Society of Women Writers

CLOSING DATE	COMPETITION	DETAILS	GENRE
29 February	The Down Under Essay Competition	Creative Nonfiction, in association with Tashmadada, seeks new essays for a special “Australia” issue. It's looking for a variety of perspectives?from locals, expats, tourists, or anyone else?and will consider essays of all forms and focuses as long as Australia’s landscape, people, and/or culture are prominently featured, the stories are true, and submissions are previously unpublished. The Writers Conversation is sponsoring two cash prizes - $6,500 for Best Essay and $2,500 for Best Essay by an emerging Australian Writer. See details at https://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/submittocnf.htm#Australia	Essay
2 March	Ada Cambridge prizes for prose and poetry	The Williamstown Literary Festival (May 4-6) is now accepting entries for the Ada Cambridge prizes for prose and poetry (formerly Seagull’s poetry prize). The winners will receive $1000 for prose and $300 for poetry. Please go to http://www.willylitfest.org.au/ for terms and conditions.	Prose and poetry
4 March	Twisted Stringybark Short Story Award 2012	Nothing entertains a reader more than a good short story with a nifty twist at the end. Stringybark Stories is delighted to invite all writers to enter their best work in the Twisted Stringybark Short Story Award 2012. The maximum word length is 1500 words; it must have some link to Australia (no matter how tenuous); and it must have a twist in the tail! There is over $500 in prizes available, cash, plus publication for place-getters and highly commended stories. There is an entry fee of $9.75 (discounts for multiple entries). For details go to http://www.stringybarkstories.net/The_Stringybark_Short_Story_Award/Home.html	Short story
5 March	The MJA Dr Eric Dark creative writing prize	Do you have a secret and long-stifled creative side? Do medicine and writing somehow go hand in hand for you? In partnership with Varuna, the Writers’ House, the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) is launching a creative writing competition, open to all practising and retired doctors, and medical students. Creative pieces of up to 1500 words, grounded in health or medicine and based loosely on the topic “Splendid Isolation”, will compete in two categories. Details at http://www.doctorswho.com.au/?p=92	Prose
13 March	The City of Rockingham Castaways Poetry Prize	Visit the Castaways Web Gallery here to view images of entries from previous exhibitions. All entered poems must be inspired by, drawn upon, or using the theme of, images in the Castaways Web gallery. Send a maximum of 3 poems, attached to an email to castaways@rockingham.wa.gov.au with “POETRY SUBMISSION: Your Title” as the subject line. Include your name, address, number, email, and the title & line counts of your poems. Do not include your details on your entered poems. Poems must be no longer than 24 lines and must be original, unpublished, not have received an award, and not be under consideration elsewhere. For more info contact Lee Battersby on 9528 0386 or lee.battersby@rockingham.wa.gov.au	Poetry
16 March 2012	Voiceless Writing Prize	The Voiceless Writing Prize sponsored by Australian Ethical Investment is one of the most lucrative short story and non-fiction competitions in Australia, awarding a total prize pool of over $20,000. Open to Australian citizens 18 and over, the Prize invites fiction and non-fiction pieces of 5-10,000 words, published or unpublished. Entries must focus on animals produced for food or found in the Australian environment. For details go to http://www.voiceless.org.au/About_Us/Media_Releases/Lucrative_new_writing_prize_to_advance_animal_protection.html	Short Story and Non-fiction
17 March		The Bundaberg Writers’ Club Short Story Competition : 1st prize $300, 2nd prize $100. Entry fee $5 per entry or $20 for five. Open theme. Max 2500 words. For details go to http://bundywriters.com/short-story-competition/	Short Story
30 March	8th Kathleen Julia Bates Memorial Writing for Children Competition	Open only to Australian writers, this competition is for the first chapter (to 2,000 words) of a chapter book suitable for readers up to the age of 10 years. Subject matter is open. Include a title page with the story title, word count and writer’s name and full contact details, including email address. No CVs. No limit on number of entries. First prize is $150; the two runners-up will each receive $50. All entrants will receive results, provided they send a stamped, self-addressed envelope with entry/ies. Entry fee is $10 per manuscript: cash, money order or cheque (payable to Di Bates). Payment can be made online (apply to dibates@pacific.net.au for details). Send manuscript/s, payment and SSAE to Di Bates, PO Box 2116, Woonona East NSW 2517.	First chapter of a book
31 March 2012	Charlotte Duncan Award for Children's Writing	Celapene Press invites entries for the Charlotte Duncan Award for a short story for young readers aged 9-12 years. This award has been established in the memory of Charlotte Duncan to raise funds for the neo-natal unit at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital. 1st prize - $75, 2nd prize - $50, 3rd prize - $25. Winning and commended entries will be published on the Celapene Press website. Cost: $9.90 per story. For entry form and guidelines go to http://www.celapenepress.com.au/	Short story for children
31 March	The Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing 2012	First prize for the piece of non-fiction writing that best communicates science to a general audience will, in 2012, be $7000. Two runners up will each receive a prize of $1500. Winning entries will be included in NewSouth’s anthology, The Best Australian Science Writing 2012. For detail and entry form go to http://newsouthpublishing.com/scienceprize	Science writing




	Back to the top	Competitions April - December 2012