a year-long Fellowship working with researchers, educators and clinicians. This generous Fellowship includes a $100,000 grant to begin a project exploring issues around health including wellbeing, food, ageing, social disadvantage and cultural identity.
20 May: Publishable Manuscript Development Program
Queensland Writers Centre’s annual national manuscript development program for emerging writers, Publishable accepts submissions of completed, unpublished manuscripts across a broad range of genres and formats. Up to 10 shortlisted writers receive mentorship with an industry professional, and are given the opportunity to attend pitch interviews with specially matched agents and publishers.
23 May: Bundanon’s Artists in Residence Fellowships and Awards
Bundanon’s Artists in Residence program is supported by a range of leading arts organisations, cultural agencies, companies, and patrons. Through funding, collaboration, and shared vision, these contributors help create meaningful opportunities for artists to develop new work, engage with peers, and immerse themselves in the unique environment of Bundanon. Browse the various fellowships and awards now open.
30 May: The Australian Fiction Prize
The Australian Fiction Prize is an annual prize for a book-length work of fiction. Open to all Australian writers, the winner will receive prize money of $20,000, plus an advance of $15,000, and publication by Australia’s leading publisher, HarperCollins Australia.
31 May: AWMA Writing Competition
Albury Wodonga Martial Arts (AWMA) is celebrating their 10th year! Amongst their special events they are including a writing competition on the theme of Martial Arts with Martial Artists Magazine Australia publishing the winning entries. Entries can be fiction or non-fiction and prizes of up to $200 are available.
31 May: Mosman Youth Awards in Literature
The Mosman Youth Awards in Literature (MYAL) is an annual short story and poetry competition that attracts budding poets, playwrights and authors from primary and secondary schools. Winners are awarded cash prizes and the opportunity to showcase their work.
31 May: The Alice Sinclair Memorial Writing Competition
The Lake Macquarie branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers invites entries, opening on 4 April 2025, of poetry up to 50 lines or short stories up to 2500 words. The entry fee is $15, and first place will win $300, while second place will win $100 and third place $50.
31 May: RD Walshe National Writing for the Environment Prize 2025
Sutherland Shire Environment Centre holds an annual, National Writing for the Environment prize in honour of their founder, Bob Walshe. This year’s competition accepts submissions of poetry under 300 words and the winner will receive $500.
31 May: The Spiers Prize
The Spiers Prize is awarded annually to an unpublished manuscript, between 25,000 to 80,000 words, written for a readership of 8+ and suitable for the formats of middle grade fiction or young adult fiction. The winner will be offered a publishing contract with UWA Publishing and a cash prize of $5,000. Submissions for the Prize will open at 10am AWST 1 May 2025 and will close at 11.59pm AWST 31 May 2025.
31 May: Places Writing Competition
The Minds Shine Bright Places competition is now open and calling for local and international writers to submit stories and poems about place. When they create the Places anthology and the Young Writers’ Places anthology they will make a map of the places that inspire the wining and commended stories and poems. First prize will also win $1500.
31 May: Creative Time Residential Fellowships
Creative Time Residential Fellowships enable children’s authors/illustrators to take up one-month residencies to concentrate intensively on their work and to advance their creative skills. Residencies are away from home in pleasant rent-free accommodation provided by the Trust. They may also provide a stimulus to co-creators, expand their industry networks and contribute to the appreciation of children’s literature in the communities they visit.
JUNE
1 June: Dymocks Beyond Words Creative Writing Competition
The Dymocks Beyond Words Competition is searching for Australia’s most creative and talented young writers! Open to primary and high school students across Australia, all entrants will be in the running to win a share of our $20,000 total prize pool. The competition is FREE to enter and OPEN THEME – which means you can write about any topic, and in any genre you like!
1 June: Seniors Card Short Story Competition 2025
The NSW Dept of Communities and Justice and FAW are conducting a Short Story Competition. The Top 100 stories will be published in Seniors Stories Volume 11. The theme for this year is ‘then and now’ and entry is free.
2 June: The Big Issue’s Fiction Edition
Got a short story that’s crying out for a national audience? Well, it’s time to polish it up, because The Big Issue’s annual Fiction Edition is now open for submissions! Entry is FREE, and open to writers based in Australia, every author published is paid $500 and stories should be between 500 and 3000 words.
6 June: Human Rights Essay Prize
The Portside Review Human Rights Essay Prize is a new international prize. Celebrating writing excellence, a selection of ten shortlisted essays will be published in a special edition of Portside Review in 2025. The winner will receive a prize of AUD $10,000 and a round economy trip to Perth, Western Australia, to lecture on the essay’s theme and/or run workshops in September 2025.
11 June: ARA Historical Novel Prize
The $150,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize is open for submissions in two categories – Adult and Children &Young (CYA) Adult. $100,000 will be awarded to the Adult category winner, with an additional $5,000 awarded to each of the remaining two shortlisted authors. In the CYA category, the winner receives $30,000, while the two short listers receives $5,000 each. The prize is open to authors who are citizens or residents of Australia and New Zealand. Novels must have been first published between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.
16 June: Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award
Waverley Council is proud to announce that nominations for the $40,000 Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award are now open nationally! The Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award acknowledges works demonstrating excellence in research, literary merit, readability and value to the community. Prize categories include the Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award ($40,000), Nib People’s Choice Prize ($4,000) and Alex Buzo Shortlist Prize (6 x $1,500).
23 June: Frank Moorhouse Fellowship for Young Writers
The Copyright Agency Frank Moorhouse Fellowship for Young Writers will support a writer aged 18-35 years to develop and write a new work of fiction. Named in honour of the late Frank Moorhouse, the Fellowship will provide a genuine career development opportunity for a young fiction writer who has not yet published a full-length work of fiction. Applicants must have previously published some short stories/work in literary magazines, journals or online. Writers who have published a full-length work, in fiction or any genre, are not eligible to apply for this Fellowship.
27 June: 2025 Unpublished Novel Award
The Unpublished Novel Award celebrates stellar unpublished manuscripts in seven genres: Children’s & Young Adult, Crime & Mystery, Horror, Literary Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Thriller & Suspense. A panel of esteemed, shortlist judges with backgrounds in book publishing, film, and television will select one exceptional manuscript in each genre to receive a $10,000 grant to support it on the journey to publication.
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: 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
OCTOBER
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 our charity partner.
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.
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.