joanne burns Microlit Award now open

Newcastle Writers Festival and publisher Spineless Wonders are excited to announce the launch of the 2023 joanne burns Microlit Award. Celebrated poet joanne burns and Melbourne writer and academic Cassandra Atherton will judge the competition entries, which are invited from Hunter writers as well as writers from across Australia and those Australians living overseas. The theme of this year’s competition is ‘play’ and the maximum length of entries is 200 words. The competition deadline is 28 August, 2022.

This award honours the work of experimental Australian poet joanne burns, who was the recipient of the prestigious NSW Premier’s Kenneth Slessor Award for Poetry.

What we are looking for

We are looking for play-themed writing in the form of microfiction or prose poems of up to 200 words which reflect on some form or aspect of play – whether playful ideas, language or behaviour.

Award categories

There are both national and Hunter Region categories. The national category is open to any person residing in Australia and to Australian citizens living anywhere. An entry fee of $15 applies to this category. The Hunter Region category is open to Hunter residents living in the 10 LGAs and is free to enter.

Award prizes

Cash prizes of $300 will be awarded to the winner of the National and Hunter categories. Finalists and invited contributors will be offered publication in the Spineless Wonders’ microlit anthology, which will be launched at the 2023 Newcastle Writers Festival. All texts included in the anthology will be considered for inclusion in a range of Spineless Wonders’ multiplatform collaborations activities as part of the festival.

For more details, including competition guidelines and how to submit click here.