SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition returns for 2021

This year’s SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition is looking for entries that reflect the diversity of contemporary Australia.

The theme for the 2021 competition is ‘Between Two Worlds: stories from a diverse Australia’ and it is open to writers aged 18 and over. The piece needs to be a memoir in first-person, between 1,000-2,000 words.

They’re looking for stories from a wide array of people including first and second-generation Australians and First Nations voices.

Who are the 2021 judges?

The judges this year are:

• Wiradjuri author, Tara June Winch, whose award-winning books include Swallow the Air and The Yield.
• Kurdish-Iranian writer/journalist Behrouz Boochani, author of memoir No Friend But the Mountains for which he won the 2019 Victorian Prize for Literature.

What are the prizes?
The total prize pool is $10,000. According to the press release:
“The winning submission will be awarded a $5,000 prize to support further development of the writer’s skills and knowledge. There will also be a $3,000 prize awarded for second place and two honourable mentions who will each receive a $1,000 prize. All winners and runners up will have their works published on the SBS Voices website.”

How to submit
Entries open on Monday 16 August and close on Thursday 16 September 2021.

To find out more and to enter, visit the Emerging Writers’ Competition website.

Good luck!