For your perusal: jobs, competitions, and places to publish. Find something in this list to help bring you inspiration, fame and fortune. Also, remember to bookmark our new Opportunities page for the most recent jobs and comps around. 

WRITING OPPORTUNITIES

WRITING OPPORTUNITIES

Writers Bloc Workshop Competition

We think it’s important to invest in literature, and in the future of Australian writers in particular. To that end, each month, we curate, edit, illustrate and publish a selection of original creative writing— and pay the writer professional publishing rates. 

Each month, we will choose one short story, poem, or otherwise brilliant piece of writing to be our Bloc Feature. The Writers Bloc team of professional editors, teachers and award-winning creative writers will then work with you to polish the piece and publish it along with specially commissioned cover art. A little like this.

Best of all, we’ll pay you for the story, and include you in our end-of year-anthology of creative writing.

If you’re interested, all you have to do is upload a completed draft of your story to our Workshop section, and join in our community of creative writers.

 

The KYD New Critic Award

This award will assist the vocational development of an early-career critic. It is open to critics working in all fields of the arts (books, film, television, theatre, music, dance, performance, visual arts, etc).

The winner will receive $4000 prize money and a mentorship with KYD’s senior editorial staff, as well as publication of a maximum of eight works of criticism (max. 1500 words per piece) in Kill Your Darlings in 2017.

Submissions close 5pm AEDT Monday 31 October 2016.

 

The KYD Unpublished Manuscript Award

This award will assist an early-career author in the development of their unpublished manuscript. The award is open to writers of adult fiction and adult non-fiction.

The winner will receive a $5000 cash prize and a mentorship with KYD’s Rebecca Starford (non-fiction) or Hannah Kent (fiction)

Submissions open 1 Feb 2017 and close 5pm AEDT Friday 31 March 2017.

 

Peter Porter Poetry Prize

Australian Book Review welcomes entries in the thirteenth Peter Porter Poetry Prize. The Porter Prize, which is worth a total of AU$7,500.

All poets writing in English are eligible, regardless of where they live. The Porter Prize is one of Australia’s most lucrative and respected awards for poetry. It honours the life and work of the great Australian poet Peter Porter (1929–2010), an honoured contributor to ABR for many years.

Poems must not exceed 75 lines and must be written in English.

Deadline for entries is 1 December 2016

 

The Horne Prize

Aesop and The Saturday Paper have announced the launch of a major national essay away. Valued at $15,000 it will be awarded in late December for an essay of up to 3000 words, adressing some part of the theme "Australian Life".

Entries are open from August 6 to October 31 2016.

 

Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets

Established in 2007, with support from the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets seeks outstanding poetry by writers who have published no more than one collection of poems under their own name. It is one of the richest prizes for emerging poets in Australia. In 2016, the major prize is $6000, with a second prize of $2000 and a third prize of $1000. All three winners will be published in the first issue of Overland’s print magazine next year. Judges will be announced shortly. Competition closes 11.59 pm, Sunday 20 November 2016.

CLOSING 21/11/16

 

The ABR's Peter Porter Poetry Prize

The Peter Porter Poetry Prize is one of Australia's most prestigious prizes for a new poem. The Prize – now open to all poets writing in English – is named after the great Australian poet Peter Porter (1929–2010). The Prize was first awarded in 2005 (Stephen Edgar) and was renamed in 2011, following Peter Porter's death. Entries must be new single-authored poems of up to 75 lines. The winner receives $5,000 and shortlisted poets receive $500. All the shortlisted poems are published in the magazine. Entries close 1 December 2016.

CLOSING 02/12/16

 

Commonwealth Short Story Prize

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words) in English written by a citizen of a Commonwealth country. The international judging panel comprises one judge from each of the five regions – Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Please note that while the entries will be judged regionally, all judges will read and deliberate on entries from all regions. Regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000. Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible, and we invite writers from Mozambique who write in Portuguese, and writers who write in Samoan, Swahili and Bengali, and who do not have an English translation of their story, to submit their stories in the original language.

CLOSING 01/11/16

 

Scholarships and Residencies 

Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship

The Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship awards approximately US$54,000 annually to poet to spend one year outside North America, in whatever place the recipient feels will most advance his or her work. The scholarship is open to all American poets, whether their work has been published or not (though recent recipients have been published poets). There are no age restrictions and poets do not need to be enrolled at university or college.

CLOSING 15/10/16

 

Treehouse Residency in Switzerland

Hanging from the openwork canopy surrounding the Foundation, these living spaces are called “treehouses” and offer ideal conditions to anyone looking to start, continue, or put the final touches on a writing or translating project. Deliberately open to all types of writing, the Foundation residencies also allow those who are looking to combine writing and other forms of artistic expression the chance to pursue collaborative work with another.

CLOSING 31/10/16

 

The NSW Writers’ Centre Varuna Fellowship

The NSW Writers’ Centre Varuna Fellowship is an annual prize for a writer who has a manuscript, play or suite of poems that is ready for the next stage of development. In 2016 there will be two fellowships available, with one place reserved for a writer under the age of 30.

Applicants must be NSWWC members and be willing to commit to developing their work. The two winners will be awarded a one-week writing residency at Varuna the Writers’ House in 2017, including accommodation for seven nights and all meals. Two runners up will receive a book pack from Random House, and winners and runners up will have the opportunity to submit their manuscript to Random House for assessment.

Entries for the prize are open from Monday 29 August to Sunday 25 September. You can download an entry form here.

 

Jobs and Internships

Sub-Editor Call Out: un Magazine 2017

un Projects is currently seeking expressions of interest for a Sub-Editor of un Magazine issues 11.1 and 11.2, to be published in 2017. The Sub-Editor position is an exciting opportunity to take a central role in the development and production of one of Australia’s most respected contemporary arts publications. This role will be mentored by the Editor, and supported by the Magazine Advisory Committee, and un Projects Board and General Manager. Total remuneration is a $1,750 fee per issue. Submissions close 5pm, Monday October 10th 2016.

CLOSING 11/10/16

 

PUBLICATIONS SEEKING SUBMISSIONS

Griffith Review 56: Millennials Strike Back

Millennials, those born in the final decades of the twentieth century (and younger than thirty-five), have had bad press for a long time This special edition of Griffith Review is devoted to the challenges and opportunities this generation is facing and embracing. The net will be cast wide, as they listen to the voices of the future reporting on the world as they experience it. Writers, academics, artists, workers, activists – all are welcome. In 2006, Griffith Review published The Next Big Thing, which featured many writers, thinkers and activists who are now in their late thirties and early forties. In the decade since, this group has gone on to make their mark; it is now time for the next generation to take up their mantle.

CLOSING 08/10/16

 

Voiceworks 106 - 'Motive'

The Voiceworks team can't wait to see all of Australia's best fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics and visual art! We want to read your best work. Remember, theme isn't everything—most of all, we're looking for good writing. Deadlines: Nonfiction Pitches: Sunday, 11 September Fiction, Poetry and completed Nonfiction: Sunday, 18 September Visual Art and Comics: Sunday, 23 October

CLOSING 23/10/16

 

Submissions are open for Other Terrain's first print edition.

A new literary peer reviewed journal is taking its online publication to print. Part of Swinburne University’s Writing program, Other Terrain is a general literary journal, accepting fiction (max 3000 words), creative non-fiction (max 3000 words), poetry (max 100 lines), academic essays (max 5000 words), reviews (max 1000 words) and graphic submissions. Your submissions will be considered for the print edition, and/or for a future online edition. You can email your submissions to: [email protected] Check out the current online issues (our second online issue is coming soon)

CLOSING 30/11/16

 

Homer

Homer is about masculinities, which does not mean it’s by men or even purely for them. Masculinities affect everyone – positively, negatively, differently. However you’ve encountered them, every angle is needed to create as robust and kaleidoscopic a picture of masculinities as they deserve (and sorely need). It could be social commentary, comedic literature review, an outright hagiography of a wonderful and unusual man or anything else, but before submitting, ask yourself if it lends something to public dialogues around men and masculinities that isn’t out there already.

CLOSING 30/11/16

 

Like A Photon Creative Interactive Storytelling Platform

Like A Photon Creative are inviting submissions for an interactive storytelling platform with national and international audience. Pixapops is an immersive digital world featuring picture books and animated stories for readers up to 6 years of age. Submissions must be the author's or illustrator's own work. Previously published and co-authored works are eligible, and submissions from publishers will also be considered. For more information, including how to submit your work, please email [email protected]. For a taste of the project, visit pixapops.com.

CLOSING  31/10/16

 

Backstory

A new literary peer reviewed journal is taking its online publication to print. Part of Swinburne University’s Writing program, Backstory is a history/past focused journal, accepting fiction (max 3000 words), creative non-fiction (max 3000 words), poetry (max 100 lines), academic essays (max 5000 words), reviews (max 1000 words) and graphic submissions. Your submissions will be considered for the print edition, and/or for a future online edition. You can email your submissions to: [email protected] Check out our current online issues (our second online issue is coming soon)

CLOSING 30/11/16

 

Hot Chicks with Big Brains

If you had the pleasure and privilege of reading Issue #1 you’d know that it was full of seven long-form interviews and two personal essays. They’ve decided to *LOOSEN UP A LITTLE* and include a whole array of different kinds of non-fiction content this time. They want your lists, your investigative journalism, your op-eds, your memoir, your essays, and any other kinds of original ideas. They are definitely focused on non-fiction content, but if you’re dying to send them something else then HEY they'll take a look. As with Issue #1, there will be a minimum $50 payment plus a special edition copy of magazine.

CLOSING 15/10/16

 

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.

 

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.


Make sure you stay up to date with the best writing opportunities and more by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

Have you got something the community should know about? A job vacancy, competition or call for submissions? Write to us [email protected] or let us know on Twitter and we'll include it in our next month's list of wonderful opportunities. 

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Writers Bloc Community

The Writers Bloc is a community for writers. We provide free anonymous workshopping, advice, events, opportunities, and a paid publishing platform.