2025 High Country Words Writing Competition – SCRUB
SCRUB Anthology is now available!
Sit back with a cuppa and enjoy these short stories, poems and bush poems inspired by the theme of ‘scrub’ in the inaugural High Country Words writing competition.
With characters tearing through the Australian bush, scrubbing boats, or hiding scrubby souls, these pieces alternately deliver laughter, tears, or the desire to sit back and reflect on a special moment. Whether you meander through the scrub or race to the end, the journey will be its own reward.
To order, email inkbookshopmansfield@gmail.com and we will send you an invoice. They are $25 per copy and postage is approximately $10 for up to 4 copies or $20 for up to 10 copies. Alternatively, you can pick one up in person at Ink Bookshop or at the Mansfield Readers & Writers Festival Oct 11-12.
A big shout out to our judges:
- Short Story: Margaret Hickey – award-winning author and playwright from North East Victoria with a PhD in Creative Writing. Author of Cutters End, Stone Town, Broken Bay, The Creeper, and short story collection Rural Dreams.
- Poetry: Maria Takolander – fiction writer, poet, essayist, independent scholar, public artist, reviewer, and interviewer, author of the short story collection The Double (Text Publishing 2013), and a poetry collection Trigger Warning (UQP 2021).
- Bush Poetry: Andrew and Frederica Furphy – these Shepparton raconteurs aim to keep bush themed story-telling alive with the benefit of age, a love of the well chosen word, and interest in regional Australia.
WINNERS ANNOUNCED
From a strong field of talented authors and poets, our judges picked the winners of the High Country Words Competition. Congratulations!
Poetry: Tim Loveday, How to Skin a Rabbit
Bush poetry: David Judge, Soul Search
Short Story Open: Cassy Nunan, The Carnivorous River
Short Story Mansfield: Shaun McMahon, Leave
Thank you to all our entrants. We have been blown away by your creativity. For the full SHORT and LONGLIST, see Scrub Anthology.
HIGH COUNTRY WORDS!
Mansfield Readers & Writers and Bushy Tales writing competitions joined forces to become High Country Words.
Bushy Tales is an annual writers competition that has run in Mansfield for 10 years. It featured prizes for short story, memoir, poetry and bush poetry, culminating in an awards night and a Bushy Tales anthology of its own. Mansfield Readers & Writers Short Story Competition has been held twice, and has produced the beautiful Heart and Soul Anthologies.
From 2025, both competitions will run under the banner High Country Words Competition, with categories for short story, poetry and bush poetry.
The theme for 2025 is “SCRUB”.
There are three categories:
- Short story: 2000 words maximum, prizes $1000 open and $500 local
- Poetry: 100 lines maximum, prize $500
- Bush poetry: 100 lines maximum, prize $500
High Country Words Guidelines
The entry fee is $20 for an initial entry with $10 each for further entries.
Local/student/pensioner entry fee $10.
Arts Mansfield members and Mansfield Readers & Writers members get one free entry.
Please check High Country Words Guidelines 2025 for further information.
Important Dates
Entries open 1st February 2025 and close 30th April 2025. By request, we extended the deadline to May 14 to give people more time. ENTRIES NOW CLOSED.
Longlist announced mid-June 2025. DONE.
Shortlist announced late July 2025. DONE.
The winner announced August 2025 (date to be finalized). DONE.
The anthology will officially launch at the Mansfield Readers & Writers Festival October 2025.