Poetry Contests & Writing Contests

The Miles Franklin Literary Award, our first and most prestigious literary award, was established in 1954 with a bequest from author Miles Franklin. She was concerned to see Australian literature flourish and knew at first hand the struggles most authors have in Australia.

"Without an indigenous literature people can remain alien in the own soil. An unsung country does not fully exist or enjoy adequate international exchange of the inner life. Further, a country must be portrayed by those who hate it or love it as their dwelling place, familiarly, or remain dumb among its contemporaries."

The Miles Franklin Literary Award is a celebration of Australianism and nurtures the continuing life of literature based on Australia and its unique identity. It is recognition of a country Miles was proud to call “home” and which Australians today cherish and promote as a land of character and creativity. Through this Award, Miles was inspirational in her desire to keep the spirit of Australianism alive.

Renowned around the world for promoting excellence in Australian literature, it is recognised nationally as “The Award”.

The Prize is now $42,000 – making this Award the richest literary prize in Australia – and is awarded for the novel of the year which is of “the highest literary merit and which must present Australian life in any of its phases”. Novels submitted must have been published in the year of entry of the Award.

Download an application form online.

Key timeframes are:

Mid June Announcement of winner and dinner

The late John Chisholm Marten (1908 – 1966) had a life long interest in the Arts and Literature. For this reason he established the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships – one of Australia’s most rewarding scholarships - distributing $216,000 per annum to deserving young artists to assist them in achieving their dreams.

The Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship is open to native-born Australians aged 21-35 (17-35 ballet) who are of outstanding ability and promise in one or more categories of the Arts. The scholarships are intended to augment a scholar’s own resources towards a cultural education, and may be used for study, maintenance, and travel either in Australia or overseas.

There are twelve scholarships offered in 2006 each valued at $18,000. The categories in which the scholarships are offered vary from year to year.

Scholarships are offered annually in:
- Singing
- Instrumental Music
- Painting.

Scholarships are offered every second year in:
- Sculpture
- Architecture
- Prose
- Ballet
- Acting.

The Kathleen Mitchell Award was established by the will of the late Kathleen Adele Mitchell who hoped to encourage “the advancement, improvement and betterment of Australian literature, to improve the educational style of the authors and to provide them with additional amounts and thus enable them to improve their literary efforts”.

First established in 1996, the Award is a biennial award. The 2004 prize was $7,500.00.

Eligibility is for those authors that are under thirty (30) years of age at the time of their book’s publication. The author must also be a resident of Australia for the twelve months preceding the closing date for entries and must be either Australian or British born, or be a naturalised Australian.

Entries close early February. Theapplication form will be available in September.

The Max Afford Playwrights’ Award was established to promote interest in Australian drama and to encourage the writing of plays in Australia, and to help and give incentive to young writers of plays for either stage, TV or films.

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