Ballarat Writers Inc. (BWI) invites writers to enter the 2025 Southern Cross Short Story Competition.

Opening date:            1 August, 2025

Closing date:              30 September, 2025

Short stories to 3000 words on the theme  BEGINNINGS

First Prize – $1000 AUD

Second Prize – $400 AUD

Third prize – $100 AUD

Two Highly Commended certificates will also be awarded.

Winners to be announced November 2025

Entry Fee to be paid online at https://www.trybooking.com/DDXEI

Please read the conditions of entry carefully before submitting your work.

Ballarat Writers Inc is a non-profit organisation, Incorporation No. A001874SK

2025 JUDGE – JENNY VALENTISH

Jenny is the author of five books, including Woman of Substances, Everything Harder Than Everyone Else: Why Some of Us Push Our Bodies to Extremes and The Introvert’s Guide to Leaving the House. She has had a long career in journalism, runs courses on creative writing and has a close involvement in drugs and alcohol research and counselling. To find out more about Jenny, go to Jenny Valentish | About – Jenny Valentish

WINNING WRITERS AND STORIES

The winning stories will be announced at an award presentation in Ballarat on 26 November 2025. The full results and judge’s report will be published on the Ballarat Writers Inc website www.ballaratwriters.com in December 2025.

COMPETITION GUIDELINES

Competition is open to anyone over the age of 18 years as of 1 August, 2025

  • Entries may be in any genre and interpretation of the theme BEGINNINGS can be as literal or as broad as one likes
  • Entries must be NOT MORE THAN 3000 words including the title
  • All entries must be in English, and must have a title
  • Entries must be the original work of the applicant
  • Entries must not have been published anywhere, including personal blog or website, broadcast, or won a prize in any competition
  • Entry fee for BWI members is AUD$20 for the initial entry, and AUD$15 for additional entries.
  • Entry fee for non-BWI members is AUD$30 for the initial entry, and AUD$15 for additional entries.
  • The entry fee is payable online by credit card before midnight on the closing date 30th September 2025 – refer to submission instructions below. Entries must also be emailed to the email address below, before midnight on the closing date.
  • All entries to be in English, double-spaced and using a standard 12 point font such as Times new roman.
  • Entrant’s name must not appear on/in the story
  • Fees will not be refunded
  • No corrections will be accepted, or correspondence entered into
  • Results will be announced at the BWI end-of year member’s night, 26 November 2025 and then on the website and in the newsletter.
  • Copyright remains with the author
  • The judge’s decision is final
  • Neither the BW Competitions Co-ordinator nor any person involved in pre-reading or judging of entries may enter.

N.B. By submitting an entry, or entries, to this competition, you give permission for your work to be published in part or in full on the Ballarat Writers Inc website, and/or in any Ballarat Writers Inc publications, and you further agree and declare that the work submitted is your own original work and has not been copied in part or in full from any other source.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

The 2025 submission process has two parts:

  • PAY the entry fee online by credit card through Trybooking. A booking fee of 50 cents applies to each entry. See below for the payment website.
  • EMAIL your story to the email address below (competitions@ballaratwriters.com). Save your story as a PDF file, and attach it to your email. The subject title of your email must be ‘Southern Cross Competition 2025’. In the body of the email, include your full name and address, the title of the story and the word count. Do not include your name anywhere in your entry document. The email address by which you submit your entry will be the email address we use to contact you if necessary.

Both parts above must have been completed before midnight (Australia EST) on the closing date 30th September 2025.

Failure to follow/abide by any of the stated rules may make your entry, or entries, ineligible.

Submissions:
PAY fee online at: https://www.trybooking.com/DDXEI
EMAIL  story to: competitions@ballaratwriters.com

For queries email: competitions@ballaratwriters.com