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Competitions

Champagne_200As the saying goes, ‘You’ve got to be in it, to win it!’ and
winning a major literary competition will not only boost your
writing career and massage your ego, it may come with some
decent prize money. Smaller competitions can be equally
rewarding as they not only give you something to aim for,
but encourage you to meet deadlines and to place your work
in the public arena.

 On our Competitions Listing page you'll find a large range of
opportunities for writers whether you're a beginner or an old
hand. The page is updated regularly. For more major awards and prizes, please check our Opportunities page.


To avoid competition fatigue … 

  • enter selected competitions that fit with your style or genre
  • enter only your most outstanding work … ‘good enough is rotten’ – Gwen Harwood
  • redraft, rework, polish … then do it again
  • if you think your work is up to it, don’t be afraid to enter high-profile contests
  • originality, or an entry which moves beyond the obvious themes, will often catch a judge’s eye
  • try and be upbeat – avoid too much doom and gloom – as judges, despite rumours, are human and read a large number of entries, quite a few of which will fall into the mildly depressing or self-indulgent category
  • keep accurate, up-to-date records of all competitions entered
  • if you win a competition that doesn’t wish to publish your work you can send the same piece to a publisher

Writing competitions have proliferated since the advent of the internet and not all of them are genuine:

  • be wary of competitions asking for hefty entry fees but offering small prizes
  • the Australian Society of Authors suggests that a $5 fee for prize money over $1,000 is acceptable
  • the ASA provides a set of guidelines free on their website
  • the results should be made public
  • the judges should be listed on the entry form
  • if publication is part of the deal make sure that you’re not signing away your copyright under the conditions of entry
  • make sure that you have all of the organiser’s contact details and caution is advised if the address is a PO Box

Dogged perseverance often pays off … as many of our members will attest. Good luck!