For your perusal: freelance writing jobs, competitions, and places to publish.
Each month we scour the myriad opportunities out there and come up with a carefully selected list of competitions, fellowships, grants and jobs for you to browse. But this is just a slice of what's out there. Want more? Sign up to our Bloc Boost service, and have a personal, curated list of opportunities delivered to you.
Otherwise, you can also check out writing jobs or writing opportunities pages which are updated daily.
Writing Awards and Competitions
The John Marsden & Hachette Australia Prize
The John Marsden & Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers is an annual developmental award open exclusively to Australian secondary school students across the nation. The prize recognises excellence in three creative writing categories: fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
CLOSING 29/06/2018
The John Simkin Medal
To be eligible for the award, an index must be in print and must have been first published no longer than three years prior to the year in which the award is made. The index must have been compiled in Australia or New Zealand even though the text to which it refers may have originated elsewhere. The John Simkin Medal and certificate is presented to the indexer and the publisher receives a certificate.
CLOSING 29/06/2018
The 2018 Impress Prize
Impress Books is once again on the hunt for unpublished talent. Now in its 12th year, the prize was created to champion and nurture new voices. Winners of past prizes have gone on to sell rights across the globe, and those shortlisted have enjoyed multiple book deals with Impress. The prize is a publishing contract with Impress Books in both print and eBook, and a £500 advance.
CLOSING 29/06/2018
The Ros Spencer Poetry Prize 2018
A poetry contest from WA Poets Inc. for original and unpublished* poems of up to 60 lines with an open theme. First place prize is $701.
CLOSING 29/06/2018
North Street Book Prize
Submit one or more self-published books in these categories:
Mainstream/Literary Fiction
Genre Fiction
Creative Nonfiction & Memoir
Poetry (new!)
Children's Picture Book (new!)
One grand prize winner will receive $3,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $300 credit at BookBaby, and 3 free ads in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $450 value)
The top winner in each category will receive $1,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $300 credit at BookBaby, and one free ad in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $150 value)
One honorable mention in each category will receive $250
We will publish online excerpts (1,000-6,000 words) from all entries that win a prize, along with critiques from the judges
CLOSING 30/06/2018
AWP/ASSF Emerging Writers' Short Story Prize
The Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) / Australian Short Story Festival (ASSF) short story prize invites entries to the 2018 competition.
Prize:
—a ticket to the Australian Short Story Festival (ASSF) 19-21 October 2018 (Perth), accommodation for the duration of the festival and economy airfares to and from the festival
—a one-year annual membership to the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) and fully subsidised conference fees to attend the annual conference of the AAWP, where you are invited to read from your work. The editors at Meniscus will consider your work for publication.
CLOSING 30/06/2018
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize
The University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor's International Poetry Prize has been offered annually since 2014. The prize celebrates the enduring significance of poetry to cultures everywhere in the world, and its ongoing and often seminal importance to world literatures.The winner will receive AUD$15,000, and the runner-up will receive AUD$5,000. Entries can have a maximum length of 50 lines. Each entry of a poem will cost AUD$15 if submitted by 11:59pm GMT, 28 February 2018 and AUD$20 if submitted between 1 March and 30 June 2018. There are discounts for students.
CLOSING 30/06/2018
The Moth Short Story Prize
Every year, a single judge is asked to choose three winning stories to feature in the autumn issue of The Moth. This year’s judge is Kevin Barry. First place receives €3,000, second place receives a spot at a week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France plus €250 travel stipend.
CLOSING 30/06/2018
Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition 2018
The competition is open to new, emerging and established poets from any country. One of these winners will be the highest scoring manuscript entered by a debutant poet with no solo collection (full-length or chapbook) previously published. Up to 25 other entrants will be publicly listed as "highly commended".
CLOSING 30/06/2018
FAWQ Literary Competition
This annual competition has three categories: short story, for submissions up to 2000 words in length; flash fiction, for submissions up to 300 words in length, and poetry up to 40 lines. First place prize in each category is $200.
CLOSING 30/06/2018
AAWP/UWRF Emerging Writers' Prize
The winning entrant will receive a ticket to the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, including accommodation and $500 towards airfares, a one-year membership to the AAWP and a fully subsidised place at the AAWP's annual conference.
CLOSING 30/06/2018
The Caroline Jones Women in Media Young Journalists Award
This award recognizes tenacity and passion for the craft of journalism from young women working across rural and regional Australia. It seeks to immerse the award winner in an intensive experience of journalism, politics and government in Canberra.
The annual award will include:
- $2500 personal learning fund
- Travel and accommodation to Canberra for five nights
- National Press Club lunch attendance and question
- Mentorship from members of the Canberra Women in Media Committee.
The winner will spend time in a variety of Canberra and Press Gallery news rooms throughout the week.
CLOSING 1/07/2018
Byron Writers Festival Flash Fiction Competition
Write a 200-word short story that includes that includes the word ‘hope’.
The winner will receive a 3-Day Festival Pass
Two runners up will each receive a Sunday Pass
Top three entries will be published in our member magazine northerly, on our website blog and shared on social media
Top ten entries will be displayed throughout the 2018 Byron Writers Festival site
CLOSING 2/07/2018
Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award
The Nib recognises and celebrates quality research and writing across the country and encourages both emerging and established writers to submit works across all genres and subjects. Previous winners have included Helen Garner, Erik Jensen, Gideon Haigh, Mark Dapin and Tim Low. This year’s award program covers four categories: Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award $20,000, Nib Military History Prize, $3000, Alex Buzo Shortlist Prize, (six prizes of $1000 each), and the Nib People’s Choice Prize, $1000.
CLOSING 2/07/2018
2018 CHASS Australia Prizes
2018 will mark the fifth year of the annual CHASS Australia Prizes. Two prizes are being sponsored by Routledge (cash prize of $3,500 each): one for a non-fiction book/e-book that enriches Australian cultural and intellectual life, the second for ‘Distinctive Work’- an exceptional artistic performance, exhibition, film, television show, play, composition or practical contribution to policy. The third prize (cash prize of $2,000) is being sponsored by Future Leaders for a ‘Future Leader’, an individual under 30 years of age who is demonstrating leadership skill and potential in HASS. CHASS is sponsoring the fourth prize (cash prize of $500) for a student essay, exhibition, performance or project in any HASS area.
CLOSING 2/07/2018
Adelaide Plains Poets Inc. Poetry Competition 2018
1st, 2nd and 3rd place cash prizes, with a total prize pool worth over $700. Entries must in some way refer to the theme, 'Truth'.
CLOSING 6/07/2018
2018 Queensland Poetry Awards
Award categories include:
Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize
Val Vallis Award for an Unpublished Poem
XYZ Award for Innovation in Spoken Word
Philip Bacon Ekphrasis Award
Oodgeroo Noonuccal Indigenous Poetry Prize
Awards closing 6/07/2018; Oodgeroo Noonuccal Indigenous Poetry Prize closing 20/07/2018
The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers
The Richell Prize is open to unpublished writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction. The winner will receive $10,000 and a 12-month membership with Hachette.
CLOSING 9/07/2018
City of Rockingham Short Fiction Awards
Entries into the City of Rockingham Short Fiction Awards must be inspired by, drawn upon, or use the theme of the artwork "Two Children at Beach” by Delon Govender (2003), pictured below and on the entry form. Individual stories cannot be entered in more than one category, and must be original, unpublished, not have received an award in another competition, and not be under consideration elsewhere from the time of entry in awards until the official announcement of winners. Authors can submit up to three stories.
CLOSING 13/07/2018
Vallum Award for Poetry 2018
Vallum is accepting original and previously unpublished poetry submissions for the Vallum Award for Poetry 2018! The editors at Vallum are committed to enriching and continuing the tradition of poetry in the present day. We welcome submissions that deepen our understanding of what poetry is and can be. We encourage Indigenous writers, writers of colour, gender non-conforming writers, differently abled writers, LGBTQ writers, writers with mental or physical illnesses, and writers who are otherwise affected by structural inequality to submit their work for consideration. Submit up to 1-3 poems of maximum 60 lines each. The $25 entry fee covers 3 poems. You may submit more than once. Poems may be on any theme or subject, but must be original and not previously published. Begin each poem on a new page, use 12-point font and single spacing. 1st prize is $750, 2nd $250. Both 1st and 2nd prize-winning poems will be published in Vallum Magazine and on Vallum's website. Honourable Mentions may be selected and published but are not eligible for cash prizes.
CLOSING 15/07/2018
Albury City Short Story Award
Explore this year's theme of refuge - open your mind, think outside the box and see where the idea of refuge takes you. First prize is $1,000 cash plus great prizes for runners up.
CLOSING 18/07/2018
The 2018 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the 2018 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize. Major prize is $1000, and the shortlist and winner will be announced during the Daylesford Words in Winter festival, August 17 – 26, 2018.
CLOSING 20/07/2018
The 2018 ACU Prize for Poetry
Following the success of the Prize in previous years, the ACU Prize for Poetry will be awarded for outstanding poetry with the theme ‘Empathy.’ First place prize is $10,000, second place prize is $5000 and third place prize is $3000.
CLOSING 20/07/2018
Bronze Spur Award 2018
These awards were first competed for in 1997 and have been an annual event of the Drover's Camp festival since. Cash prizes and bronze spur trophies will be awarded to the best original written bush verse.
CLOSING 20/07/2018
Mona Brand Awards for Women Stage and Screen Writers
Nominations for the 2018 Mona Brand Award for Women Stage and Screen Writers are now open. The Mona Brand Award ($30,000) is awarded for a body of outstanding work displaying broad array and which has been widely performed or screened to critical acclaim. The Emerging Writer Award ($10,000) for a female writer who is in the early stages of her career, for her first work professionally produced or screened or broadcast between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2018.
CLOSING 20/07/2018
Ipswich Poetry Feast International Poetry Writing Competition
There are several categories, including open age - bush poetry, open age - other poetry, open age - local poets, and open age - picture Ipswich theme. Over $6000 available in prize money.
CLOSING 27/07/2018
National Playwright Competition 2018
It's back for 2018! The 17th year of the National ONE ACT PLAY Playwright Competition. Three finalist One Act Plays will be performed for three premiere performances on the 22nd to 23rd November.
CLOSING 30/07/2018
Write Around the Murray Nano Competition
Can you tell a tiny story in only 50 words? Take our nano challenge and test your talents. Write a story in 50 words exactly and include the word 'life' (or live, living, lived, lives, lively).
CLOSING 31/07/2018
The Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Prize 2018
The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Translated work is not in the scope of this competition.
CLOSING 31/07/2018
InkTears Flash Fiction Contest
For stories under 500 words in length. Winner will receive £250 and publication on the InkTears site.
CLOSING 31/07/2018
2018 Toolangi CJ Dennis Poetry Competition
Categories (prizes in brackets: (1st / 2nd / 3rd)
1. Open Poetry (Marian Mayne Prize: $250 / $150 / $100)
2. Open Short Story (CJ Dennis Society Prize: $250 / $150 / $100)
3. Poems written by adults for children ($250 / $150 / $100). There will also be a prize of $150 for the poem in this category chosen as the best by a group of local children.
4. Primary school students: preps to grade 6 ($30 / $20 / $10)
5. Secondary school students: years 7-12 ($50 / $30 / $20)
CLOSING 15/08/2018
Lane Cove Literary Awards
Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
Short Story Prize- $2,000
Theatre Script Prize - $1,500
Poetry Prize- $1,500
CLOSING 22/08/2018
The Elyne Mitchell Writing Award
Up to 2500 (fiction or non-fiction) words referencing an Australasian rural experience. 2018 Theme: 'Reach for the Stars - Strive for Excellence'
CLOSING 23/08/2018
SWWT Annual Short Story Competition 2018
Theme: 'Life Changing', word count between 1200 - 1500 words. First place receives $200, second place receives $50.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
Alice Sinclair Writing Competition
Category A: Poetry (free or traditional to 50 lines) – open theme.
Category B: Short Story (to 2,500 words) – open theme.
Prizes in each category: $100 + certificate for first[1]; $50 + certificate for second; certificates for any commended entries.
Eligibility: Open to all writers.
Limit: Maximum two (2) stories and/or two (2) poems per entrant.
Entry fee: $10 for each entry in each category.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
The 25th Scarlet Stiletto Awards
The Swinburne University Award: 1st Prize: $1500
The Simon & Schuster Award: 2nd prize: $1000
The Sun Bookshop Award: 3rd Prize: $500
The Fleurieu Consult Award for Best Young Writer (18 and under): $500
The Athenaeum Library ‘Body in the Library’ Award: $1000 ($500 runner-up)
International Association of Forensic Linguists Award: $1000 for Best Forensic Linguistics Story
The Every Cloud Award for Best Mystery with History Story: $750
Kerry Greenwood Award for Best Malice Domestic Story: $750
Writers Victoria Crime and Punishment Award: $660 (studio residency, Old Melbourne Gaol) for the Story with the Most Satisfying Retribution HarperCollins Publishers Award for Best Romantic Suspense Story: $500
Scarlet Stiletto Award for Best Financial Crime Story: $500
Clan Destine Press Award for Best Cross-genre Story: $500
Liz Navratil Award for Best Story with a Disabled Protagonist Award: $400
ScriptWorks Award for a Great Film Idea: $200
Closing date for the awards is 31 August 2018. Entry fee is $20 (Sisters in Crime members) or $25 (others). Maximum length is 5000 words. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Melbourne in late November.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
The 2018 Newcastle Writers Festival/joanne burns Microlit Award
The 2018 joanne burns Microlit Award is jointly sponsored by the Newcastle Writers Festival and publisher Spineless Wonders. We are looking for writing (up to 200 words) that responds imaginatively to the theme of ‘sound’. Judged by Cassandra Atherton. National and Hunter Region categories. First prize in each category will be $300. All finalist entries will be considered for publication in the Spineless Wonders microlit anthology, Shuffle, and selected entries will be included in Spineless Wonders’ multi-platform storytelling activities at the 2019 Newcastle Writers Festival.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize that celebrates excellence in Poetry and Short Fiction. With the aim to support and nurture new writing talent, it awards publication within an inspiring anthology to a shortlist of 60 writers, including a winner from each category. The winners are also presented with further opportunities to expand their literary careers: £1,000 cash prize each, a consultation with literary agency Redhammer Management, a Full Membership to The Poetry Society, a subscription to Granta and books courtesy of Bloodaxe Books and Vintage Books.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
FAW Tasmania 2018 Poetry Prize
For a poem of no more than 60 lines. First prize $150.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
Bette Olle Poetry Award 2018
Poems must be in traditional Australian bush verse with an Australian theme. Winner receives the Bette Olle Poetry Award and $500.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
Shore Scripts Competitions
Our mission is to discover new exciting screenwriting talent and help kickstart careers! We put each year’s best scripts into the hands our industry roster – all of whom have the experience and means to get your script made. There are three categories for scripts: Feature, with over $10,000 in prizes TV Pilot, with over $7000 in prizes and Short, with over $3000 in prizes We’ve amassed a roster of the most respected industry Judges of any screenwriting contest in the world. They include 40 Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy & Bafta winners, and 80 Prod Comps, Agents and Managers.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
FAW NSW Jean Stone 2018 Poetry Award
The Award is for a poem or group of poems up to 60 lines. The competition is open to all residents of Australia 18 years and over. First place prize is $500.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
FAW NSW Walter Stone 2018 Life Writing Award
The Award is for a Life Writing, defined as a work of biography, autobiography, memoir, monograph, bibliography. Biography and autobiography may be an extract to meet the word count requirements which is a minimum of 10,000 and a maximum of 25,000. The competition is open to all residents of Australia 18 years and over.
CLOSING 31/08/2018
The Black List & Warner Bros Australian Script Writing Opportunity
Warner Bros. Pictures, The Black List and Veerhuis Pictures have launched the inaugural Australian Script Writing Opportunity. Finalists for this opportunity will be considered for a two-step blind feature film writing deal as a part of this partnership with Warner Bros. and Veerhuis Pictures. To be considered for this opportunity, Australian screenwriters must host their script on blcklst.com for at least one week during the submission period, which opens on June 14, 2018. The evaluations deadline for this opportunity will be August 13, 2018, and the final deadline is September 13, 2018. After the close of the submission period on September 13, 2018, The Black List will determine a short list of writers and present them to Warner Bros. Pictures and Veerhuis Pictures. Warner Bros. Pictures will then announce the recipient(s), if any, of a blind script deal. If a writer is selected for a blind script deal, such writer will be engaged by Warner Bros. Pictures (or an affiliated entity) to write a new feature film script.
CLOSING 13/09/2018
The Horne Prize
Aesop and The Saturday Paper have been cultural partners since 2014, promoting the written word through an annual calendar of events. Together, they nurture writers of longform non-fiction through The Horne Prize, an essay award valued at $15,000. This year’s prize will be presented in early December for an essay of up to 3000 words, addressing some part of the theme ‘Australian life’ – shining light on a particular aspect of who we are, from a contemporary perspective.
CLOSING 17/09/2018
Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing 2018
Entries are now open for the 2018 New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing. In this, the sixth year of the Prize, there are six awards on offer for crime writers. All genres of crime writing are eligible, from hard-boiled to comic, paranormal to rural, historical to contemporary, noir to cosy. Entries welcome from anywhere in Australia, from published or unpublished writers.
CLOSING 30/09/2018
Positive Words Magazine End-of-Year Competition 2018
Open theme, short stories up to 500 words; poems up to 32 lines. Entry fee is $4.00. First prize is $100, second prize a twelve-month subscription to Positive Words Magazine.
CLOSING 31/10/2018
Residencies, Festivals, Fellowships and Funds
The Tara Hunt Fellowship
Our 1 Million Women Tara Hunt fellowship will offer a young woman the opportunity to undertake communications training to expand her skills and knowledge and bring those learnings back to 1 Million Women. It's a glorious four-week journey (broken up over 6 months - see dates below) with the 1 Million Women team to learn how to effectively communicate the challenges of climate change and encourage solutions.
CLOSING 22/06/2018
University of Sydney Library Printer in Residence Program
The University of Sydney Library calls for applications from suitably qualified printers and book artists for a residency of 8 weeks, to take place during semester 2, 2018. The residency is supported by payment of $5,000.C
CLOSING 24/06/2018
The Falling Walls Science Fellowship for Journalists
In an effort to keep the public informed on life-changing scientific breakthroughs, we have created the Falling Walls Fellowship for Journalists. It is aimed at journalists and bloggers with at least three years of experience, and who hope to advance their knowledge in the area of sciences. The Fellows get the opportunity to attend the Falling Walls Lab, Falling Walls Venture, the Falling Walls Conference as well as an additional programme in Berlin around 8 and 9 November 2018. The fellowship includes travel expenses (economy class), accomodation for 3 nights (organised by Falling Walls Foundation), conference fees and meals (breakfast at hotel, catering during the Falling Walls events).
CLOSING 24/06/2018
Katharine Susannah Pritchard Writers Centre Residencies
The KSP Writers' Centre is proud to support the development of literary work by hosting a number of annual residencies for writers. Each year, we offer placements in the categories of NextGen; Emerging; and Established.
Established applications closing 24/06/2018; emerging applications closing 29/07/2018; Next Gen applications closing 26/08/2018
The Peter Blazey Fellowship
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 25/06/2018
2018 MJ Bear Fellowship
Now in its eighth year, the MJ Bear Fellowship honors three rising stars in digital journalism — two fellows from the United States or Canada and one fellow from any other country. We’re looking for working journalists under 30 who are driving innovation in the industry. Fellows receive registration, travel and accommodations for ONA18 and the Online Journalism Awards Ceremony, Sept. 13-15 in Austin; recognition and speaking opportunity at ONA18; three online coaching sessions; and ONA membership, with three years’ dues paid in full.
CLOSING 29/06/2018
Aspiring Writers Mentorship Program
In its 22nd year, the mentorship offers an unpublished author of children's books the opportunity to work with a publisher to further develop their manuscript.
CLOSING 30/06/2018
National Library of Australia 2019 Creative Fellowships
The Library offers two fellowships for practising artists and writers to use the Library's diverse collections to develop new creative work. Applicants can be established or emerging, working in any art form or writing genre. Fellowship benefits include$10,000 towards travel and accommodation or project expenses, special access to Library collections, and staff expertise. We invite proposals for artistic and writing projects that demonstrate strong use of the Library's collections.
CLOSING 1/07/2018
The Dinny O'Hearn Fellowship
Established in 1994, the DJ (Dinny) O'Hearn Memorial Fellowship is a biennial award that offers a residency at the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne, to a young Australian writer of fiction, poetry or drama. The fellowship is awarded not less frequently than once every three years by the Council on the recommendation of the director of the Australian Centre to enable an Australian writer not exceeding twenty five years of age at the commencement of the fellowship to work on their own writing at the Centre. Each fellowship is to be of such period and value as Council on the recommendation of the director of the Australian Centre determines.
CLOSING 2/07/2018
The Wheeler Centre's Next Chapter
Each year, we’ll pick ten outstanding writers and give them $15,000 each to develop their work. We’ll match them with a mentor, and work closely with them on bringing their writing to life, connecting them with other writers, publishers, booksellers and readers – and guiding and training them through that experience. And we’ll follow and support them and their work through their career, with initiatives that’ll help publishers, booksellers and readers alike to join us in supporting these Australian stories.
CLOSING 13/07/2018
Creators Fund
The Creators Fund paves the way for independent creatives to take their practice and their careers to the next level by providing them with one of the most important and scarce resources - time. Open to individual creative practitioners and collectives across all disciplines, and at all career stages, the program supports artists and creatives to undertake a sustained period of intensive development, research and/or experimentation. Applications will be accepted for requests between $20,000 and $50,000 for a funded period between 3 months and 6 months of activity.
CLOSING 26/07/2018
The ABC Heywire Competition
The annual Heywire cycle begins with a storytelling competition - open to people aged 16-22, living in regional or rural Australia. Heywire encourages young people to tell stories about their life outside the major cities in text, photo, video or audio format. Over the past 17 years more than 9,000 young Australians have taken part.
Tell a story about an aspect of your life, where you live. When your story is ready, submit it by filling in our simple online entry form by September 16, 2018 to be in the running to win.
CLOSING 16/09/2018
Publications Seeking Submissions
Submit to StylusLit's September 2018 Issue
StylusLit is a bi-annual online literary journal, publishing poetry, short stories, creative non-fiction, interviews and reviews. StylusLit is currently accepting submissions for poetry only. Submissions will be accepted from 1st May to 30th June for the September 2018 issue. Send to info [AT] styluslit.com. Please read submission details on website to avoid disappointment.
CLOSING 30/06/2018
The Suburban Review Issue #11 Call for Submissions
We are open for submissions! #TSR11 has an open theme! Send us your heart's desire! There is a $2.50 US reading fee, but you get a 50% off coupon for any of our digital journals. And we pay published writers!
CLOSING 1/07/2018
Call for Submissions: Visible Ink Trace Edition
Visible Ink wants your words, your art, and your hot take on Trace — the theme of our thirtieth edition. An annual literary anthology, we are accepting submissions of fiction and non-fiction, poetry and visual art. All published contributors will be paid.
CLOSING 20/07/2018
Yale Drama Series 2019 Competition Call for Submissions
The Yale Drama Series is seeking submissions for its 2019 playwriting competition. The winning play will be selected by the series' current judge, Ayad Akhtar. The winner of this annual competition will be awarded the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000, publication of his/her manuscript by Yale University Press, and a staged reading at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theater. The prize and publication are contingent on the playwright's agreeing to the terms of the publishing agreement.
CLOSING 15/08/2018
Submit to the Australian Multilingual Writing Project
The first edition of the Australian Multilingual Writing Project will feature only poetry. Submissions are open to all multilingual people living in Australia regardless of visa status or citizenship. Multilingual Australians living abroad are also welcome to contribute. We are looking for poetry that mixes English with at least one other language.
CLOSING 17/08/2018
Foreshadow: A Serial YA Anthology
FORESHADOW: A Serial YA Anthology will be published monthly for a single year starting in January 2019 and ending December 2019, and will feature stellar YA stories from established and emerging authors. Each issue will feature three stories, one of which will be from a new voice specially selected by a beloved author. Our debut issue, Issue Zero, will be published in summer 2018 to coincide with our fundraising campaign. We are seeking original YA short stories.
CLOSING 1/09/2018
Threepenny Review
The Threepenny Review is one of the most well renowned and respected literary journals in America. They publish authors from all over the world, and many famous writers, both poets and fiction writers have been published in The Threepenny Review. The Threepenny review also pays very well. They pay $400 per short story and $200 per poem. This is a good amount of money for even a print journal to offer its contributors. It is far more than most literary publications offer.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Renaissance Magazine
Renaissance Magazine accepts the following unsolicited content related to the Renaissance and Middle Ages for consideration: Articles related to history, travel, Renaissance Faires, the SCA and related reenactment groups; Interviews with artists, artisans, performers, reenactors, and scholars; Book reviews (historical fiction and nonfiction are acceptable); and Music CDs and CD reviews. The average feature article is approximately 1,500 words. Features pay 10 cents/word. Columns of 500 to 1,000 words pay $50. Columns of 200 to 400 words pay $25.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Story Seed Vault
The Vault is an online periodical that adheres to the limitation of Twitter publishing. We consider all types of fiction with one condition – your story must be based on science.
OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS FROM THE 10TH - 24TH OF EVERY MONTH
Submittable Eclectic Essays
We’re always on the lookout for short, engaging essays. We tend to favor work about the life, work, and process of writing, publishing, visual art, or any other creative pursuit. We’re also interested in the interplay of the arts and tech, whether drawn from your personal experience, or from observations of the world at large. Often, though, we don’t know what we’re looking for until we see it, so feel free to send something our way that we might find to be unexpectedly perfect for our blog and readership.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
ACMI
We commission writing about film, television, video games, moving image art and the internet, including critical analyses and fresh perspectives about specific works and makers, “How to do it” guides by experts to inspire other makers, historical explainers of movements and phenomena, personal responses to moving image works, and interviews with moving image makers. We don’t commission evaluative reviews (like a film or game review with a star rating, etc). The writing should illuminate the work and help the reader to connect with it more deeply.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Overland Literary Journal
Overland accepts pitches on any subject on an ongoing basis, but they are currently looking for articles on: universal basic income, bitcoin, university management, Netflix algorithms, and Goodreads.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
The Lifted Brow
TLB publishes work on its website that fits into two categories: TLB Review of Books or Commentary, and we welcome pitches for both.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Masters Review
Submissions for our New Voices category are open year round. New Voices is open to any new and emerging author who has not published a work of fiction or narrative nonfiction of novel length. You must not have a novel forthcoming at the time of submission. Published short-story collections do not count as a novel-length work and those authors are free to submit. New Voices are published online only and will feature a number of stories from new authors each month.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Write for Archer
Archer publishes articles and images about sexuality, gender and identity from a diverse range of writers/artists, from all levels of experience.Archer is aimed at all individuals interested in sexuality, gender and equality. Archer promotes inclusivity, regardless of gender identity, geographical location, ethnic identity, sexual orientation or level of education.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Pitch to The Big Issue
We accept unsolicited material, if it is polished and fits the tone and style of the magazine, is clearly targeted at a particular section of the magazine and falls within the word counts relevant to a particular section. (For example 750 words for 'My Word' submissions or 1800 for a four-page feature; see the attached 'Word Counts' information box.)
Alternatively, writers can pitch story ideas by email first. To be considered, your pitch should explain which section of the magazine the story is intended for, be one paragraph long, contain a topic sentence, a sample introductory sentence and explain the story angle, writing tone, suggested word length, a list of possible interviewees (if appropriate) and whether or not photographs and/or illustrative material is available.
If your story is linked to a particular event (or date, or anniversary) you must pitch it at least two months before the event takes place. Important note: as a national publication, we are unlikely to accept stories that have a specifically local focus. If we like your idea, we will call or email you to discuss it further.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Earth Island Journal Submissions
Earth Island Journal is always looking for compelling and distinctive stories that anticipate environmental concerns before they become pressing problems, stories that scan the horizon for the next big issue. We want stories that will surprise, provoke, and entertain our readers and that explore new territory overlooked by other publications.
Our readership is international, so please don’t pitch stories on local issues unless they have broader (read: national or international) interest or implications. Please read through our magazine’s current and back issues (archives are available online) to get a better idea of the kind of stories we publish before you send a query.
We pay writers 25¢/word print stories. You can expect to earn about $750-$1000 for an in-depth feature story (about 4,000 words).
For online reports, the fee ranges from $50 to $100. Online reports are a great way to get into the Journal, especially if you are new to reporting and writing. We publish online five days a week and are always looking for fresh ideas.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Electric Athenaeum - Open Submissions
Electric Athenaeum is a Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine publishing short fiction, articles, poetry, and interviews. Each issue features an accompanying theme, and is available for free to readers. They are open to submissions for this issue’s theme, Future Generations, and consider any genre of speculative fiction. They pay £50 per story.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Forever Yours: Now Accepting Book Submissions
Forever is the romance imprint of Grand Central Publishing. Grand Central Publishing is an imprint of the Hachette Book Group, one of the big five publishers. Forever Yours is the digital sister of Forever, they focus on publishing unagented authors, and often publish authors without a publication history. They publish eBooks, but they an option to print on demand any book over 50,000 words in length.
Fairlight Books
Fairlight Books is currently open for literary submissions of short stories, novellas and novels. We are happy to accept submissions of longer fiction direct from authors.Fairlight Books is currently open for literary submissions of short stories, novellas and novels. We are happy to accept submissions of longer fiction direct from authors.
Walker Wednesday
Walker Wednesday allows budding authors to submit their manuscripts to Walker Books’ award-winning editorial team on the first Wednesday of each month. Walker Books is currently accepting submissions of middle grade and young adult fiction from Australian and New Zealand authors.
Monthly Catch at Penguin
Do you have a manuscript you would like Penguin to consider? Penguin Group have what’s known as the ‘Monthly Catch’. During the first week of every month, you can submit unsolicited manuscripts for their consideration.
Manuscript Monday - Pan Macmillan
On the first Monday of every month only, between 10am and 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, we accept electronic submissions that comply with the guidelines set out below.
Manuscript submissions sent on any other Mondays or day of the month will not be read so we advise you to wait until the next month if you miss the deadline.
We are looking for:
Commercial fiction – women’s fiction, romance, thriller, crime, historical, humour, paranormal, fantasy
Literary fiction and non-fiction – novels, short stories, and narrative non-fiction only
Children’s books and young adult – junior and middle grade fiction, young adult/crossover fiction; we are not accepting picture book submissions
Commercial non-fiction – history, memoir, mind body spirit, travel, health, diet, biography
Please familiarise yourself with what we publish. We do not publish scripts, plays or poetry in Australia and will not assess them.
Academic submissions are not accepted during Manuscript Monday.
Right Now
Right Now is committed to covering human rights issues in Australia through free, accessible, creative and engaging online, print and radio media.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Scum Mag
Scum is interested in publishing feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 1000 words (50 lines for poetry) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. They tend not to publish traditional reviews of books and films—to get a feel for the reviews they do publish, check the review tag. Feel free to pitch to them if you’re not sure if your piece is a good fit. (Please note that they don’t accept pitches for fiction or poetry.)
Submissions to Scum are open the first week (from the 1st to the 7th) of every month. The rest of the month, submissions are closed. They pay $60 per piece of writing.
Seizure - Flashers
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.
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Slice Magazine is open for submissions
SLICE magazine welcomes submissions for short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We’re looking for anyone with a fresh voice and a compelling story to share—basically any work that really knocks our socks off. At the core, Slice aims to bridge the gap between emerging and established authors by offering a space where both are published side-by-side. In each issue, a specific cultural theme becomes the catalyst for articles, interviews, stories, and poetry from renowned writers and lesser known voices alike. We offer all contributors to Slice a monetary award for their work ($250 for stories and essays and $75 for poems).
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
Never miss a freelance writing job or opportunity with Bloc Boost
Have you got something the community should know about? A job vacancy, competition or call for submissions? Upload it to our opportunities page!
Catherine Bouris
Community Manager at Writers Bloc, Founder of Young Australian Writers, @catherinebouris on Twitter