SLQ Young Writers Award 2013

Entries to the Young Writers Award 2013 have now closed and the winner will be announced in September. Check back to read the winning stories.

The competition

The Young Writers Award is a short story competition (of 2,500 words or less), open to Queensland residents aged 18 to 25.

The judging panel will select the winner and runner up, and four highly commended entries. The judging panel comprises of award-winning young adult author Sue Gough, The Courier-Mail Arts Editor Nathanael Cooper, author and past Young Writers Award winner Alasdair Duncan, and Queensland Writers Centre Program Manager Aimee Lindorff.

Prizes

The Young Writers Award winner, first runner-up and four highly commended entries each receive a prize pack.

Prizes included:

$2,000 to the Young Writers Award winner
$500 to the first runner-up recipient
12 month youth membership to Queensland Writers Centre
12 month membership to Australian Writers Marketplace online
Admission to a Queensland Writers Centre workshop or industry seminar
Admission to a Brisbane Writers Festival workshop

How to enter

Write your own original short story of 2,500 words or less.
Download the electronic Entry Form + Conditions of Entry [700kb] document and make sure your submission complies with all of entry requirements.
Fill in the electronic entry form and save it to your computer.
Email the entry form and your story submission to learningparticipation@slq.qld.gov.au with “Young Writers Award submission” in the email header by 5pm Friday 19 July.

Hints on writing a short story

Be confident in your writing.
Relax and don’t try too hard. Use language that comes naturally to you and when you’re writing, try to let it flow.
Judges are looking for stories with distinctive and interesting characters and plots – get to know who your characters are and where your plot’s going first, and the language will follow.
They’re all good ideas, but don’t try to cram them all into one piece. Think about your core themes and characters and stick by them - your loyalty will pay off in the end.
For more writing tips, visit Queensland Writers Centre or read up on some of the past winning stories.