For your perusal: freelancing writing jobs, competitions, and places to publish.
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WRITING OPPORTUNITIES
UWRF/AAWP Emerging Writers’ Prize
chance to win a ticket to the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF), accommodation for the duration of the festival and $500 towards economy airfares. In addition, you will receive 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. In addition, the editors at Meniscus will
consider your work for publication.
Woolahra Digital Literary Award
A new national literary award supporting innovation in Australian literature, the Woollahra Digital Literary Awardseeks submissions of a literary nature that are digitally born – published in the first instance online or in electronic form.
Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency Australian Writers’ Prize
UK literary agency Madeleine Milburn is looking for a great unpublished Australian writer who can amaze with an incredible voice, writing, and premise. The prize is open to adult fiction in all genres, to any unpublished Australian writers without representation. The top three entries will be shortlisted, with the winner receiving an offer of representation from the agency. All three shortlisted entries will receive a comprehensive editorial report. Entries must include a pitch letter including author bio and contact details, a one-page synopsis, and full manuscript. Email entries and queries to [email protected].
CLOSING 31/05/17
Elyne Mitchell Rural Writing Award
The Elyne Mitchell Rural Writing Award commemorates internationally renowned Silver Brumby author Elyne’s life and work, and hopes to encourage women all over Australasia to write their stories and send them in. Up to 2500 words referencing an Australasian rural experience. 2017 Theme: ‘Local Stories, People, Places and Events’. Fiction or Non-Fiction: Open Category – $15 per entry- 1 x $1000 prize money. Upper Murray Writers Category – $10 per entry – Open to residents of Towong, Tumbarumba and Indigo Shires – 1 x $500 prize money. Non fiction “bonus” $100 Dymocks Voucher.
CLOSING 17/08/17
Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize
As an Australian poet, your contribution shapes our Australian culture.
None believed this more so than Emeritus Professor Bruce Dawe AO, one of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary poets. Professor Dawe believed that universities should support the study of Literature and promote the Arts in Australian society. His decision to sponsor this prominent Literary Prize is ongoing, living proof of his conviction.This annual $2500 prize has been generously endowed by Emeritus Professor Dawe to celebrate Australian poetry.
CLOSING 12/05/17
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.
CLOSING 31/12/17
2024 Short Story Competition - Future
Seeking the best credible positive vision of life in 2024, in a satisfying narrative context. Entropy being what it is, all that we can create, without first imagining it, is a mess!
So. tell us a story we can believe in, about a world not far in the future where things are not perfect but getting better, not just for a few, but for humanity.
This is not easy to do, dystopias abound in all forms of fiction and “utopia” is pronounced with a sneer more often than not. But how will we avoid a horrible future if it is all we can imagine?
CLOSING 05/05/17
Jobs and Internships
ABC Women in Broadcast Scholarships
As an ABC Women in Broadcast Technology (WiBT) Intern, you will have an opportunity to apply the theory of your studies to develop an excellent understanding of technology and its use in the broadcasting industry. You will be based in a technical support team maintaining broadcast equipment.
CLOSING 07/05/17
Communications Manager - Walkley Foundation
The Walkey Foundation is looking for a Communications Manager. They will be responsible for developing and managing communications strategies across the Foundation including the Walkley Awards, our professional development program, social media, online platforms and The Walkley Magazine. They will also be constantly looking for opportunities for intelligent discussions about media, helping produce panels, discussions and debates around issues of importance to journalism, media and innovation.
CLOSING: 05/05/17
RESIDENCIES, FESTIVALS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Affirm Press Mentorship Award
Affirm Press and Varuna the National Writers House are pleased to announce that applications for the Affirm Press Mentorship Award are open online.
Now in its third year this creative partnership offers up to three writers developing exceptional new work the opportunity to work with the Affirm Press publishing team while in residence at Varuna in the Blue Mountains NSW.
CLOSING: 19/05/17
Disney / ABC Writing Program (Los Angeles)
For over 25 years, the Disney | ABC Writing Program has been lauded as one of the most successful writer programs in the entertainment industry. The one-year program is the only program of its kind sanctioned by the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW). The program has launched the careers of many writers, including: Maria Jacquemetton (Mad Men); Jane Espenson (Once Upon A Time); Saladin K. Patterson (Psych); Bryan Oh (Chicago Fire); George Mastras (Breaking Bad); and Veena Sud (The Killing).
Created in 1990 in partnership with the WGAW, the Disney | ABC Writing Program is based in Los Angeles and is widely recognized as one of the entertainment industry’s most coveted writing programs.
CLOSING 31/05/17
Playwriting Australia – Seeking Stageplays
Playwriting Australia is seeking original plays. They approach the selection of plays with care and precision. It is a multi-stage process that involves a number of different readers assessing plays across a detailed list of criteria. It is a process that also allows for readers to be in conversation with them and with each other, ensuring quality control of readers' responses.
They believe terrific new writing must be produced and they do this reading to give playwrights opportunities to develop and/or showcase their best new plays in order to see the work reach production.
All plays submitted to Playwriting Australia are read in their entirety.
Submissions are ongoing.
PUBLICATIONS/ORGANISATIONS SEEKING SUBMISSIONS
Griffith Review 58: Storied Lives - The Novella Project V
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: 22/05/17
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
Yankee Magazine - Pitch
Yankee welcomes freelance submissions in the areas of home, travel, food, and non-fiction editorial. They are not currently accepting poetry, fiction, or cartoons. Both manuscripts and queries should include a small collection of clips of your other work. Manuscripts should additionally be accompanied with a short cover letter.
CLOSING 31/05/17
Veronica Literary Magazine
Veronica is an online literary magazine, started in 2016 by creative writing students at QUT.
They will be regularly publishing a wide range of content, including fiction, memoir, poetry, and art. Producing something different? Send it their way!
They seek complex representations of all women and non-binary folk. So, if that’s your jam, send them your pieces! They are on the hunt for pieces up to 2,000 words for fiction, memoir, non-fiction, etc. Poetry should be up to 60 lines, or a suite of three shorter, related, poems. They would love to see your art, comics, illustrations, graphics, etc. and guidelines are flexible, so if you’re an artist send them an email and you can chat about it!
Send your submissions to: [email protected] with “fiction”, “memoir”, “poetry”, “comic”, etc. in the subject line. Submissions are open now!
They are currently unable to pay contributors, but will provide critiques and feedback to all submissions.
Submissions are ongoing.
CLOSING 01/06/17
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.
Uneven Floor (poetry)
Uneven Floor, an independent poetry publication based in Perth, Western Australia, is seeking poetry submissions for its online magazine.
Unpaid, editors ask that writers read their website thoroughly to get a feel for their tone before submitting. Ongoing.
Voiceworks Magazine - Longform Submissions
Australia's premier youth literary journal is branching out beyond their usual 3000 word upper limit and seeking longform submissions.
"We are open to self-contained works to be published in a single issue, as well as episodic stories suited to serialised publication across multiple issues. We encourage submissions of various fiction styles, be that ‘literary’, genre (sci-fi, mystery, historical, etc.), and work that blurs the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction. We will, naturally, smile upon funny writing, and work that experiments with style and form.
We are not looking for fanfiction, hard-boiled crime, romance, screenplays, play scripts or children’s literature."
The successful submission will receive $300.
CLOSING: 14/05/17
The Wrong Quarterly
The Wrong Quarterly are a London-based journal who publish "inventive" works of nonfiction, life writing and essays up to 5,000 words and fiction up to 6,000 words. Submissions are accepted from both British and international writers. Ongoing.
Right Now
Right Now is committed to covering human rights issues in Australia through free, accessible, creative and engaging online, print and radio media. Creative writing is a great way to explore human rights in Australia: from poetry to flash fiction to long and short pieces. Ongoing.
This post was sponsored by an our Patron Angie Holst – thank you Angie! If you'd like to help support the next generation of Australian writers, check our our Patreon page.
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