At RUSSH, we believe deeply in the power of storytelling and original creative expression. This is the driving force behind our annual Literary Showcase. The initiative celebrates emerging and established writers who identify as women or come from under-recognised groups, offering them the opportunity to share their stories and have their voices heard. As this year’s Literary Showcase comes to a close, we’re looking ahead to the many other literary opportunities currently available across Australia.
Providing platforms for emerging and established writers to share their stories is essential to fostering a vibrant, diverse literary landscape. These opportunities give emerging voices greater visibility and ensure stories that reflect a broad range of lived experiences are afforded the space they deserve.
Whether you’re an aspiring author working on your first manuscript or an established writer seeking your next creative challenge, there are countless programs, prizes, residencies and publishing opportunities designed to help bring your voice to life. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the nation’s literary opportunities currently open across Australia.
Radical Yes Celebration of Words Creative Writing Competition
To apply: here
Entries close Tuesday 9 June 2026
Melbourne based shoe brand Radical Yes has launched a creative writing competition inspired by its winter collection Cocoon, inviting its community to submit an original piece that explores the theme, Cocoon. The competition accepts submissions across fiction, poetry, essays, memoirs, short stories and scripts, and the winner will receive a $1,500 Radical Yes gift voucher, publication on the Yes Journal, and exposure to the brand’s newsletter audience of more than 20,000 readers. 750 words is the limit, and all work must be human-made. Your work will be judged by author of Rytual, Chloe Elisabeth Wilson.
The Richell Prize
To apply: here
Entries close Monday 13 July 2026
One of Australia’s leading publishers, Hachette Australia have launched their annual Richell Prize for Emerging Writers. Established in 2015, the prize is open to unpublished writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction. The winner will receive $10,000 in prize money and a year’s mentoring with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers.
State Library of NSW Fellowships
To apply: here
Entries close 5pm Friday 10 July 2026
The State Library of NSW annually release an array of fellowships, with a total of $266,000 in paid research opportunities on offer. These fellowships are all to support the study, writing and teaching of Australian history and culture. With so many to choose from, there’s something for everyone.
Harper Collins Australian Fiction Prize
To apply: here
Entries close 5pm Monday 15 July 2026
The Australian Fiction Prize by Harper Collins publishers is an annual prize for book-length fiction. Open to all writers across Australia, regardless of age or publishing history, the winner will receive a contract from the publishing company themselves to publish their work, along with $15,000 in prize money.
The Kyoto Retreat
To apply: here
Entries close Friday 17 July 2026
If you’ve ever wanted to go on a writers retreat, here’s your chance, in none other than Kyoto, Japan. The retreat offers writers, curators and artists based anywhere in the world an opportunity to spend four weeks in Kyoto from 1-30 November, purely for the intent of research, exploration, and inspiration. If selected, the program will cover your round-trip flights, a private bedroom and $800 USD to cover meals and local transportation. In order apply you have to be over 21 years of age and pay an entrance fee of $95USD when submitting. You’ll also need to submit a resume, a brief statement about your creative interests and a description of how you anticipate using the time if selected.
RedRoomPoetry’s Poem Forrest 2026
To apply: here
Entries close Friday 25 September 2026
This is an initiative that’s not only doing good for our writers, but also for the natural world that sustains them. Created by Red Room Poetry, the program invites students and teachers to use their talent to make a positive change for our world. For every poem received, a tree is planted. The initiative has performed so well, that since 2021 over 22.8k trees have been planted.
Shortlisted entries and winning poems will be published in Red Room Poetry’s digital library. The winners will have a chance to win up to $2,000 in prizes across 10 prize categories for Primary, Secondary, First Nations, LoTE, and Teacher entries.
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