Here is a digest of active publishing opportunities, prizes, and open calls across creative writing and visual arts for the week of Saturday, 10 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 Poems must be original and previously unpublished.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
Here is your weekly digest of active publishing opportunities, literary prizes, and visual art open calls, cross-referenced against your tracked bookmarks and regional directory listings:
1. Literary Prizes & Competitions
- Peter Porter Poetry Prize 2027 (Australian Book Review)
- Closing Date: Wednesday, 14 October 2026 (Midnight AEDT)
- Form & Scope: Single poems in English, maximum 70 lines. Open internationally to poets of any citizenship.
- Prizes & Terms: AU$10,000 total prize pool (AU$6,000 first prize; four shortlisted poets receive AU$1,000 each and publication in ABR).
- Entry Fee: AU$30 (or AU$20 for current ABR subscribers). (Source)
- The Hope Prize 2026
- Closing Date: Saturday, 31 October 2026
- Form & Scope: Prose short stories between 2,000 and 5,000 words exploring the experience of people facing hardship, poverty, or marginalisation with resilience, dignity, and hope. Open globally (18+).
- Prizes & Terms: AU$13,000 prize pool (AU$10,000 first prize; AU$2,000 second prize; AU$1,000 third prize).
- Entry Fee: Free to enter. (Source)
- SD Harvey Short Crime Story Award 2026 (Australian Writers’ Centre)
- Closing Date: Friday, 30 October 2026
- Form & Scope: Original, unpublished crime fiction between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Open to writers residing in Australia.
- Prizes & Terms: AU$1,000 first prize. Judged on narrative tension, plotting, and characterisation.
- Entry Fee: AU$35. (Source)
- Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize 2026 (Ballarat Writers Inc.)
- Closing Date: Saturday, 31 October 2026
- Form & Scope: Poems up to 40 lines. Theme: “Night”.
- Prizes & Terms: AU$1,000 first prize, AU$400 second prize, AU$100 third prize.
- Entry Fee: AU$35 per poem (AU$25 for BWI members; AU$15 for subsequent poems). (Source)
- Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize 2026 (Overland)
- Closing Date: Friday, 4 December 2026 (Midnight AEDT)
- Form & Scope: Short fiction up to 3,000 words loosely themed around the concept of “travel”.
- Prizes & Terms: AU$5,000 first prize and publication in *Overland*; two runner-up prizes of AU$750 each.
- Entry Fee: AU$20 general entry / AU$12 subscribers. (Source)
- Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets 2026 (Overland)
- Closing Date: Friday, 4 December 2026
- Form & Scope: Original poetry up to 80 lines by writers who have not yet published a full-length commercial poetry collection.
- Prizes & Terms: AU$9,000 prize pool (AU$6,000 first prize; AU$2,000 second; AU$1,000 third) plus publication.
- Entry Fee: AU$20 non-subscribers / AU$12 subscribers. (Source)
- Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize 2027
- Closing Date: Friday, 12 December 2026 (6:00 PM AEST)
- Form & Scope: Full unpublished fiction or narrative non-fiction manuscripts up to 80,000 words.
- Prizes & Terms: Traditional trade publishing contract with Hawkeye Books plus an author coaching and structural/line editing package valued at AU$3,500. Two categories awarded: Open and Own Voices.
- Entry Fee: AU$45 standard / AU$99 with comprehensive written assessment. (Source)
2. Poetry & Prose Submissions
- Meanjin (Edition 86.1 – Autumn 2027)
- Submission Window: Opens Friday, 23 October 2026 (Midday AEST) — Closes Friday, 27 November 2026 (6:00 PM AEST)
- Categories: Poetry (up to 3 poems), Short Fiction (up to 5,000 words), and Non-Fiction/Essays (up to 5,000 words).
- Theme & Guidelines: Broad overarching theme of “Storytelling”. All accepted contributions are paid upon publication. Portals open on Submittable. (Source)
- Curtis Brown Australia — Open Submissions Month
- Window Closes: Saturday, 31 October 2026
- Scope: Literary agency accepting unsolicited queries and manuscript proposals across literary fiction, commercial fiction, narrative non-fiction, and young adult writing without prior referral. (Source)
- Australian Poetry Collaboration Issue 41 (Meuse Press)
- Closing Date: Wednesday, 28 October 2026
- Scope: Seeking collaborative poetic works written jointly by two or more poets.
- Submission: Electronic submission via editorial guidelines. (Source)
- Overland (General Submissions)
- Status: Open / Ongoing on Submittable
- Scope: Essays, critical reviews, fiction, cultural commentary, and political writing.
- Contributor Rates: Standard industry rates apply (AU$150–AU$500 depending on length and print vs. online placement). (Source)
- One Sentence Poems & Eunoia Review
- Status: Open / Year-round rolling submissions
- Scope: Single-sentence poetry (One Sentence Poems) and short fiction/poetry/creative non-fiction with rapid turnaround (Eunoia Review). Both accessible directly via your Raindrop writing collection.
3. Visual Art, Photography & Illustration Calls
- Aesthetica Art Prize 2026/2027
- Closing Date: Sunday, 11 October 2026 (Late entries accepted through 18 October 2026)
- Mediums: Photography, digital media, drawing, painting, mixed media, sculpture, and video art.
- Prizes & Terms: £10,000 Main Art Prize, £1,000 Emerging Art Prize, group exhibition in York, and publication in the Future Now: 100 Contemporary Artists anthology.
- Entry Fee: Registration via site checkout. (Source)
- Small Works Art Prize 2027 (Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy)
- Closing Date: Sunday, 15 November 2026 (Midnight)
- Mediums & Specs: Open to all 2D and 3D media (including photography, drawings, printmaking, painting, and small sculpture). Artwork must not exceed 35 × 35 × 35 cm.
- Prizes & Exhibition: Over AU$15,000 in prizes, including two AU$2,000 solo exhibition packages and category awards. All eligible entries will be hung in the exhibition from 9–23 January 2027.
- Entry Details: Detailed entry and hanging requirements available on the BSG Information Page. (Source)
- Red Art Prize 2027 (Red Gallery, Fitzroy North)
- Closing Date: Sunday, 20 December 2026 (or until gallery exhibition capacity is reached)
- Mediums: Open-call exhibition launching the 2027 season for 2D and 3D contemporary visual art, drawing, print, and photography.
- Entry Fee: From AU$60. (Source)
- Collect Art — Open Call for Photography & Fine Art
- Closing Date: Thursday, 15 October 2026
- Scope: Curated international feature issue for street photography, documentary photography, and contemporary drawings/paintings.
- Format: Up to 12 high-resolution images, brief artist statement, and bio. (Source)
