For the benefit of our members (and the broader writing community), we’ve collected this list of current competitions and opportunities for you. Please note that we do not administer these competitions, and we can’t answer any questions you might have about them. Listings are provided in good faith. Please check details and conditions of entry.

Looking for children’s contests? Those exclusively for school-aged and ‘young’ writers are marked YOUTH, but others may include junior sections.

FEBRUARY

The Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships offer talented young artists including poets (aged 21-35 at the closing date) the chance to explore, study and develop their artistic gifts through travelling either interstate and/or overseas. Closing date 6 February.

Stringybark Open Short Story Awards is open for entries of short stories up to 1500 words; there must be a link, no matter how small, to Australia. Cash prizes and publication. Closes 25 February.

The Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellowship will offer twenty-two writers a stipend of $1250 and a dedicated workspace in the Centre over a ten-week period. Hot Desk Fellows have the opportunity to meet, network and work with The Wheeler Centre’s resident organisations , and introduce their work to the public. Closing date 26 February.

The Paul Cave Prize for Children’s Literature opens on November 30th to all forms of poetry: haiku, free verse, sonnet, acrostic, villanelle, ballad, limerick, ode, elegy, flash fiction and short stories up to 5,000 words, suitable for a young audience. Cash prize and publication. Closing date 28 February.

Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Prize for work up to 300 words. Cash publication and publication. Closing date 28 February.

The Edingburgh Short Story Award is now open for for writers worldwide and stories on any topic up to 2,000 words. Prize money and publication. Closing date 29 February.

The Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction is now open for submissions of stories up to 5000 words. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies, plus cash prizes. Feedback available. Closing date 29 February.

Bournemouth Writing Festival Competition 2024 is open for for poetry (with a maximum of 30 lines, excluding title) and flash fiction (under 400 words, excluding title) submissions on the theme of “Lines in the Sand”, and winners will be published in the resulting anthology. Check the website for more details. Closing date 29 February.

March

Williamstown Literary Festival Writing Competitions 2024 are now open for entries in four categories: biographical prose, poetry, and a short story (fiction or non-fiction); and a short story competition for writers aged 14–18 from the western suburbs. Cash prizes and publication. Closing date 8 March.

The Hope Prize – Simon & Schuster Australia
International prize dedicated to ‘sharing stories of hope, courage, and resilience’. Accepting short story submissions, of both fiction and nonfiction, on the theme of Hope, between 2,000-5,000 words in length. Cash prize and publication. Closing date 22 March.

The Rubery Prize is seeking the best books by indie writers, self published authors and books published by independent presses.  Through a reputation of finding quality and outstanding books we aim to bring recognition to the works that win and heighten an author’s profile. Closing date 31 March.

Fish Publishing Poetry Prize is open for works up to max 60 lines. Cash prize and publication. Closing date 31 March.

Minds Shine Bright’s next Seasons Writing Competition on the theme Light and Shadow is now open, for short stories under 2500 words, that relate to the external world, and imagined worlds. Closing date 31 March

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Ongoing Opportunities 

Quick Story Tales is a new opportunity for authors, and is open for submissions of very short stories and poetry, successful submissions are paid for w publication. FAQs and application form on the website.

Overland: open for poetry submissions
Open to submissions from emerging, politically engaged poets for publication in the journal. Submit up to three poems per quarter. Payment for poems published in the print edition.

UQP Publishing is now accepting unsolicited submissions for their literary fiction and non-fiction lists, as well as the Stories for the Future initiative, in the first week of every month. To be considered, please read and follow the guidelines carefully.

The Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition is a monthly challenge for authors Australia-wide. Each month, they release a new prompt for authors to respond to. The prize for the winning author (or authors) includes gift vouchers and the publication of winning entries on the Wakefield Press blog. 

Griffiths Review is regularly open for pitches and submissions, with four calls a year in each category: fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  In addition they run the Emertging Voices Competition. Read the site carefully for T&C and details of themes etc.

Fractured Lit publishes flash fiction with emotional resonance, with characters who come to life through their actions and responses to the world around them. They are searching for flash that investigates the mysteries of being human; the sorrow and the joy of connecting to the diverse population. Fractured Lit is open year-round, to all writers. They currently publish microfiction (up to 400 words) and flash fiction (401-1,000 words), with new writing featured on Mondays and Thursdays. They also offer contests throughout the year.

Writers Victoria’s in-house magazine, The Victorian Writer, welcomes submissions from both members and non-members writing short fiction and non-fiction, poetry, and articles on the craft and business of writing. Check the link for submission dates, themes and pitching info.

The School Magazine is open for submissions, seeking quality children’s literature for ages 7-12+. Submit stories, plays, articles, persuasive texts or poetry. Categories for writers, illustrators, comic serial creators and cartoonists

Extinction Rebellion Creative Hub: is an online anthology of songs, fiction and poetry that’s inspiring, meaningful and original, and that reflects the principles, concerns and values of the Extinction Rebellion from a global, regional or local perspective. Submissions accepted year-round.

Tim Saunders Publications invite submissions of poems up to 30 lines and short stories up to 1000 words on a range of topics across the year. Contributors retain copyright. He also runs monthly prompts/competitions on a range for short-format formats: Four Words, Idea, Title and Writing Prompt with publication possibilities

Voiceworks is a national literary journal that features exciting new writing and art by young Australians. Our purpose is to create a space for people under twenty-five to develop their creative and editorial skills and to publish, and be paid for, their fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art and comics. See site for deadlines and details.

Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature is a digital, Open Access, quarterly journal accepting rolling submissions for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter issues. The aim is to highlight disability literature and the creative arts, and work pertaining to disability experiences and cultures, and prioritises work by writers and other creative artists with disabilities.  See the site for cut-off dates.

NB: writers with disability can find more info on opportunites and resources through Writers Victoria Writeability site.

Green Stories writing competitions is a writing competition project with a range of categories for novels, plays, and short stories. Entries should conform with positive visions of more sustainable futures and/or the inclusion of green solutions but needn’t have an explicitly green theme.

Women with Disabilities Australia is looking for blog posts from women, girls and non-binary persons with disability that live in Australia, on the theme of leadership.

The Australian Bush Poets Association run a calendar of bush poetry events for both written and performed bush poetry.

Ginninderra Press (accepts unsolicited manuscripts across a range of genres, please read their criteria carefully).

Wombat Books (accepts unsolicited manuscripts, submitting authors should be familiar with WB’s body of printed books).

LitMag is looking for fiction, poetry and non-fiction submissions (submission fees, paid).

Furious Fiction begins on the first Friday of every month, there is a cash prize for the best story in the month.

Big Sky Publishing is open for finished non-fiction manuscripts.

The Archipelago is a new online journal exploring themes of migration, identity and decolonisation (limited payment) through prose, poetry and art.

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Science Write Now is a website promoting writing about science through the forms of fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction and poetry. 

Creative Writing News maintains a website of international writing opportunities of all types. Entry conditions vary so check the details carefully.

Write from the Heart runs a monthly, themed micro-fiction contest with the $2 entry fee being split between a charity and the prize pool.

Overland journal is paying for fiction in its print and online editions.

Right Now magazine is looking for pitches on written and multimedia works about human rights issues in Australia.

Penny Mint seeks experimental poetry, spoken word, essays, serialised fiction and more.

Frankie seeks interviews, rants, research pieces, photography projects and editorial illustrations.

Quadrant online seeks essays, literature, poetry and historical and political debate. 

Arena (Online and Quarterly) seek commentary on emerging social and political issues.

Going Down Swinging journal seeks fiction, creative non-fiction, spoken word, commentary, essays, comics, poetry and experimental work. 

Archer Magazine is open to pitches for articles and images about sexuality, gender and identity.

The Sydney Review of Books is open to pitches for non-fiction on contemporary literature and culture. 

Sweaty City seeks writing about climate change and urban ecologies with a Sydney focus.

The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund has rolling grant opportunities for artists and organisations throughout the year.

US-based Sunspot Literary Journal offers a $35 Editor’s Prize for every digital edition, a $50 Editor’s Prize for the annual print edition, and pays for artwork selected for a cover. It accepts flash, stories, essays and memoir up to 49,000 words, poetry and art. Translations welcome.

Positive Words holds monthly mini-competitions (short story up to 100 words or poem up to 10 lines) with a different word/prompt.

The Human Writers is offering a platform for works on ‘creative ageing in Australia’ from older Australian writers.

Babyteeth journal is open to submissions of prose, spoken word, visual art and more.

Dark Lake Publishing publishes regular anthologies and single titles on the dark side.