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  • Submissions diary

    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 Poems must be original and previously unpublished.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.

  • Calendar of publishers and events

    UNFURL Writing+art publishers list
    • Poets' Corner – Youtube
      This is the offiicial WestWords YouTube channel. WestWords is dedicated to celebrating and championing the stories of the people, places and cultures that comprise the heart of Western Sydney. WestWords Centre for Writing is based in Parramatta. A guiding philosophy of WestWords is a belief in the power of literature and literacy (written, oral and visual), self-expression and creativity to change lives and the experience of communities. With a strategic focus on children and young people and through a comprehensive program of workshops, residencies, fellowships and support for writers we offer professional opportunities for the growth of distinctive voices. WestWords’ […]
    • Red Art Prize
    • Aesthetica Magazine
      Aesthetica is a worldwide destination for art and culture. In-depth features foreground today’s most innovative practitioners across art, design, photography, architecture, music and film.
    • Writers SA – Competitions and Opportunities
      Get your writing out into the world with our round-up of the literary prizes, competitions, fellowships, and other writing opportunities in 2021.
    • Cordite submissions
      Submission to Cordite 122: THRUM, with poetry guest-edited by Thabani T. Tshuma and Georgia Kartas, closes 11.59pm Melbourne time on 4 October 2026. We celebrate 30 years of publishing in 2026. Ple…
    • Submittable (photography)
      Submittable User Manager
    • Writers SA (Australian literary journals)
      A listing of publishers and journals.
    • Jacaranda Journal
      Jacaranda Journal is a literary publication in Brisbane known for its commitment to empowering emerging writers and showcasing the best new Australian poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction.
    • Brunswick Street Gallery
    • ArtsHub (opportunities listing)
      Search ArtsHub's extensive list of Australian Artist Opportunities, Art Prizes, Competitions, Call outs, Awards, Grants and Auditions.
    • Griffin Poetry Prize
      Important Dates December 18, 2026 Works published between July 1 and December 31, 2026 are to be received by the third Friday in December to be considered for the 2027 Griffin Poetry Prize March 24, 2027 Griffin Poetry Prize Longlist Announcement April 21, 2027 Griffin Poetry Prize Shortlist Announcement MAY 5, …
    • Liquid Amber Press
      https://www.facebook.com/LiquidAmberPress
    • Poetry Ireland
    • Poets' Directory — Facebook
      Poets Directory is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Poets Directory and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.
    • Sudo Journal
      Visit the post for more.
    • ASAL | Association for the Study of Australian Literature
    • asaustlit — Linktree
      ASAL | Association for the Study of Australian Literature
    • Peter Porter Poetry Prize
      The Peter Porter Poetry Prize, presented by Australian Book Review, is one of Australia's most prestigious prizes for a new poem. The Prize – now open to all poets writing in English – is named after the great Australian poet Peter Porter (1929–2010). The Prize was first awarded in 2005 (Stephen Edgar) and was renamed in 2011, following Peter Porter's death.
    • Uplift Poetry
      1,113 Followers, 647 Following, 179 Posts – See Instagram photos and videos from Uplift (@upliftpoetryy)
    • Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards – Whitsundays Writers

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