A collection of writing competitions, prizes, awards and opportunities open for submissions throughout the year for adult writers residing in NSW, Australia.
JULY
1 July: Rockingham Writers Centre National Short Story Award
The Rockingham Writers Centre National Short Story Award is open to all writers in Australia aged over 18. Entries must be the author’s original short fiction of not more than 2000 words with ‘A Twist in the Tale’. First prize will receive $500.
1 July: Write Around the Murray Short Story Competition
The annual Write Around the Murray Short Story Competition is open to entrants throughout Australia. Stories can be up to 3000 words. The competition opens in May.
12 July: Newcastle Short Story Award
The Newcastle Short Story Award is open to Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 18 years or older. Each year, we invite submissions of original, unpublished short fiction. Shortlisted stories are published in the Newcastle Short Story Award anthology, and prizewinners are announced at an awards celebration in November. The recipient of the first prize award will receive $3,000.
12 July: The Parramatta Play Project
The Parramatta Play Project is a professional development opportunity for eight emerging/early-career Western Sydney playwrights. This project provides the next generation of Western Sydney writers with an opportunity to develop their skills, expand their creative practice, and gain experience in writing for performance within a collaborative environment. Writers will generate material that will be woven together into a new theatrical work inspired by the City of Parramatta.
13 July: Richell Prize for Emerging Writers
Entries are open to unpublished writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction. The winner will receive $10,000 in prize money, to be donated by Hachette Australia, and a year’s mentoring with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers. Hachette Australia will work with the winning writer to develop their manuscript with first option to consider the finished work, and the shortlisted entries, for publication.
14 July: Gloria Burley Award
This award for unpublished fiction manuscripts honours the Whitsundays Writers’ Festival original founder and author Gloria Burley. First Prize receives $2,500 and shortlist receives promotion in their media campaign.
15 July: 2026 E.M. Fletcher Writing Competition
Entries for the best short story of 1500 – 2000 words on a family history or genealogy theme will be in contention to win up to $1,000.
17 July: The Kyoto Retreat
The 2026 Kyoto Retreat is a program created by Japan-based, independent curator Dexter Wimberly. The Kyoto Retreat offers artists, curators, and writers, based anywhere in the world, an opportunity to spend four weeks in Kyoto, Japan, for research, exploration, and inspiration. If selected for the retreat, you will receive a roundtrip flight, a private bedroom, and $800 USD to supplement meals and local transportation.
19 July: Woollahra Young Writers’ Award
The Young Writers’ Award is a local community award celebrating and encouraging the voices of young people. Secondary students aged 12–18 years who live or study in Woollahra or neighbouring (Waverley, Randwick and City of Sydney) LGAs are welcome to submit their poems or short stories.
27 July: Stories Matter: NSW Literary Fellowships
NSW writers, illustrators and playwrights bring our stories to life: on the page, in pictures, and in performance. The Stories Matter: NSW Literary Fellowships are a major new investment in their work. Ten fellows will be chosen across writing, illustration and playwriting, at emerging, mid-career and established career stages. Each receives $50,000, alongside industry connection and support. Emerging fellows also receive structured mentorship and a professional development allocation to help them build the foundations of a long creative career.
29 July: The Letter Review Prize
The Letter Review Prize is an internationally celebrated event, offered every three months in the categories of Short Fiction, Poetry, and Books. They publish their winners, maintain shortlists, submit to The Pushcart, and award over $16,000 USD annually to writers. Their prize is among the highest paying literary prizes administered by a literary journal in the world.
30 July: Heroines Women’s Writing Prize
The Heroines Anthology reimagines women in myth, fairy tale, folklore or legend, & tells women’s lost histories and untold stories. Submissions are open to women writers from around the world. First prize winner receives $500. All short-listed entries are published in Volume 7 of the Anthology
31 July: The Next Chapter
The Next Chapter selects a group of writers with manuscripts in progress. The Wheeler Centre provides each of them with a stipend of $15,000 and a handpicked mentor to work closely with them on bringing their writing to life. Participants also receive the opportunity to attend a residency at Varuna, The National Writer’s House in Katoomba, NSW, and other development opportunities throughout the year.
AUGUST
1 August: Call for Papers: Limina
Limina, a graduate-level, peer-reviewed journal operating out of UWA, are calling for papers for their 2027 Special Edition on “Memory”. They accept non-fiction articles, prose, poetry and creative research. Please submit your article as an email attachment in MS Word format or Rich Text Format to liminajournal@gmail.com.
2 August: 2026 UQP Mentorship Prize for Under-represented Writers
The UQP Mentorship Prize for Under-represented Writers is a mentorship and residency prize for previously unpublished authors from communities under-represented in Australian writing and publishing. The prize is designed to support emerging writers in developing a manuscript for possible future publication.
7 August: 2026 Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition
Hawkeye are looking for stories with powerful beginnings, rising tension, and a climax that resonates, to the theme of I’m Glad You Called. The winner will receive a $200 cash prize, anthology cover based on the winner’s story, a paperback copy of the anthology, a copy of Winning Short Story Competitions by L. E. Daniels & C. Sawyer and a new release Hawkeye Publishing book chosen for the winner.
SEPTEMBER
22 September: Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize
The Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize welcomes submissions from Australian poets in any walk of life. Whether you are a new or an established poet, you may submit up to five poems for a chance to win $3,000 (winner) or one of two $500 highly commended awards.
25 September: Poem Forest 2026: The Sounds of Country
Poem Forest is a free nature writing program and prize that breathes life back into the natural world that sustains us. Created by Red Room Poetry, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, Poem Forest invites students and teachers to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received, a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a Poem Forest for future generations.
30 September: Rhiza Edge Short Story Competition
Rhiza Books, in partnership with Wombat Books, are looking for short stories with the theme of “Hidden Creatures”. They are open to stories of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action and crime. With a focus on cryptids / cryptozoology they invite exciting stories that embrace folklore, mystery, speculation… and all the shadowy places in between. Stories can be of length 1000 to 5000 words.
OCTOBER
31 October: The 2026 Hope Prize
The Hope Prize is a short story competition looking for thoughtful engagement with the themes of hope, courage, or resilience. They passionately welcome all writers globally, at all stages of their writing journeys. The total prize pool for The Hope Prize is $13,000 AUD and the winning entries, along with selected highly commended stories, will be published in an anthology by Simon & Schuster Australia.
NOVEMBER
30 November: The 2027 Perentie Prize
The Perentie Prize is for graphic novel manuscripts (text only) is now open. The winner will receive an offer of publication with Perentie Press, as well as a $2000 advance towards royalties.
DECEMBER
1 December: 2027 Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize
The Hawkeye Manuscript Development Prize has proven fertile ground for uncovering new and emerging talent, with many authors coming to our attention during the competition. This year, two winners will be selected — one winner from the Hawkeye Prize Open Category and one winner from the Hawkeye Prize – Own Voices category. Both winners receive a trade publishing contract with Hawkeye plus an editing package valued at $3,500. Additionally, all manuscripts longlisted and shortlisted are announced on our website and in our newsletter.
JANUARY
28 January: Next Generation Short Story Awards
Calling all short story writers, even first time authors, internationally who have original, unpublished short stories (5,000 words or less per story) written in English to enter this awards program. Take advantage of this exciting opportunity and have your short story considered for a cash prize, gold medal, complimentary invitation to the annual Next Generation Indie Book Awards (NGIBA) gala, literary exposure, and inclusion in a complimentary digital Anthology.
GENERAL JOURNAL & MAGAZINE SUBMISSIONS
Babyteeth Journal
Accepting submissions across many artforms, including poetry, prose and scripts.
Buzz Words
Buzz Words is the premier twice-monthly e-magazine for those in the Australian children’s book industry with information about Australian and overseas markets, events, opportunities, and industry news, as well as interviews and feature articles. There are opportunities for subscribers to get published in the magazine or book review website.
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 five 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.
Kill Your Darlings
KYD now accepts short fiction submissions from members year-round, with a minimum payment of $1000. (Writers who aren’t yet members are welcome to join and submit.)
Mascara Literary Review
Currently accepting fiction and non-fiction up to 3000 words and reviews 1200-1500 words.
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.
The School Magazine
Australia’s most-loved literary magazine for children. The School Magazine is open year-round to stories, articles, poetry, plays and persuasive writing for readers aged 7–12. They welcome submissions from both established and emerging writers, respond within 30 days and pay on publication.
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.
Varnish
Varnish discards traditional word limits and encourages longer works, allowing more thematically complex and timeless explorations, aiming to introduce readers to fresh mental frameworks and unexamined connections. Play with form, play with length, play with the reader.
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.