Outback Writers Festival Short Story Competition
2026 Short Story Competition
The 2026 Short Story Competition is now open.
- All entries are to be fictional and have an outback theme or setting.
- There are three entry categories: Open, Student (secondary), Student (primary)
- Entries close: Saturday 25 April 2026
- Ensure you read the details for your Category, and the Conditions of Entry before submitting your entry.
The Outback Volume 9
2024 Anthology OUT NOW!
Including the winning story of 2024’s Outback Writers Festival: Fancy a Change With Clancy by Franz Huber, and Greg McFarland’s runner-up story The Saga of the Stolen Tucker Box.
The Anthology also includes stories by Hilary Barrett, Barry Blunt, Nicky Butler, Brenda Campbell, Paul Clarke, Ruth Cooney, Geoff Covey, Robyn Crossley-Price, Margaret Dakin, Louise K Dean, Rachel Emanuel, Charlie Farry, Grahame Griffin, John Griffiths, M C Groves, Samuel Hart, Lisa Hauff, Steve Hawe, David M Jones, Ella Kim, Dinah Kimbell, Fae le Friz, Ilivia Lee, Ruth Lee, Tracy Liotis, Winnie Macfarlane, Isabella McDonald, Kay Middlemiss, Gabriel Moens, Annie O’Moon-Browning, Karen Payne, Peter Perkins, Stella Perrott, Anthoula Photinos, Jill Plummer, Philip Rintoul, Averil Robertson, Gabrielle Samson, Jill Staunton, Wendy Taylor, Peyton Weston, Mary Wilson, Kerry Yates.
2025 Short Story Competition
The 2025 Short Story Competition has now closed.
Winners will be announced at the annual dinner.
To help celebrate Winton’s 150 years of European settlement in 2025, we held a one-off competition which has now closed.
Just 150 Words
Winners will be announced at the annual dinner.
Previous Competitions Terms & Conditions
Just 150 Words (THIS COMPETITION HAS CLOSED)
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