Category: Writing news

We’re hiring: Unique Sales, Communications and Customer Support role

The Australian Writers’ Centre team is growing and we need a Unique Sales, Communications and Customer Support role. Help us build the world’s most loved and successful writers’ centre Guide our beloved students in choosing the right course for them Support a community of students as they navigate their... read more

Writing Picture Books in Brisbane

Our Brisbane classroom was buzzing earlier this month, with children’s author Zanni Louise leading the weekend Writing Picture Books course. “The course went really well,” Zanni told us. “There was a very warm, positive energy, and heaps of great story ideas.” A typical Writing Picture Books classroom course will... read more

12 opportunities for memoir writers

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... read more

New children’s literature prize from HarperCollins

Do you write middle grade or young adult fiction? We are excited to share with you this new competition. The Matilda Literature Prize is a brand new inaugural prize from the folks at HarperCollins. The winner of this prize will receive a publishing deal and a $10,000 advance against... read more

OPEN NOW: The Penguin Literary Prize 2019

The Penguin Literary Prize 2019 is now open for submissions. Do you have an unpublished manuscript burning a hole in your proverbial drawer?  The Penguin Literary Prize value is a whopping $20,000 with the winner also receiving a book every month for a year. Plus, winners have the potential... read more

Literary festival in Tasmania’s Huon Valley

What could be more sumptuous than spending a week in Tasmania’s Huon Valley as part of a literary festival? The Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival is a new biennial literary festival.  This year’s event will be from 31 October to 5 November 2019 and held in the... read more

VOTE: Do you prefer coffee or tea when you write?

This week, we need your help to settle a debate that’s been raging in the AWC office – and no doubt throughout history. (No pressure!) Tea and coffee have both been trusty companions of writers for many centuries. More than 300 years ago, author Jonathan Swift stated that "coffee makes... read more

Why we love our listener community!

We asked for a parade and we got one! When our podcast So You Want To Be A Writer celebrated episode #300 recently, we offered a 30-book pack as a party favour and asked our wonderful listener community to help create the party.  Entrants had to answer this question... read more

Furious Fiction turns 21 and fans sign the card

Furious Fiction this month celebrates 21 months of fantastic flash fiction fun! So to get into the party spirit, we bought one of those huge novelty cards and passed it around some of our biggest fans for them to each say nice things (sniff… you GUYS!... now we’re getting... read more

Richell Prize for Emerging Writers 2019 Longlist Announcement

We’re thrilled that five Australian Writers’ Centre alumnae have been announced on the Richell Prize Longlist for 2019. Congratulations to Jennifer Carlisle, Lauren Draper, Kylie Orr, January Gilchrist, and Sarah Fiddelaers. All super talented writers! Over 700 entries were received and 21 writers have been announced on this year... read more

Lesley Gibbes has a hit with ‘Searching for Cicadas’

Above: Lesley Gibbes with her book Searching for Cicadas AWC presenter Lesley Gibbes is no stranger to cicadas. “They are the soundtrack of my childhood,” she says. “My own summertime garden is full of cicadas.” So Lesley didn’t have to reach far for inspiration for her latest picture book... read more

Our favourite 29-word stories…

Last week, we asked you to come up with a story that was exactly 29 words in length. No more, no fewer. But that wasn’t all. We also wanted the first and last word to be the same. And finally, we wanted this story to take us somewhere, somehow... read more

7 short story competitions with huge prizes

There are lots of reasons why you might enter short story competitions. They’re a great incentive to help you finish and hone your story. They’re also an excellent opportunity to get your story in front of famous judges – who could be agents, publishers or writers. And of course... read more

International short story competition now open

The Wollongong Writers Festival Short Story Prize 2019 is open to everyone – including writers outside Australia.  There’s $1,000 up for grabs for the winner of the competition. This year’s theme is “All Lit Up” and the word limit is 2,500 words. From the Wollongong Writers Festival... read more

Queensland Writing Fellowships now open

Queensland writers, are you looking for a fellowship opportunity? Well, the Griffith Review Fellowships for 2020-2021 are now open.  This fellowship is not just for writers currently living in Queensland. According to the Griffith Review website: Up to six fellowships of $3,000–$7,000 will be awarded in... read more

We’re hiring: Assistant Project Manager

The Australian Writers’ Centre team is growing and we need an Assistant Project Manager. Please note: This role is not a writing-based role. This role won’t be a stepping stone for you to publish your novel – but you will help others pursue their passion for writing. And hey... read more

Enter The Deakin University Non-fiction Prize 2019

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... read more