Create
Writing and Other Competitions
Writing contests are a wonderful way for students to hone their writing skills. Here are a few of the benefits:
- Practice makes perfect – the more you write, the better you’ll become.
- Authentic audience – your writing will (often) be read by people experienced in the publishing industry. If you win your piece could be published for a wider audience!
- Learning experience – whether you win or not, entering writing competitions is wonderful experience and will help to improve your confidence in writing.
- Deadlines and parameters – writing competitions have specific parameters e.g. intended audience, subject matter, word count as well as a deadline. These boundaries help to focus your writing.
- Develop perseverance – developing perseverance is key to success so keep trying.
Writing Tips from WestWords: https://westwords.com.au/clubhouse/blog/
Print out and colour in items from the State Library of Queensland’s collections: https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/get-involved/library-home/play-our-collections/colour-our-collections
Youth Photography Project: https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/lifestyle/arts-and-culture/alone-together/youth-photography-project
Runs: September 2021
Entry fee: none
Creative Writing Prompts: https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/lifestyle/events/library-events/Creative-Writing-Prompts
Runs: 2nd August – 1st December 2021
Entry fee: none
Current Competitions
NOTE: Ensure you carefully read and understand the requirements of each competition you enter.
Storyathon
Open to Year 7 & 8 students
Commences: September 2021
Entry fee: none
Peter Porter Poetry Competition
Submission date: October 2021 – check exact date after July
Entry fee: $25
Wombat Books Illustration Challenge
Submission date: 30th November 2021
Entry fee: a previous purchase of one of our other illustration challenges
Storyfest National Novella Writing Competition
Submission date: 3rd December 2021
Entry fee: $20
Hindsight
Open to ages 13+
Submission date: TBA
Entry fee: none
Sunspot Literary Journal
Various competitions including poetry, artworks, graphic texts, non-fiction and fiction.
Submission date: Various – 2021
Entry fee: From US$3
Write the World
Submission date: Monthly competitions
Entry fee: none
Furious Fiction Writing Competition
17 years+
Submission date: Starts 5pm on the first Friday of every month. Ends 55 hours later – midnight Sunday.
Entry fee: none