Outback Writers Festival Short Story Competition

Categories

---

Open

• open to any writer, each story to be a maximum of 3,000 words
• a maximum of three entries per writer
• entry fees are:
  – $45 for first entry
  – $25 for second or third entries
  – (a total of $95 for three entries)
• prizes are:
  – $200 first prize plus trophy made at the Winton Mens Shed
  – $100 second prize
  – $50 third prize
• the winning and selected stories are to be published in The Outback, Anthology of Short Stories, Vol 10
• all open entrants receive a complimentary copy of the anthology; only one copy regardless of the number of entries
• there’s no guarantee of inclusion of any story in the anthology
• The judges may contact writers to encourage them to submit a proposal to be selected for an editing package to the value of $2,000 sponsored by Ian Mathieson, of iEdit, www.ianmathiesonediting.com

---

Student, secondary school

• open to any Australian high school student
• one story per student
• story to be a maximum of 600 words
• no entry fee
• prizes:
  – $100 first prize plus trophy made at the Winton Mens Shed
  – $50 second prize
• no secondary student entries will be published in the anthology

---

Student, primary school

• open to any Australian primary school student
• one story per student
• story to be a maximum of 350 words
• no entry fee
• prizes:
  – $100 first prize plus trophy made at the Winton Mens Shed
  – $50 second prize
• no primary student entries will be published in the anthology

---

Conditions of Entry

Just 150 Words
Entrant, Story Requirements, Judging, Promotion & Communications

• Entrants must be residents of Australia, enrolled in a Primary or Secondary school, or aged over 16.
• This is a competition of skill. Luck plays no part in the selection of the winners.
• The story must be exactly 150 words long. Regarding word count: Please be aware that there are discrepancies between word processors / word counting algorithms. Our online entry will show how many words you have (in the counter below the text field). If submitting a printed copy, and you want to be sure of your count, the online Word Counter tool is free and recognised as accurate.
• A title is allowed, but not required. The title is not included in the word count.
• The story is to be fictional, and not be under consideration for publication nor entered into another writing prize. Stories that have been published or won a writing prize will not be accepted.
• The story must be an original composition written by an individual author (no collaborations or AI assistance).
• Grammarly Authorship, QuillBot, GPTZero, or other programs depending on availability, will be used to confirm the work is not AI generated. Any AI generated or assisted submissions will be disqualified.
• The story is to be submitted by 5:00pm on 25 April 2025.
• Any stories that exceed the word count or do not match the other conditions of entry will be disqualified.
• By entering the Outback Writers Festival Just 150 Words Competition, the author gives permission to the Festival organisers to publish their work online or in print with no royalties paid.
• The author will always retain copyright of their work.
• All prizes will be provided in cash or as a bank transfer in Australian dollars
• Judging conditions, and Promotion & Communications are the same as the Short Story Competition (see below)

---

Short Story Competition
Entrant & Story Requirements

• Entrants must be residents of Australia, enrolled in a Primary or Secondary school, or aged over 16.
• This is a competition of skill. Luck plays no part in the selection of the winners.
• The story must have an Outback Australia theme or setting.
• The story is to be fictional, and not be under consideration for publication nor entered into another writing prize. Stories that have been published or won a writing prize will not be accepted.
• The story must be an original composition written by an individual author (no collaborations or AI assistance).
• Grammarly Authorship, QuillBot, GPTZero, or other programs depending on availability, will be used to confirm the work is not AI generated. Any AI generated or assisted submissions will be disqualified.
• The story is to be submitted by 5:00pm on 25 April 2025.
• Any stories that exceed the word count or do not match the other conditions of entry will be disqualified.
• Regarding word count: Please be aware that there are discrepancies between word processors / word counting algorithms. While the word processor you use should provide a word count, but the online Word Counter tool is free and recognised as accurate.

---

Judging

• Judging is by a panel selected by the Festival Organisers.
• Entries are judged blind to remove any possible bias. This process sees all identifying information about the author removed from the entry, so the judge can focus on the story itself. To ensure your entry is not disqualified, do not include your name or other personal details with the text of your story.
• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into about the judgements or process.

---

Publishing & Prizes

• By entering the Outback Writers Festival Short Story Competition, the author gives permission to the Festival organisers to publish their work online or in the anthology.
• The author will always retain copyright of their work.
• The Festival organisers will retain copyright of the Anthology, not to the individual author’s stories.
• A selection of entries from the Open category will be published in The Outback, Anthology of Short Stories, Vol 10. Royalties will not be paid to contributors included in the anthology.
• A selection of entries from all categories will be published on the Outback Writers Festival website.
• The Festival Organisers request authors refrain from publishing their stories online for 12 months from date of publishing on the Outback Writers Festival website to assist in the promotion of the Competition and Festival.
• All authors submitting a story in the Open category will receive a free copy of the printed anthology (one copy per entrant, regardless of number of entries).
• All prizes will be provided in cash or as a bank transfer in Australian dollars

---

Promotion & Communications

• The author gives permission to use any title or phrase from their entry in the creation or promotion of the Anthology, Competition, or Festival.
• Winning authors may be requested to participate in media-related events associated with the Anthology, Competition, or Festival.
• By supplying contact details, Entrants in the Open category agree to receiving correspondence from the Festival Organisers and their sponsors (all with opt-out options).