Susie Warrick Young Writers Award

In memory of Susie Warrick, this award celebrates the art of the short story and supports emerging young writers in furthering their career with a first prize of $500 per category.

The Brief: Write an original short story up to 1000 words on any theme.

Prize Category 1: Year 10 to 12 students
Prize Category 2: Year 7 to 9 students

The Jesse Blackadder Prize

In memory of Jesse Blackadder, this prize celebrates creativity and imagination in Stage 3 writers with a first prize of $300.

The Brief: Write an original short story from 500 to 1000 words on any theme.

Prize Category: Year 5 to 6 students

Eligibility & Key Dates

Entrants of both competitions must live within the Byron Writers Festival footprint, from Taree in the south, Kyogle in the west and Tweed Heads in the north.

Key Dates

• Submissions open: Wednesday 26 May, 2021
• Applications Close: Wednesday 30 June, 2021 – 11.59pm
• Winners notified: Wednesday 28 July, 2021. Please note all other entrants will be notified of the outcome at this time.

Prizes include:

• Susie Warrick Young Writers Award: $500 per category
• The Jesse Blackadder Prize: $300
• A Festival Day Pass for Sunday 8 August, 2021
• Publication of the winning story in Northerly, quarterly magazine of the Byron Writers Festival.
• A runner up from each category will have their stories published online at the Byron Writers Festival’s Blog.

 Submission Guidelines

1. Write and polish an original short story.
2. Include the title in the header of your story.
3. Submit your story as a Word Document – Arial 12-point font preferred.
4. Submissions are judged anonymously. Your name should not be included anywhere on your story – it should only be entered on the submission form.
5. Entries are limited to one submission per person. A list of all Terms & Conditions can be found here.
6. Click on the online Application link to submit your story by Wednesday 30 June, 2021

About the Awards

Susie Warrick was a much loved staff member at the Northern Rivers Writers Centre (now Byron Writers Festival). The Susie Warrick Young Writers Award was established to honour her memory, celebrate the art of the short story, and to support emerging young writers in furthering their career.

The Jesse Blackadder Prize was created in 2020 in memory of Jesse Blackadder, much loved Board member, author and founder of Byron Writers Festival’s StoryBoard program. 

Prizes are generously sponsored by the Warrick Family, Hilarie Dunn and the Byron Writers Festival Jesse Blackadder Memorial Fund.

Read the 2019 winning stories here.

For some valuable tips on entering Writing Competitions click here: https://www.melindatognini.com.au/writing-competitions-what-you-need-to-know-before-entering/

If you have any enquires, please email [email protected]