Entries for the 2017 Australian Catholic University (ACU) Prize for Poetry are now welcome, with writers competing for the coveted $10,000 first prize.

The ACU Prize for Poetry will be awarded for outstanding poetry with the theme ‘Joy’, and will be presented on Thursday 31 August 2017 in Melbourne. Celebrated Australian poet Professor Chris Wallace-Crabbe AM will judge the prize.

Regarded as one of Australia’s most prolific and finest poets, Professor Wallace-Crabbe has published works spanning more than 60 years, dating back to 1955’s No Glass Houses. His talents have earnedaward recognition across seven decades, including the 1992 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Poetry Award, The Age 1995 Book of the Year, and ultimately becoming a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2011.

CLOSING 03/07/17

City of Rockingham Short Fiction Awards - Now Open

Davitt Awards - Crime Writing

Gem Street Dystopia Fiction Contest

Our newest International Short Story Competition is now open for submissions. We accept short stories containing a maximum of 3,500 words to be considered for our next 'Gem Street' anthology. The theme is Dystopia - please see our latest post on the News page for an in-depth overview.

CLOSING 10/06/17

Elyne Mitchell Rural Writing Award

Richell Prize for Emerging Writers (Hachette/Guardian)

CLOSING 03/07/17

The Scribe Prize

Now in its fifth year, The 2017 Scribe Nonfiction Prize is a unique development award to foster talented writers aged 30 and under writing longform work. Entries between 5,000 and 10,000 words are welcome across all nonfiction genres, including memoir, journalism, essay, and creative nonfiction.

The winner receives:

• a cash prize of $3000

• an editorial mentorship to develop their work

• a generous selection of new-release Scribe books tailored to their reading interests.

The shortlist will be selected by Elizabeth Flux (Editor of Voiceworks from 2013 to 2015, writer for Junkee, Metro, The Lifted Brow, Kill Your Darlings), Tim McGuire (Editorial Committee of Voiceworks from 2015 to 2016, writer for The Australian, Big Issue, Kill Your Darlings, The Lifted Brow, Going Down Swinging), Julia Carlomagno (Senior Editor, Scribe Publications) and Fiona Dunne (Creative Producer, Express Media). The winner will be selected by Scribe Publications.

CLOSING 10/09/17

Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition

CLOSING 31/07/17

Freelance Writing Jobs and Internships 

Editor, Screen Education Magazine

Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) is seeking an experienced editor to oversee the production of one of its two quarterly publications, Screen Education.

Screen Education is a partially refereed magazine written by and for teachers and students in primary and secondary schools in all curriculum areas, as well as some areas of tertiary study. It also publishes articles by educators, scholars and critics, and includes practical classroom ideas, lesson plans and activities, along with essays, study guides, updates on new technology, and digital resource reviews.

It is published by ATOM, an independent not-for-profit organisation promoting screen literacy and the study of media.

CLOSING 13/06/17

Executive Assistant and Office Coordinator - Footscray Arts Centre

The Executive Assistant and Office Coordinator is a critical administrative role at FCAC, working to support our staff and providing high-level assistance to the Director and CEO. This is a role with a focus on maintaining excellent relationships, and requires a high degree of initiative and discretion, as well as solid communication and organisational skills. It’s an ideal role for someone seeking mentorship through a career in arts management through high-level arts leadership exposure.

CLOSING 04/06/17

Following the inaugural offering in 2016, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is pleased to announce the 4A Emerging Writer’s Program that will support an emerging Australian writer to travel to the Pacific in September 2017 to realise two publication outcomes.

The 4A Emerging Writer’s Program is open to Australian students currently undertaking a degree at honours or postgraduate level in art, history or related fields of study at an Australian tertiary institution. This program will be rigorous and is specifically designed for tertiary students with a keen interest in fieldwork research in art and culture, and someone who can demonstrate a flair and passion for writing.

The selected writer will undertake a one-week research trip to a Pacific nation in September 2017. Facilitated by 4A and its networks, the writer will be asked to conceive and deliver two writing outcomes for publication in 4A Papers and Program supporter Art Monthly Australasia. This may include a critical essay, historical research, interview, review, profile, or feature with accompanying online audio-visual content.

The writer will be supported by the team at 4A and in particular by Pedro de Almeida, Editor, 4A Papers and Michael Fitzgerald, Editor, Art Monthly Australasia.

The 4A Emerging Writer’s Program has been developed as part of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art’s broader professional development program for early career arts professionals. Together with the annual 4A Beijing Studio Program and the biannual 4A Curators’ Intensive, the 4A Emerging Writer’s Program supports emerging Australian talent to work within the Asia-Pacific region.

Since 1917, the Authors League Fund has been helping professional writers and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health-related problems, temporary loss of income, or other misfortune.

Most of those we help suffer severe health problems but have inadequate insurance; some face eviction; many are older writers whose income has ceased through no fault of their own.

The Fund exists to help professional writers continue their careers, even their lives, with dignity by providing open-ended, interest-free, no-strings-attached loans to pay for pressing expenses.

The Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award is an annual grant of $1,500 for an emerging writer of color. An unpublished writer is preferred, although publication of one work of short fiction or academic work will not disqualify an applicant. This grant is intended to support the recipient in activities related to crime fiction writing and career development. She or he may choose from activities that include workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats; online courses; and research activities required for completion of the work.

Do you live in regional Victoria and would like to be a part of the Emerging Writers’ Festival 2017? Is there an exciting literary element in your home town that you would like to share to a national and international audience? This year the Emerging Writers' Festival has an opportunity for a regional Victorian writer to be a part of a cultural and literary exchange! The Emerging Writers’ Festival, Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, and Ibis Hotels are teaming up to send writers to Melbourne, Bali, and regional Victoria.

The regional Victorian writer will receive:
•An opportunity to connect with national and international writing communities, and the chance to showcase their own
•A weekend pass to the National Writers’ Conference valid for Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 June
•A ticket to the EWF Formal event on the evening of Saturday 17 June
•1 x double room for 2 nights over the conference weekend, 1 x parking space for 2 nights, 1 x complimentary breakfast to connect both writers
•The opportunity to have an article about their experience of the exchange and EWF17 published on the EWF blog.

Haven Foundation

CLOSING 31/10/17

Journalists ages 21 to 35 can apply for a fully funded conflict reporting seminar in Herzliya, Israel, organized by the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy. Participants will attend expert lectures, strategic tours of Israel and surrounding conflict zones and more.

NSW Writers' Centre Travel Grants

CLOSING 18/06/17

The Peter Blazey Fellowship was established to honour the memory of Peter Blazey - journalist, author and gay activist - and has been made available through the generosity of Clive Blazey and Tim Herbert, brother and partner of Peter Blazey.
Blazey was born in Melbourne in 1939 and worked for the Australian, the National Times and as a regular columnist for OutRage magazine. He published a number of books, including a political biography of Henry Bolte, and was co-editor of the short fiction anthology, Love Cries. His personal memoir, ScrewLoose, appeared after his death from AIDS in 1997.

The Peter Blazey Fellowship was launched by the Hon. Justice Michael Kirby in May 2004.
The Fellowship is awarded annually to writers in the non-fiction fields of biography, autobiography and life writing and is intended to further a work in progress. Applications will be judged on literary merit, and the winner will be supported in their work by a prize of approximately $15,000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre.

CLOSING 12/06/17

Artist-in-Residence Taipei is managed by the Department of AIR, Taipei Culture Foundation and operates in two places, Taipei Artist Village and Treasure Hill Artist Village. Secluded by a serene garden, with vibrant Taipei City as a backdrop for creativity, Taipei Artist Village provides freedom and opportunity for innovation in the making of visual art, music, architecture, literature, curatorial and cultural research, arts administration, interdisciplinary arts and performance art and fosters artistic and cultural exchange between Taiwan and the rest of the world.

CLOSING 09/06/17

Established in 1997 in memory of the artist Penny Meagher, the emphasis of the Windmill Trust Scholarship is to enable artists from regional NSW to be part of the professional art making community.

This scholarship provides assistance towards the cost of:
• exhibiting work such as framing, freight, space rental, promotion, artists’ fees, installation and documentation
• professional development and education
• independent artistic research or practice such as studio rental, material or labour costs
CLOSING 10/06/17

Best Australian Writing (Poetry, Essay, Fiction etc) Submissions Open

Returning for the 13th year, the annual fiction edition is one of the biggest-selling fiction magazines in Australia, and is a highlight of the publishing calendar.

As before, this exciting bumper edition will feature work from some of Australia's most loved writers, as well as a collection of open submissions that are judged "blind". Previous editions have featured work from writers like John Marsden, Christos Tsiolkas, Graeme Simsion, Maxine Beneba Clarke and AS Patric – to name a few. All writers are encourage to submit – of whatever age, whether established, emerging, or just keen to have a crack. We are looking for stories covering all genres – comedy, love stories, scifi, heartwarmers, crime stories and everything in between. Don't be afraid to try something a bit different. 

Entry is FREE, and every author published is paid $500.

Creative Non Fiction True Story Magazine

CLOSING 31/12/17

Submissions for Griffith Review 58: Storied Lives – The Novella Project V are open until May 22.

This year, the annual novella competition is open not only to fiction, but to works of long-form, creative non-fiction that explore the personal tales of those whose exploits have made a difference. The judges will be looking for novellas, memoir, biography and reportage, from family stories that resonate down the generations to individuals who forged breakthroughs, battled the odds and continue to shape and define the world; for narratives of those who intersected decisively with their times and left a trace that a beautifully written story can map.

Winners will share in a $25,000 prize pool. Submissions are to be made via the Griffith Review Submittable page, which contains the full terms and conditions of entry.

CLOSING: 12/06/17 (extended)

Pencilled In: Issue 2 "The Suburbs"

Pencilled In is a magazine dedicated to showcasing work by Asian Australian artists, and we are officially open for submissions for issue two. Its theme is "the suburbs", so you can interpret that however you like. As always, we're looking for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, visual art, graphic fiction, and everything in between. Do feel free to send through pitches as well. 

CLOSING: 30/06/17

Monthly Catch at Penguin

At Seizure, short-form work is living large. Flashers is the online home of Australian flash fiction.

Each week we publish work between 50 and 500 words that could be written in an hour and read in a minute. We are looking for short, sharp snippets of prose. But flash fiction is so much more than a quick-fix for the time-hungry wordaholic. Flash fiction attracts writers and readers for its peculiar challenges – and authors have to make every word count.

Accepted pieces will have an accompanying illustration by a volunteer artist that matches and complements the writing. Thanks to the Australia Council, we are able to pay our Flasher contributors $50 for each published piece.

Our theme this year is "The End". It is common to feel these days that we are in the end of times. Justifiable, given our current circumstances—it really seems like we are slouching towards the apocalypse. However, not many know, but the word apocalypse originally meant “truthful revelation. In an age where there is systematic silencing, we feel it is applicable. So, we encourage submissions to interpret this concept of “The End” and how it applies to almost every aspect of the human experience.

We are accepting literary non-fiction and fiction, interviews, poetry, flash fiction, visual art and photography. All submissions must be original and unpublished. We do not accept simultaneous submissions of written work.

If selected, we pay:
$75 for fiction & non-fiction
$50 for poetry, visual art, photography and flash-fiction

Restrictions on length:
2,000 words max for all fiction & non-fiction
50 lines for poetry
250 words max for flash-fiction

The theme of our spring 2017 issue is ‘Sprawl’, but you don’t have to stick to it. Our themes are a prompt more than anything else—a springboard to get the creative ideas flowing. Most of all, we just want good work. Our motto is…

—Themed work: good
—Good work: better
—Good themed work: BEST

sp spr spr spra spraw sprawl sprawllllllllllllllllllll

Welcome to the process of suburbanisation. Join the tour of Outer (Sub)Urban Car-mmunities. When the centre is no longer the centre, watch the rise of multiple, alternate centres: the geographic centre, the second centre, the CBD, the heartland. Leapfrog development—you’ve jumped over this landlock/you’re locked out of that land. The horizon’s been chased and followed and eaten up, pushed to the sidelines, pulled back and shot off into the distance. All you can do is watch on as you move your heart outwards, mismatch your socks, dream of a tube that sprints underneath you. All limbs are akimbo, spreadeagled to catch your fall. Feel the ground push up against every part of your body, the earth pulsing, pulse quickening, fingertips that stretch apart like a boat pushed away from its dock. The reef is dying, its whiteness widening, and soon there’s only rubble seen from space. On public transport they save room for cats, knees spread apart and open backpacks spilling contents across the aisle. The afternoon plods on, minutes refusing to pass.