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 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize
The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is an annual award for adventure writing. This award is split into two separate categories – a prize for the best published adventure novel and a prize for the best unpublished manuscript by a debut author submitted for consideration.
CLOSING 12/03/18
Woollahra Digital Literary Award
Seeking submissions of a literary nature that are published online or in electronic form, in fiction and non-fiction categories.
CLOSING 12/03/18
Nelligan Prize
The Nelligan Prize is offered annually. The winner receives a $2,000 honorarium and the story is published in the fall/winter issue of Colorado Review.
CLOSING 15/03/18
The Stringybark Short Story Award 2018
Each year, around Christmas time, we run our annual open short story award. We accept any theme and any genre but there are three stipulations. Firstly, your story has a link, no matter how tenuous, to Australia. Secondly it is written for an audience over sixteen years of age. Finally it is no more than 1500 words in length. The prize value for this competition is over $1175 in cash and books thanks to the generous support of Corporate Keys.
CLOSING 18/03/2018
Peter Carey Short Story Award 2018
Moorabool Shire Council along with local writers Jem Tyley-Miller and Wayne Marshall are proud to announce the 2018 Peter Carey Short Story Award. The award is for short stories between 2000 - 3000 words, and is open to all Australian residents. The winning entry receives $1000, while the runner-up wins $500. First and second prized stories will also be published in the Spring 2018 issue of Meanjin. Both stories will receive Meanjin's standard contributor fee for their work. An extract from the winning story will also appear in The Moorabool News.
CLOSING 26/03/2018
Verse & Short Story Competition at the Henry Lawson Festival
The Verse and Short Story competition is a highly regarded literary element of the Henry Lawson Festival. There are multiple classes for various ages and abilities in both verse and short story. Judging is by impartial, highly regarded authors and performers, and presentations will be made at the Saturday evening Awards ceremony.
CLOSING 29/03/2018
The Ethel Webb Bundell Literary Awards
There are poetry and short story competitions, both with a $400 prize for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third. Entry fees apply.
CLOSING 30/03/2018
The Brian Dempsey Memorial Poetry Competition
The competition opens on 1st January 2018 and the closing date for entering poems is 31st March. The competition will be judged anonymously by Janice and Dónall Dempsey. Prizes: 1st Prize: £75 plus publication of a 30 page pamphlet and 10 copies. 2nd Prize £50 3rd Prize £25. All shortlisted and winning poems will be published in our 2018 Anthology, along with selected poems by invited poets. All the contributors will receive a copy of the book when it's published and launched on July 2nd 2018. Poems may be of any length and on any subject. They should not have been published before, online or in print.
CLOSING 31/03/18
2018 KYD Unpublished Manuscript Award
The KYD Unpublished Manuscript Award is open to writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction, and seeks to support writers in the development of their unpublished manuscripts. The winner will receive $5000 in prize money and a mentorship with KYD’s Rebecca Starford (non-fiction) or Hannah Kent (fiction).
CLOSING 31/03/18
W B Yeats Poetry Prize
Open theme poetry competition open to Australian residents. Poems can be up to 50 lines long. There is a $500 prize for first place, and an $8.50 entry fee for the first poem entered and $5.50 for each poem thereafter.
CLOSING 31/03/2018
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
Now in its 17th year, this contest seeks today's best humor poems. No fee to enter. Submit published or unpublished work. $2,250 in prizes.
CLOSING 1/04/18
2018 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
Australian Book Review welcomes entries in the 2018 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize, one of the world’s leading prizes for an original short story. The Jolley Prize is worth a total of $12,500. Entry is open to anyone in the world who is writing in English.
CLOSING 10/04/18
Monash Undergraduate Prize for Creative Writing
Monash University in collaboration with the Emerging Writers’ Festival is proud to present the Monash Undergraduate Prize for Creative Writing, a prestigious prize for emerging literary voices. Now in its seventh year, the Prize is a significant literary award for new and emerging writers. The prize is open to both Australian and New Zealand university students, enrolled in either an undergraduate or honours degree. All types of creative writing will be accepted, including short stories, non-fiction narrative and narrative verse.
CLOSING 15/04/2018
The Rachel Funari Prize For Fiction 2018
The Rachel Funari Prize for Fiction is a themed fiction competition open to all women, female-identifying and non-binary writers. The theme of the 2018 competition is ‘Metamorphosis’, with a focus on women’s stories. We’re looking for creative, insightful fiction up to 2000 words that addresses the theme in any way.
All entries must be original pieces of writing of up to 2000 words that engage with the theme, previously unpublished, unperformed, and not entered into any other competition, written by Australian residents, and written by women, female-identifying or non-binary writers.
CLOSING 20/04/2018
Sutherland Shire Literary Competition
Australian residents over 18 years of age are invited to submit their individual, original works in the following categories: traditional verse, free verse, and short story. Three prizes are offered in each category, starting with a first place prize of $1000. At the judge’s discretion, a separate Shire Resident’s Prize of $250 may be also awarded for the best entry in each category from a Shire resident not winning another prize in that category.
CLOSING 30/04/18
Alan Marshall Short Story Award
Australian writers are invited to enter the 33rd Alan Marshall Short Story Award (AMSSA). The award celebrates the art of writing and honours the life and work of Australian literary icon, Alan Marshall. The 'open' category is open to writers living in Australia who are over the age of 18, and the entry fee is $20. The grand prize consists of $2,000, mentoring with the mentor of your choice through Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and an annual ASA membership.
CLOSING 30/04/18
The Silver Gull Play Award
subtlenuance is pleased to announce that entries are now open for the 2018 Silver Gull Play Award. The Silver Gull Award recognises an outstanding play by a local writer that explores philosophical or political themes. The aim of the award is to encourage interest in theatre that both offers insight and encourages action. This year the total prize money for the award will rise to $5000. The winning playwright will receive $3000 and the remainder of the prize pool will be split evenly between the shortlisted writers.
CLOSING 30/04/18
The Questions Writing Prize
The 2018 Questions Writing Prize aims to recognise and reward talented writers aged 18 to 30 years. The writing can be fiction or non-fiction and on any topic, with a word length from 1500 to 2000.The prize for the best writing submitted is $2,000. The winner of the Questions Writing Prize will have their work published in a book and a forthcoming issue of Questions.
CLOSING 1/05/2018
Griffith Review 62: All Things Equal – The Novella Project VI
Submissions are now open for Griffith Review’s annual novella competition. Winning entries will share in a $25,000 prize pool and will be published in Griffith Review 62: All Things Equal – The Novella Project VI (to be published 29 October 2018). Entry fee is $30 for subscribers and $60 for non-subscribers.
CLOSING 21/05/18
The Banjo Prize
HarperCollins is excited to announce the establishment of a new fiction prize, The Banjo. We’re looking for exciting new Australian voices telling the sorts of stories that we love to read – from sweeping family sagas and lush romances to dark and gritty crime, twisty psychological thrillers, rich historical dramas and contemporary romantic comedies. We’re looking for stories that make us laugh and make us cry. Stories that keep us reading late into the night. Stories that make our pulse race. Stories we just can’t put down.
The Banjo will be offered annually and will be open to all Australian writers of fiction, offering the chance to win a publishing contract with HarperCollins, with an advance of $15,000. In partnership with News Regional Media, two runners-up will each receive a written assessment of their manuscript from HarperCollins.
ENTRIES OPENING 23/03/2018, CLOSING 25/05/2018
Grieve Writing Project
Open to Australian residents over the age of 18, writing on the topic of grief. Word limit for prose is 500 words, and the limit for poetry is 36 lines. There is a prize pool of over $8500, and winning entries will be published in an anthology.
CLOSING 28/05/2018
The Australian/Vogel's Literary Award
Offering prize money of $20,000 plus publication by Allen & Unwin with an advance agains royalties, The Australian/Vogel's Literary Award is one of Australia's richest and the most prestigious award for an unpublished manuscript by a writer under the age of thirty-five.
CLOSING 31/05/2018
The Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize
Open to Australian residents over the age of 18 with a first place prize of $2500.
CLOSING 1/06/2018
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 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
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
Residencies, Festivals, Fellowships and Funds
The Copyright Agency's Publisher Fellowships
The Copyright Agency's Publisher Fellowships provide leadership, professional development, and career enhancing opportunities for people working in the Australian publishing industry.
CLOSING 15/03/18
HARDCOPY, Professional Development Program for Australian Writers
Established in 2014, HARDCOPY is a national professional development program that helps build the capacities, aptitudes and resources emerging Australian writers need to reach their potential. By creating an environment that is educative, vigorous and nurturing, HARDCOPY helps writers develop their manuscripts; increases industry knowledge; facilitates relationships between writers and publishing professionals; and breaks down the barriers of location and geography.
In 2018 the program will focus on fiction manuscripts. HARDCOPY does not specifically aim to have its participants achieve publication as a direct and immediate result of the program. Rather, HARDCOPY focuses on manuscript development; education about how the Australian publishing industry works; and building connections and relationships within the industry/writing community. Any publication outcomes that may occur because of the program are considered an added bonus.
CLOSING 16/03/18
Expressions of Interest for the 2018 Queensland Poetry Festival
QPF is Australia’s foremost festival for the poetic arts. They are currently seeking expressions of interest (EOIs) from emerging and established poets working in any form or genre, writers, performers, musicians, cross-disciplinary artists, academics and more, to feature in the 2018 Festival Program. Check out last year’s program for the kind of events we usually program, but also feel free to suggest something entirely out-of-the-box or experimental. To submit your expression of interest, please complete the online form. Be sure to read the form thoroughly to ensure you are responding to the thematic statement.
CLOSING 23/03/2018
Iowa City Residency
The Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature Office is looking for EOIS from Victorian writers who want to appear at this year’s Iowa City Book Festival, where you will be a guest and a participant! The selected recipient will receive flights, accommodations and $1000 towards other travel expenses.
This funding is available to individuals, not organisations, and applicants must be Victorian residents working in the literary sector impacting Melbourne as a City of Literature.
CLOSING 26/03/2018
Edinburgh Exchange
The Edinburgh Exchange is a chance for literary programmers from the Edinburgh and Melbourne Cities of Literature to share skills, ideas and opportunities. Hosted in August 2018 by Edinburgh, and in 2020 by Melbourne, selected programmers will be able to exchange knowledge, build international ties, see a range of shows and explore the industry. The selected recipients will receive $4000 towards travel expenses as well as the opportunity to billet with an Edinburgh Representative.
As part of the trip, visiting programmers will have the opportunity to: discuss best practice with other literary programmers see venues, events, and have the opportunity to network at the Edinburgh International Book Festival — the largest of its kind in the world — as well as the Edinburgh Fringe and International Festivals.
Please note this funding is available to individuals not organisations and applicants must be Victorian residents working in the literary sector impacting Melbourne as City of Literature.
CLOSING 26/03/2018
Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship
The Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship, made possible by the Australian Antarctic Division in association with the Australian Network for Art & Technology, enables people from the creative community to experience Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic, and Australia’s activities in these locations, so that they may communicate this unique experience and understanding to others.
CLOSING 28/03/2018
Emerging Indigenous Writers Fellowship
In 2018 Eureka Street is partnering with IndigenousX to offer the Margaret Dooley Young Writers Fellowship to an Emerging Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Writer. The Fellowship will provide a unique opportunity for an emerging Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander writer with an interest in current events, ethics and social justice to work with the editors of Eureka Street and IndigenousX, to produce 12 columns (six per platform), paid upon publication at $200 per article. At the end of the fellowship, there will be opportunities to contribute to Eureka Street and IndigenousX on an ongoing basis.
CLOSING 31/03/2018
The Kerouac Project
The Kerouac Project provides four residencies a year to writers of any stripe or age, living anywhere in the world. Each residency consists of approximately a three-month stay in the cottage where Jack Kerouac wrote his novel Dharma Bums. Utilities and a food stipend of $1,000 are included.
CLOSING 16/04/18
Copyright Agency's IGNITE Grants
IGNITE grants support individuals working in the writing, publishing and visual arts sectors to develop skills and progress their careers. They support projects which provide opportunities to individuals in the writing, publishing and visual arts sectors to acquire knowledge, to undertake mentorships, internships, residencies, leadership opportunities, and strategic promotional opportunities. The grants are not intended for academic study/purposes and cannot be used towards a degree or tertiary qualification.
These grants are open to individual writers, visual artists, and those working in the publishing industry. Applicants must have had work previously published/exhibited or some experience working in the publishing industry.
CLOSING 20/04/2018
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 24/06/18; emerging applications closing 29/07/18; Next Gen applications closing 26/08/18
Publications Seeking Submissions
Scribe Publications
We are a trade-publishing house (that is, we publish books for general readers that are made available nationally and internationally through the book trade). Accordingly, we only consider proposals for books of this nature. We are generally interested in literary fiction and serious non-fiction.
CLOSING 31/03/18
Underdog
Underdog is the first #LoveOzYA short story anthology for unpublished Australian writers. We are seeking submissions from Australian young adult fiction writers of all ages. At Underdog, we are dedicated to providing unpublished writers with a platform for their stories, as we believe there are too many brilliant tales that never get told, too many voices that go unheard. The selected short stories will be published in an anthology by a local independent publisher in 2018 and authors will receive sales royalties.
CLOSING 15/04/2018
ZineWest 2018
We want to read your best short works of prose, poetry, drama, cartoon. You need to be at least 16 years old and not yet had a sole author trade publication. ZineWest gives you a great chance of being print published or invited to ZW Word – a spoken word comp with prizes. If you are an artist, we’d love to hear from you too – we publish art by around 10 visual artists in the zine. This competition is open to those who live in Western Sydney, and the first place prize is $400.
CLOSING 27/05/2018
Call for Submissions: Growing up African in Australia
Black Inc is looking for first-person pieces about growing up as a member of the African diaspora in Australia. These can be in any manner, tone or style, but we are not looking for scholarly works. They are particularly interested in pieces that defy, question or shed light on the many stereotypes that currently exist about our vibrant extended community.
The collection will be edited by Maxine Beneba Clarke, editor of The Best Australian Stories 2017, with curatorial assistance from Ahmed Yussuf and Magan Magan.
Submissions should be between 1000 and 3000 words, and must be received by Friday 1 June 2018. Late entries will not be accepted. Please email submissions to [email protected] as attached Word documents. Final selection will be made in July 2018 and successful contributors only will be notified by email. Enquiries should be addressed to Erin Sandiford: [email protected].
CLOSING 1/06/2018
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.
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 ONGOIN
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 ONGOIN
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 of Slice a monetary award for their work ($250 for stories and essays and $75 for poems).
SUBMISSIONS ONGOING
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Catherine Bouris
Community Manager at Writers Bloc, Founder of Young Australian Writers, @catherinebouris on Twitter