Here is a digest of active publishing opportunities, prizes, and open calls across creative writing and visual arts for the week of Saturday, 3 October 2026:
Literary Prizes & Competitions
- Australian Book Review – 2027 Peter Porter Poetry Prize
- Closing Date: 14 October 2026, 11:59 PM AEDT
- Category: Poetry (single poem, maximum 60 lines, open theme)
- Eligibility & Rules: Open to all poets writing in English worldwide. Poems must be original and previously unpublished.
- Prizes & Entry Fee: AU$6,000 first prize; AU$1,000 for each of four shortlisted poets (AU$10,000 total pool). All shortlisted poems are published in *ABR*. Entry fee is AU$30 (AU$20 for current ABR subscribers). Details and listing also available via Writing NSW’s October Calendar.
- The 2026 Hope Prize
- Closing Date: 31 October 2026, 11:59 PM AEDT
- Category: Short fiction or creative non-fiction/memoir
- Eligibility & Rules: Open to writers aged 18+ internationally. Submissions must explore themes of hope, courage, or resilience; maximum 5,000 words (no minimum); double-spaced. Submit via The Hope Prize Submission Portal.
- Prizes: AU$13,000 total prize pool (AU$10,000 first prize supported by Simon & Schuster Australia and Readings Books; AU$2,000 second; AU$1,000 third). Winning and highly commended stories will be published in a Simon & Schuster anthology.
- SD Harvey Short Crime Story Award
- Closing Date: 30 October 2026
- Category: Crime fiction / Mystery short story
- Eligibility & Rules: Stories between 2,000 and 5,000 words incorporating classic elements of suspense, mystery, investigation, or crime. Presented in association with the Australian Crime Writers Association.
- Prizes & Entry Fee: $1,000 first prize; entry fee $35.
- Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize 2026
- Closing Date: 31 October 2026
- Category: Poetry (open theme, maximum 40 lines)
- Eligibility & Rules: Administered by Ballarat Writers; judged by Australian author and poet Melissa Ashley.
- Prizes & Entry Fee: $1,000 first prize, with additional regional writer awards. Entry fee applies via TryBooking.
- Geelong Writers Ekphrastic Challenge #10
- Closing Date: 25 October 2026
- Category: Flash fiction, short prose, or poetry (maximum 300 words)
- Eligibility & Rules: Open to members and non-members responding to the designated October artwork prompt.
Poetry & Prose Submissions (Journals, Agencies & Presses)
- Curtis Brown Australia – Open Manuscript Submissions
- Reading Window: 1 October – 31 October 2026
- Category: Commercial & literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, memoir, and YA/children’s manuscripts
- Eligibility & Rules: Open to unagented writers who are residents of Australia and New Zealand. Requires a one-page synopsis, author bio, and sample chapters (first 50 pages) submitted via their online agency portal.
- Overland Literary Journal – Submissions
- Status: Open for general submissions
- Category: Short fiction (up to 3,000 words), poetry (up to 3 poems per submission), and creative essays
- Guidelines & Payment: Actively seeking progressive and experimental writing. Accepted print and online contributors receive standard industry rates (AUD $150–$500+ depending on genre and format).
- The Freelance Writing Network Lit Mag Roster – October Open Windows
- Status: Windows closing late October / early November 2026
- Featured Publications:
- The Iowa Review: General submission window open through October for fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.
- The Massachusetts Review: General reading period open for essays, stories, and poetry.
- Foglifter Journal: Submissions open for upcoming print issues focusing on hybrid forms, non-fiction, and poetry.
- Phosphorescent Lit – Issue 3: “Fever”
- Closing Date: 16 November 2026 (04:59 UTC)
- Category: Poetry (up to 3 poems) and short prose (fiction/creative non-fiction up to 2,500 words)
- Theme: “Fever” — exploring heat, delirium, obsession, intensity, and illness. Fee-free general submission route.
Visual Art & Photography Calls
- The Defiance Award 2026
- Closing Date: 7 October 2026 (Urgent upcoming deadline)
- Mediums: 2D and 3D visual art (drawings, paintings, sculpture, works on paper)
- Prizes & Opportunities: Major prize includes a $5,000 cash award, a solo exhibition at Defiance Gallery (Sydney), return flights, and a 2-week residency at the Giverny Artist Residency in Queenstown, New Zealand. Finalists exhibit in February 2027.
- M16 Artspace Drawing Prize 2026
- Closing Date: Final extension closing early October 2026
- Mediums: Drawing in any traditional or expanded contemporary medium
- Prizes: $15,000+ total prize pool supported by The Tall Foundation, accompanied by a finalist exhibition at M16 Artspace in Canberra. Open to artists across Australia.
- A Smith Gallery – “Diptych / Triptych / Multiples / Collage”
- Closing Date: 7 October 2026
- Mediums: Fine art photography, photo-collage, and multi-panel photographic series
- Exhibition & Publication: Up to 47 works selected for an online exhibition running October–December 2026, with 27 works chosen for “The 27”, a limited-edition hardbound exhibition catalogue. Entry fee: $40 for the first 5 images.
- Submittable Visual Art & Periodical Portals
- Red Ogre Review (December 2026 Issue): Open calls for digital visual art, drawings, and photography to be featured alongside literature.
- Phosphorescent Lit (Issue 3 Visual Art): Accepting stand-alone artwork and photography portfolios responding to the “Fever” theme through 16 November 2026.
- Leongatha Art and Photography Show (Regional Victoria)
- Entry Window: Opens 30 October 2026 (closes late November 2026; physical delivery January 2027)
- Mediums: Works on paper, drawings, paintings, and fine art photography
- Exhibition: Annual open-entry exhibition featuring competitive cash awards across regional and open categories.
