For our monthly Writing On Our Calendar feature, we bring you a round-up of literary events happening in Sydney and around NSW. Check out some of the writing events and programs this October!
1–31 October: Literary agency Curtis Brown is open for submissions
Curtis Brown will be accepting submissions from ANZ residents from the 1st to the 31st of October. Please visit the submissions page on their website for more details.
2 October: Australian Society of Author’s Blake-Beckett Trust Scholarship
The Blake-Beckett Trust Scholarship is offered annually to an Australian author to provide them with valuable time to work on a current manuscript. It is offered by the Blake-Beckett Trust, thanks to the generosity of one of ASA’s long-term members and supporters, Wendy Beckett. The winner of the Scholarship will receive AU$35,000 and the runner-up will receive AU$15,000.
2 October: Regional Scribes: Screen Edition
Regional Scribes: Screen Edition is open to young people at any stage of their screenwriting and storytelling journey. Over five monthly online meet-ups, participants connect with like-minded peers across the country, hear from guest speakers active in their own screen careers, and receive $500 towards their professional development.
9 October: Elisabeth Maynard Writer-in-Residence Program
The Elisabeth Maynard Writer-in-Residence program supports emerging or established writers to develop their work in the beautiful natural surroundings of Frensham. In turn, students and staff benefit from workshops, mentorship and insight into the creative process, gaining inspiration and a deeper connection to the literary landscape.
14 October: Peter Porter Poetry Prize 2027
The prize will be judged by Mindy Gill, Nam Le, and Felicity Plunkett. The shortlisted poems will appear in the January-February 2027 issue. Now in its twenty-third year, the Porter Prize is one of Australia’s most lucrative and respected poetry awards.
15 October: MiNDFOOD Poetry Competition
Open to Australian and New Zealand residents, for poems of 100 to 400 words. Entry is free, with a $1,000 prize for the Australian winner and NZ$1,000 for the New Zealand winner.
17 October: MiNDFOOD Short Story Competition
Open to Australian and New Zealand residents, for stories of approximately 2,000 words, with about 100 words either side acceptable. Entry is free, with a $1,000 prize for the Australian winner.
30 October: 2026 Writers’ Studio Short Story Competition
Open to writers aged 18 and over, seeking short stories of up to 2500 words. The top three prize winning entries will be published on the Writers’ Studio website with the first-place prize being $1200.
30 October: SD Harvey Short Crime Story Award
Open to Australian residents, for crime fiction or non-fiction between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Entry is $35. Presented as part of the Ned Kelly Awards.
30 October: The Varnish Prize for Fiction
The Varnish Prize for Fiction returns for 2026! They are seeking submissions of the most compelling, formally-inventive and vital unpublished short fiction. Submissions are open to everyone, but judges will select in accordance with Varnish Online’s mission to highlight emerging writers.
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.
31 October: The Best of Times Short Story Competition #42 (Spring 2026)
The Best of Times short story competition is for humorous short stories up to 2,500 words. There are prizes for first, second and third place & certificates for highly commended and commended stories. Entry fee is $12 per story.
31 October: Ernestine Hill Memorial Award
Presented by FAW NSW and open to permanent residents of Australia, for short stories up to 4,000 words on the theme of Australian Country. Entry is $20, with a prize of $1,000.
31 October: Rae Cerhan Australiana Ballad Competition
Presented by FAW NSW and open to permanent residents of Australia, for ballads up to 100 lines on an Australiana theme. Entry is $18, with a first prize of $600, $200 for second and $100 for third.
31 October: Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize
Presented by Ballarat Writers and open to all, for poems up to 40 lines on the theme “Night”. Entry is $35, or $25 for Ballarat Writers members, with $15 for each additional poem. First prize is $1,000.
31 October: Noosa Arts Theatre National One-Act Playwriting Competition
For one-act plays running 30 to 45 minutes. Entry is $60, with the Eleanor Nimmo Prize for Best Play worth $10,000, plus $3,000 for second, $1,000 for third and a $500 audience choice award.
31 October: The Aluminium Crown
Open to writers over 18, for speculative short fiction of 500 to 4,000 words responding to a prompt imagining Melbourne’s CBD enclosed within a protective structure by 2055. Entry is free, and prize funds are drawn entirely from the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme.
31 October: Short Stories Unlimited Short Story Competition
For short stories up to 5,000 words on the theme “Future”. Entry is $10, with a first prize of $200, $100 for second and $50 for third, each with a copy of the ebook.
31 October: Short Stories Unlimited Poetry Competition
Poetry on the theme “Future” with no set length limit. Entry is $5, with a first prize of $100, $50 for second and $25 for third, each with a copy of the ebook.
31 October: The National Poetry Competition
A UK competition run by the Poetry Society, open to writers 18 and over worldwide for poems up to 40 lines. Entry is £9, with £6 for each subsequent poem in the same submission. First prize is £5,000, with £3,000 for second and £2,000 for third.
31 October: The Bedford Competition
A UK competition open to writers 17 and over, with separate short story (3,000 words) and poetry (40 lines) sections. Entry is £8.50 or three for £17, with reduced rates for full-time students. First prize in each section is £2,000, and there is a £300 Cygnature Prize for entrants aged 25 and under.
31 October: Anthology Poetry Award
An Irish competition open to all, for poems up to 40 lines. The regular deadline entry fee is €18, with a first prize of €1,000, €250 for second and €150 for third.
Writing NSW publishes these free listings in good faith but does not endorse or warrant the accuracy of any information. More from Writing NSW
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