COMPETITION GUIDELINES

SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Saturday 29 June at 11:59pm

2024 THEME:

“A touch of magic”

WHO CAN ENTER

KIDS: open to young writers aged 7-12 years residing in Australia OR enrolled for Semester 1, 2024.

Entry is free for young writers enrolled in a Story Studios Australia weekly group or mentorship for Semester 1, 2024.

Entry for all other young writers is $10.

TEENS: open to teen writers aged 13-17 years residing in Australia OR enrolled for Semester 1, 2024 and aged 13-17.

Entry is free for young writers enrolled in a Story Studios Australia weekly group or mentorship for Semester 1, 2024.

Entry for all other teen writers is $10.

ADULTS: open to adult writers 18 years and older who are Australian residents.

Entry for all adults is $20.

THE PRIZES 

KIDS: 7-12 year olds winner to receive $150

TEENS: 13-17 year olds winner to receive $300

ADULTS: 18+ winner to receive $500

Winners will be announced in Term 3, 2024 (Victorian Government School Terms)

RULES

Entries that fail to meet the following criteria will not be accepted:

KIDS AND TEENS:

• • Stories must be between 500 words (minimum) and 1000 words (maximum)

• • Your entry must be a new and original story (no assistance from parents, teachers, AI etc.) and should not infringe on a third party’s intellectual property rights (i.e. no copycats)

• • Your story must relate to the theme in some way

• • You are only permitted to submit one story

• • Your story cannot be something you have worked on in school or in a Story Studios Australia/MYWS weekly group or mentorship

• • All stories must be works of fiction (poetry will be accepted as long as there is an element of story/narrative)

• • Entries must not contain any strong language, strong violence or gore. (think PG)

• • Submissions must not be offensive or rude (a little bit cheeky is fine). We recommend ambiguity and subtlety for any stories dealing with darker themes and references!

• • The entry must be unpublished (either in print or online) and not under consideration elsewhere.

• • They must adhere with the Terms and Conditions and Entry Formatting Rules (view these in submissions portal).

ADULTS:

• • Stories must be between 1000 words (minimum) and 1500 words (maximum)

• • Your entry must be a new and original story (no assistance from AI etc.) and should not infringe on a third party’s intellectual property rights (i.e. no copycats)

• • Your story must relate to the theme in some way

• • You are only permitted to submit one story

• • All stories must be works of fiction (poetry will be accepted as long as there is an element of story/narrative)

• • Entries must not contain any strong language, strong violence or gore.

• • Submissions must not be offensive or rude (a little bit cheeky is fine). We recommend ambiguity and subtlety for any stories dealing with darker themes and references!

• • The entry must be unpublished (either in print or online) and not under consideration elsewhere.

• • They must adhere with the Terms of and Conditions and Entry Formatting Rules (view these in submissions portal).

HOW TO ENTER

• • Submissions will open in Term 2 2024 via our submissions portal

Submission portal formatting rules:

• • All stories must be submitted in font Arial size 12 with 1.15 spacing

• • All stories must be submitted as a Word or Pages document

• • Title the subject of your document ‘Fresh Fiction Entry – Writer Name’ 

Fresh Fiction Terms and Conditions

Read the winning entries from 2022 HERE.

Read the winning entries from 2021 HERE.

In 2023, Melbourne Young Writers’ Studio teamed up with Ukiyo, Melbourne’s top escape room, to bring you an immersive and imaginative series of school holiday programs. The Spirit Stories Story Competition was open to those who attended in the 2023 winter school holidays.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Read Ariana’s winning entry, A Twisted Tale, HERE.

Read Zach’s winning entry, The Shadow Wolves, HERE.