Create

Online Writing Clubs

State Library of NSW Young Writers’ Club  – An online fortnightly program during the school term. Suitable for writers aged 8-14 years. Sessions run from 4pm to 5pm.

Voiceworks Magazine – A national literary journal that features exciting new writing and art by young Australians. The purpose is to create a space for people under twenty-five to develop their creative and editorial skills and to publish, and be paid for, their fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art and comics. Each selected piece goes through a collaborative editing process, and we provide individualised feedback for all unsuccessful submissions.

If you’re interested in submitting your work for publication, see Submit to Voiceworks for more information.

You can borrow the hardcopy issues of Voiceworks from the library or you can access the PDF version from the library Canvas page.

A variety of resources about the writing process are available from Voiceworks Guides.

Frankie – An Australian magazine. You can borrow hardcopy issues from the library. If you’re a writer, photographer, illustrator or maker of pretty clothing and bits and bobs, you can submit your work for publication.

Stereo Stories – An online publication about music and memoir, narrative and melody, story and song. Take a song, a place and a time, and you may well have a Stereo Story: a short memoir inspired by a piece of music: pop, country, jazz, rock, punk, classical, electro, disco… submissions welcome.

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

Current Competitions

NOTE: Ensure you carefully read and understand the requirements of each competition you enter.

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

Science Write Now!
Submission date: new theme each issue
Entry fee: $3

Positive Words Monthly Mini-Competitions
Submission date: new theme each month
Entry fee: $2.40