Short Fiction Competition

The KSP Writers' Centre is proud to present this annual short fiction competition for Australian writers, which is FREE for youth to enter thanks to sponsorship from the Shire of Mundaring. Judges will be looking for good quality original, unpublished writing with engaging characters and a compelling narrative. All fiction styles and themes are acceptable.

Results will be announced at an awards ceremony in December and published on social media and the KSP website thereafter. Shortlisted entrants will be contacted prior to the awards ceremony with an invitation to attend and read an extract of their entry. 

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You will need a Submittable account to enter this competition. Don't worry! It is free and easy to set up.

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Deadline

2.00pm AWST, 9 September 2021

PLEASE NOTE: The competition will open on 21 May 2021.

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Eligibility

You must be an Australian resident to enter this competition.

Entries must be unpublished, original, and not under consideration elsewhere.

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Costs

YOUTH (up to 17 years): Free, limit of one entry per person

ADULT (18 plus): $10 per entry, no limit on entries

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What to Write About

Anything! This is an open theme fiction competition.

Limits

YOUTH: Max 1,000 words per entry, limit of one entry per person

ADULT: Max 2,500 per entry, no limit on entries

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Prizes

*subject to discretion of judge*

First place $300 prize for open plus weekend residency at the KSP Writers' Centre (non-transferable, $300 value) and $100 first place prize for youth

Second place certificates with $150 prize for open and $50 for youth

Up to five commended certificates for both open and youth

Mundaring National Young Writers encouragement award for under 14s with $25 prize

Shire of Mundaring Encouragement Award: Membership to KSP Writers' Centre

(For residents of Bailup, Beechina, Bellevue, Boya, Chidlow, Darlington, Glen Forrest, Gorrie, Greenmount, Helena Valley, Hovea, Mahogany Creek, Malmalling, Midvale, Mount Helena, Mundaring, Parkerville, Sawyers Valley, Stoneville, Swan View, The Lakes and Wooroloo)

Select entrants invited to read their story at KSP’s End of Year Awards Ceremony

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Can I change my entry after submitting?

You can request to edit your submission up to one week prior to the deadline; just send KSP a message via your Submittable account. 

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Competition Judge:

Emily Paull

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Emily Paull is a writer of short stories and historical fiction from Perth, Western Australia. Her debut collection, Well-Behaved Women, was released by Margaret River Press in 2019, and she was highly commended in the 2021 Fogarty Award for her manuscript ’The Good Daughter.’ Emily is a former Young Writer in Residence at KSP, and has been published in Westerly multiple times. She is also a qualified librarian. When she’s not writing, she can often be found with her nose in a book. 

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How to Submit

Set up a Submittable account

Click below on the 'Submit' button, and select the relevant KSP competition you wish to enter

Prepare your entry/ies according to the Terms of Use and Formatting Rules (refer to Submittable entry form - (you will need to have an account first)

Complete Submittable entry form and submit before the deadline.

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Queries

Office hours are 10am-2pm, Monday-Friday. office@kspwriterscentre.com / 08 9294 1872