The 2020 Tokyo Olympics may have arrived a year late, but for many of us, they provided a welcome distraction. In fact, for many Australians in lockdown during the Games, it was a timely salve. And so, with the Olympics over, we asked our community to sum up their experience
In its simplest form, the Japanese ‘haiku’ is a short poem that comprises three lines. The first line contains FIVE syllables (not words). The second line, SEVEN syllables. And finally, FIVE syllables again. YOUR CHALLENGE: Create and SEND us your own haiku(s) based on your experience watching the Olympics. Perhaps inspired by
Do you know that feeling when you discover a layer of dust on furniture or items you haven’t used for some time? That thin film of grime that softly, silently settles when you aren’t looking? Well, it can happen to our creativity too – so let’s shake off the dust…
Aspiring writers from diverse backgrounds are invited to take part in the SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition and enter a memoir piece of 1000-2000 words on the topic of ‘Growing up in diverse Australia’. What is the SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition? The aim of the competition is to search “for the
Recently, we thought we’d inject some creativity into our community’s week with a simple tiny fiction challenge. There were only two rules – the first that it had to contain no more than 23 words. And the second, that it must be inspired by the picture above. We received almost
It’s no secret that we’re all currently living through a time that history will remember. For many, it’s a confusing time, one of personal loss or substantial upheaval. For others, a different kind of experience, a detox of sorts; a return to simple habits or new beginnings. The most important
We hope you’ve stocked up on paper – printing paper that is – because it is time to get those manuscripts ready for submission. We’ve collated a list of 2020 manuscript awards for writers like yourself to enter and share your stories. Is your manuscript still a work-in-progress and you
Love the thrill (and deadline!) of entering writing competitions? So do we. They can be great for boosting your right brain along with your productivity. We’ve compiled some awesome opportunities for writers in 2020 so you can explore your imagination, refine your techniques and – who knows, maybe win some
The First Pages Prize is for emerging writers and winners will receive a cash prize, as well as some developmental editing to complete their projects. The top two winners could even win a trip to France! According to the media release: Open worldwide, the competition is for writers who are
The First Pages Prize is for emerging writers and winners will receive a cash prize, as well as some developmental editing to complete their projects. The top two winners could even win a trip to France! According to the media release: Open worldwide, the competition is for writers who are
Whether you want to explore a difficult period in your life, remember a thrilling adventure, or share your personal journey, almost everybody has an interesting life story to tell. If you’re keen to try out memoir writing, or if you’ve been working on your life story for some time, there
This month, more than 1000 writers entered Furious Fiction – mixing alchemy with creativity in the hope of stumbling upon the magic story elixir. The September criteria were varied and many: Each story had to include the name of at least ONE element from the periodic table. Each story’s first
Okay, end of winter – cobwebs and all that. Time to stretch your creative muscles. Keen to play? Today’s the 29th, so we challenge you to write a story that uses EXACTLY 29 words. But wait, there’s more. Your story has to begin and end with the SAME word and include
Write non-fiction? The Deakin University Non-Fiction Prize is now open and there’s $3,000 AUD up for grabs! Entries for this competition close on 1 September 2019. It’s open to writers aged 30 and under, writing long-form non-fiction who are also Australian residents. From the media release: Entries between 5,000 and
By Nat Newman How high do your stakes have to be when writing a story? Is death, destruction and violence necessary to push your story forward? Short answer: No way. I started thinking about this after a discussion on the So you want to be a writer Facebook community. A
If you write screenplays in any of the genres of sci-fi, horror and/or thriller, then you need to get on this competition faster than you can say Wilhelm scream. Truant Pictures (based at Fox Studios, Sydney) is running the Truant Screenplay Competition to encourage and mentor new Australian voices working
Calling all primary school-aged children. Oxford University Press Australia and New Zealand (OUPANZ) invites children across Australia to nominate their ‘Word of the Year’ and submit a short piece of writing based on that word. There are some great prizes up for grabs! From the media release: Primary school-aged children
Do you have a young writer in your life? A budding storyteller? Or maybe just an avid young reader? If so, we’ve found the perfect competition for them! Dymocks and Pan Macmillan are inviting kids to get creative and enter a writing competition judged by the wonderful Andy Griffiths, author
Entries are now open for one of Australia’s richest poetry competitions offering $18,000 in prizes. The 2019 ACU Prize for Poetry will be awarded for outstanding poetry with the theme Solace, reflecting on Anne Frank’s supposition: “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go
All throughout this month, we’ve been sharing the wonderful stories from our community about their relationship with writing. In particular, “How did you first meet?” Today, we present our fifth and final selection – thanks again for all those who shared stories with us. We love how diverse and inspired
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