We’re pumped to announce that entries to the Mansfield Readers and Writers national short story competition are now open, and will close on 20 November. The competition theme is ‘Heart’ and is open to all Australian writers.
The winner will receive a prize of $1000 with a local writer’s prize of $500 for a Mansfield Shire local. Winning stories and longlisted entries will be published in a Mansfield Readers and Writers short story collection, to be launched at an event at our first Readers and Writers festival in March.
Why did we decide on a theme of ‘Heart’? Well, not least because the idea of ‘heart’ can mean so many things: romance, heartbreak, palpitations, courage, or simply the blood pumping organ of an animate being… the heart is such an important symbol, on top of all its practical purposes, that the possibilities are pretty much endless!
The short story is a form that many writers love. Our heartfelt hope is that the competition and the theme inspire writers from all over Australia to put their hearts on the line and enter the competition.
Judges will be looking for clever ideas, great writing and compelling stories.
If you – like so many of us – are taking stock of the big things as we slowly emerge from the pandemic, then this might be the perfect theme to inspire your next short story.
Important dates
- Monday 29 August 2022 – entries open
- Sunday 20 November 2022 – entries close at midnight
- Wednesday 30 November 2022 – long list announcement
- Wednesday 15 December 2022 – short list announcement
- Saturday 4 March 2023 – Winner announcement and anthology launch party as part of Mansfield Readers and Writers Festival in beautiful North East Victoria
How to enter
Visit our competition page for guidelines and entry forms.
More information
If you have questions that we haven’t answered on our competition page, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
