Writing Competitions Closing October 2026

1 October: Hektoen Essay Contest

Open to writers 18 years and older, essays 500-1,600 words, theme: ‘Hospitals of Note: focussing on the history of a particular hospital’. Entry: FREE. Prizes: $5,000 $2,500 (USD).

9 October: Silver Quill Written Competition

Open to all, poetry, no size limit, and theme: ‘have a very good rhyme and meter/rhythm and be original with an Australian theme’. Entry: Adults $10, Junior FREE. Categories are: Serious, Humorous, Novice, and Junior. Prizes: ‘Monetary prizes will be awarded for the best poem in each of the 4 categories, provided sufficient entries are received.’

11 October: Little Stories, Big Ideas

Open to: Australian Secondary School Students, open genre, theme: ‘Portal’, 100 words, entry FREE. Two categories: Year 10-12 and Year 7-9. First prize each category $250 and get Express Media membership, Voiceworks subscription, book pack and a masterclass with Author Amelia Mellor. Runners up same with no cash prizes.

14 October 2026: Peter Porter Poetry Prize

Open competition, open themed, poetry max 60 lines. Entry: $30 for non-subscribers. Prizes: $6,000, 4 x $1,000.

15 October: MiNDFOOD Poetry CompetitionOpen to: Australian and New Zealand residents, open themed, poetry 100-400 words, entry FREE. Prizes: $1,000 each to the Australian and New Zealand winners. (Confusing webpage as this has been open a whole year, but deadline is 15 October 2026.)

23 October: FFF Competition Thirty-Six

UK based competition open to all, open themed, flash 100-300 words, entry fee £4.95. Prizes £200 & publication, £100, £80.

25 October: Not Quite Write Prize

Flash fiction 500 words, with prompts are emailed out at midday 23/10/2026 with competition closing at midnight 25/10/2026. Entry Fee: $35 (!) (Optional coaching Package: $175 [!]). $1,500, $1000, $500, $350, $250, $200, 4 x $100.

30 October:  2026 Writers’ Studio Short Story Competition

Open to writers over 18 years of age, short story max 2,500 words. Entry fee $25 (AUD), prizes $1,200, $400, $200.

30 October: SD Harvey Short Crime Story Award

Open to Australian residents, fiction or non-fiction 2,000-5,000 words, theme ‘Crime’. Entry fee: $35 (!) Prize: $1,000.

30 October: Varnish Prize for Fiction 

Open to all, unpublished fiction max 5,000 words, literary fiction preferred. Global competition, unpublished short fiction, open to all. Prizes $350, $100, $50.  

31 October: Anthology Poetry Award

Ireland-based competition, open to all, poetry 40 lines, entry fee €18 (!). Prizes €1,000, €250, €150

31 October: Anthology Short Story Award

Ireland-based competition, open to all, open themed short story 1,500 words max. Entry fee €18 (!). Prizes €1,000, €250, €150

31 October: Ernestine Hill Memorial Award

Open to permanent residents of Australia, short story 4,000 words max, theme ‘Australian Country’. Entry fee $20, Prize $1,000.

31 October: Fiction Factory Flash Fiction Competition

UK based competition open to writers 16 years of age and over, open themed flash fiction max 3,000 words. Entry fee £7 max, prizes £350, 2 x free assessments.

31 October Flash 500 Novel Opening Chapter & Synopsis Competition

Open themed, opening chapter of a novel (max 1,000 words) and one page synopsis (750 words max). Entry fee £10 max. Prizes £500, £200.

31 October: Killer Shorts

US based competition with MULTIPLE categories and entry fees. Entry fees from $10 - $75 (!) USD. One-page screenplays, 20 pages max screenplays, 6,000 word short story, 70-120 page screenplay. See website for details.

31 October: Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry PrizeOpen to all, poetry max 40 lines, theme ‘Night’. Entry $35 (!), prizes $1,000, $400, $100.

31 October: Noosa Arts Theatre National One-Act Playwriting CompetitionOpen to all, open themed one-act plays 30-45 minutes. Entry fee $60, prizes $10,000, $3,000, $1,000, $500.

31 October: Rae Alison Cerhan Australian Ballad

Open to permanent residents of Australia, ballads 100 lines max, theme ‘Australiana’. Entry $18, prizes $600, $200, $100.

31 October Short Stories Unlimited Poetry Competition - Future

Open to all, poetry no size limit, theme ‘Future’. Entry $5, prizes $100, $50, $25, 2 x $10 (and e-books all round).

31 October: Short Stories Unlimited Short Story Competition - Future

Open to all, short story max 5,000 words, theme ‘Future’. Entry $5, prizes $200, $100, $50, 2 x $20 (and e-books all round).

31 October: The Aluminium Crown

Open to writers 18 years and older. Speculative fiction 500-4,000 words. Entry: FREE. Prizes: Minimum of $300. Prompt: In the year 2055, due to environmental pressures, Melbourne will be forced to think inside the box: the CBD will be enclosed in a gargantuan protective structure. This is the Central Business Cube, the CBC.

31 October: The Bedford Competition

UK based competition open to writers 17 years and over, open themed. Entry fee £8.50 max. Categories: short story max 3,000 words, poetry max 40 lines. Prizes £2,000, £400, £300, £200, and £300 in each category.

31 October: The Best of Times Short Story Competition #42 (Spring 2026)

Humorous short stories up to 2,500 words. Entry fee $12, Prizes: First: 60% of entry fees, Second: 15% of entry fees, Third place: 5% of entry fees, Highly commended and commended certificates.

31 October: The Hope Prize

Open to writers over 18 years of age, short story max 5,000 words, theme ‘Hope, courage and resilience’. Entry fee $33 max, prizes $10,000, $2,000, $1,000. (AUD)

31 October: The National Poetry Competition

UK based competition open to writers 18 years of age and over. Open themed poetry, 40 lines max. Entry fee: £9 max, prizes £5,000, £3,000, £2,000, £500.