Conditions of Entry

1. Applications are open 1 July – 30 September 2025.

2. All entrants must be Australian residents as of the closing date.

3. Local entrants must live, work or study in the Shire of Nillumbik. 

4. Youth writers must be aged 11–21 years as of the closing date. Youth categories are free to enter.

5. This award program will be implemented in line with Nillumbik Shire Council’s Child Safe Policy (Nillumbik Shire Council Child Safe Policy) and all award program employees, contractors and volunteers will be legally obligated to report any disclosures of child abuse or grooming to the relevant authorities. 

6. Writers under the age of 18 require parental/guardian consent if they are shortlisted. 

7. All entries must be written in English and must be the original, previously unpublished work of the entrant. Publication includes paid publication or any type of online publication. 

8. Entries created using AI applications are not eligible. Minor use of AI for checking grammar and spelling is permitted.

9. Entries must not have been awarded a prize in another competition.

10. Each entry must be accompanied by the listed entry fee. 

11. Entry is free for the Youth Categories.

12. Entry is free for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people across both genres and all categories.

13. Up to two pieces of writing can be entered in each category per writer.

14. All entries must write to the theme of Echoes.

15. Pen names will be accepted and, where provided, will be the name that is used and promoted if the story/poem is shortlisted, or wins an award and is published. The entrant’s legal first and last name must also be provided for administrative purposes.

16. Entries that exceed the word limit; short story (2,500 words) or Poetry (up to 60 lines) will be deemed ineligible.

17. The Judges reserve the right not to award a prize in a category if they deem no entry is of sufficient merit to warrant the prize. The Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

18. Copyright of the stories and poems remains the property of the writer.

19. Current employees of Nillumbik Shire Council, Nillumbik Shire Councillors, current employees and Board members of Writers Victoria and Readers and Judges are not eligible to enter.

20. Entries must be electronically submitted by midnight AEDT on the closing date, 30 September 2025. Please note technical assistance will only be available until 5pm AEDT that day.

21. No late entries will be accepted. It is the writer's responsibility to allow sufficient time to complete the submission process including payment.

22. Structural editing may be applied to winning entries included in the anthology.

23. Nillumbik Shire Council reserves the right to retain copies of winning entries and publish them in the Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing Anthology, on Council’s website, eBulletins and in related promotional material. Excerpts of the winning entries may be published on online platforms for promotional purposes. Copyright remains with the writer.

24. Prizes for the 2026 Award are

· Open Prize Winners  (Short Story & Poetry ) each $5,000

· Local Prize Winners   (Short Story & Poetry ) each $2,500

· Youth Prize Winners   (Short Story & Poetry ) each $1,000

· Mayor’s Award (Local Short Story)  $500