Here’s your latest digest of creative writing, literary prize, and visual art submission opportunities closing in the coming month (November through early December 2026). This update highlights freshly opened calls—including Overland‘s flagship annual prizes—alongside key deadlines closing over the next three to four weeks across Australia and international platforms.
Poetry & Prose Submissions
- Westerly Magazine is accepting short fiction, creative non-fiction, memoir, poetry, visual art, and comics for its upcoming print volumes.
- Ninth Heaven Literary Journal welcomes poetry, prose, and visual art exploring Creation & Festivity until 24 November 2026, reviewing submissions on a rolling basis.
- Joyland Magazine is reading short fiction across international regions through 30 November 2026, paying contributors for published short stories.
- Onkaparinga Writing & Poetry Competition (Writers SA) invites flash prose and poems up to 500 words responding to the theme of “Stronger Together” until 18 November 2026.
- Verge 2027 Anthology (Monash University Publishing) seeks unpublished short fiction, creative non-fiction, hybrid pieces (up to 2,500 words), or poetry (up to 35 lines) on “Ghosts” from Australian writers until 13 December 2026.
- Cordite Poetry Review continues to review poetry submissions and scholarly essays via its Submittable portal.
Literary Prizes & Competitions
| Competition / Prize | Closing Date | Form & Length | Entry Fee | Prize & Publication Details |
| Aurealis Awards 2026 | 10 Nov 2026 | Published speculative fiction by Australians in 2026 (indie & trade) | Concession for Writer Centre members | Australia’s premier sci-fi, fantasy, and horror awards across 16 categories |
| F(r)iction Fall Writing Contests | 13 Nov 2026 | Short stories (1,001–7,500 words), flash (to 1,000 words), poetry (to 3 pages) | Via Submittable | $1,000 USD (short story), $300 USD (flash/poetry), plus editorial feedback for finalists |
| Lesley Derksen Fellowship | 15 Nov 2026 | Visiting fellowship in children’s literature (Writers Victoria) | Free entry | Dedicated research and writing residency support |
| Jackie’s Annual Spring Competition | 30 Nov 2026 | Verse stories and children’s writing in rhyme and metre (guidelines) | Entry fee per piece | Cash prizes and direct circulation to Australian children’s publishers |
| KYD Creative Non-Fiction Prize | 30 Nov 2026 | Experimental or narrative essays (2,500–3,500 words) | KYD membership | $2,500 AUD first prize, two $1,000 AUD runner-ups, and publication |
| Gregory O’Donoghue Poetry Competition | 30 Nov 2026 | Unpublished single poems up to 40 lines (open internationally) | €7 (or free spots) | €2,000 first prize, festival reading in Cork, and publication in Southword |
| Bath Children’s Novel Award | 30 Nov 2026 | Opening 5,000 words + 1-page synopsis for unpublished juvenile/YA novels | £33 (sponsored options) | £5,000 prize open to unagented and indie writers worldwide |
| Anthology Travel Writing Competition | 30 Nov 2026 | Travel essays and creative narratives up to 1,000 words | €15 | €300 first prize and publication in Anthology |
| Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize | 4 Dec 2026 | Short stories up to 3,000 words loosely themed around “travel” | $12 (subscribers) / $20 via Submittable | $5,000 AUD first prize, two $750 AUD runner-up prizes, and publication in Overland |
| Judith Wright Poetry Prize | 4 Dec 2026 | Up to 80 lines for poets without a full-length collection | $12 (subscribers) / $20 via Submittable | $6,000 AUD first prize, $2,000 second, and $1,000 third ($9,000 AUD total pool) |
| Hawkeye Manuscript Prize | 12 Dec 2026 | Unpublished fiction or nonfiction manuscripts up to 80,000 words | Entry fee applies | Commercial publishing contract plus $3,500 AUD coaching package |
| The First 5k Novel Prize | 31 Dec 2026 | Opening 5,000 words of an unpublished novel plus 1-page synopsis | £27.50 (rules) | £5,000 first prize and consultation with literary agent Piers Blofeld |
Visual Art & Photography Calls
- Elaine Bermingham National Watercolour Prize closes on 8 November 2026 for landscape paintings, offering a $20,000 AUD acquisitive award administered by the Queensland College of Art and Design.
- Red Ogre Review accepts visual art, digital illustrations, and photography submissions until 15 November 2026 for publication alongside poetry and essays in its December 2026 issue.
- Blue Mesa Review considers original artwork and photography series for cover and interior features through 30 November 2026.
- Material Works Art Award offers a $2,500 USD award and online exhibition for visual artists, painters, and photographers; closes upon reaching 300 entries or by 6 December 2026.
- BigCi Environmental Awards 2026 invites Australian and international visual artists, photographers, and multidisciplinary creators to apply for two fully funded four-week residencies in the Blue Mountains alongside a $5,000 AUD project stipend.
- Collie Art Prize 2027 accepts entries on the theme of “Identity” from Australian painters, sculptors, and photographers until 11 December 2026, competing for a $50,000 AUD acquisitive first prize.
Database links
To see the complete lists click on the buttons, above. Below are limited RSS feeds from my link database.
Writers
Writing&art
- A submission platform that makes finding a home for your work easy. Find calls and submit to magazines, presses, and contests. Submit to many organizations at once directly from your portfolio of work or submit directly to a call.
- Publishing the best poetry and fiction from emerging and established voices since 1966.
- The Greensboro Review Submission Manager Powered By Submittable – Accept and Curate Digital Content
- Run by enthusiasts, FilmNeverDie joined the global movement in film & Polaroid photography back in 2011. Film is a very special medium that holds you back in the moment!
- Wakefield Press is an independent book publishing company based in Adelaide, South Australia.
- Independent literary press based in Sydney.
- Find new book releases, best sellers lists and see when your favorite author is making their next appearance.Simon & Schuster AU is your one stop online book store for book and author news.
- Puncher & Wattmann is an award-winning book publisher supporting quality Australian writing. Contact Puncher & Wattmann for more details.
- Publishing socially conscious and slightly offbeat books. Running workshops in brand voice, writing and editing for anyone who works with words. Creating custom books and publications for businesses and organisations with a story to tell. Loudly independent and proudly South Australian, based on Kau
- cargo.site
- Welcome to Publishing, the home of bold, original writing that excites, entertains and informs new ways of thinking.
- Words for the Queer Revolution
- A singular blend of Australian and international fiction, poetry, graphic novels, and non-fiction. Independent , original, engaged.