The 2024 Boroondara Literary Awards are now open. Entries close at 11:59 pm Friday 17 May 2024. 

Winners will be announced in late 2024.

Our Young Writers' Competition offers $5,000 in prize money across various sections. The Open Short Story Competition awards $1,500 to its first place winner.

You must accept the terms and conditions of this competition to participate in it. These are available to download at the bottom of this page.

2024 award categories and prizes

1. Young Writers Competition

This is a prose and poetry competition for young people who live, work or study in Boroondara.

All entrants should ensure that their document does not contain borders, colours, images, or any identifying details such as your name. There are no requirements for fonts, sizing, or spacing for your entry.

CriteriaPrize

Junior Category

  • Open to young people in school Years 5 and 6
  • Prose length between 300 and 500 words
  • Poetry length must be less than 100 lines
  • One entry per category is permitted: one for prose and one for poetry

Prose

  • First place: $300
  • Second place: $200
  • Third place: $100

Poetry

  • First place: $300
  • Second place: $200
  • Third place: $100

Highly commended

  • Up to 3 vouchers, $30 each

Middle Category

  • Open to young people in school Years 7, 8 and 9
  • Prose length between 500 and 900 words
  • Poetry length must be less than 200 lines
  • One entry per category is permitted: one for prose and one for poetry

Prose

  • First place: $450
  • Second place: $300
  • Third place: $150

Poetry

  • First place: $450
  • Second place: $300
  • Third place: $150

 

Highly commended

  • Up to 3 vouchers, $30 each

Senior Category

  • Open to young people in school Years 10, 11 and 12.
    Also open to young people not in secondary school, aged 15 to 18 years old as of 1 January 2024.
  • Prose length between 900 and 1,300 words.
  • Poetry length must be less than 200 lines
  • One entry per category is permitted: one for prose and one for poetry

Prose

  • First place:  $600
  • Second place: $400
  • Third place: $200

Poetry

  • First place: $600
  • Second place: $400
  • Third place: $200

Highly commended

  • Up to 3 vouchers, $30 each

Enter the Young Writers competition

2. Open Short Story Competition

The Open Short Story Competition is open to all Victorian residents.

All entrants should ensure that their document does not contain borders, colours, images, or any identifying details such as your name. There are no requirements for fonts, sizing, or spacing for your entry.

CriteriaPrize

Word length between 1,500 and 3,000 words

One entry per person 

Entrants must live in Victoria to be eligible 

  • First place: $1500
  • Second place: $1000
  • Third place: $500

The Keith Carroll Award of $500 is given to the best entry from a Boroondara resident.

 

Highly commended

  • Up to 3 vouchers, $50 each

Enter the Open Short Story Competition

Terms and conditions

You must accept the terms and conditions of this competition to participate in it.


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