A new rhthym for our national literary competitions.
Hunter Writers’ Centre is pleased to announce a new rhythm for our national awards.
A confirmed calendar with fixed points in the literary year for writers and storytellers to plan around.
Newcastle Poetry Prize
Big news for the Newcastle Poetry Prize. We’re updating the annual timeline for the competition — and aligning with one of the country’s most beloved literary festivals.
We’re delighted to announce that submissions for the Newcastle Poetry Prize will open each year on the vernal equinox.
In 2025, submissions open on 23 September.
More exciting, is that this timing allows us to announce the winner of the Newcastle Poetry Prize and launch the Anthology as part of the Newcastle Writers Festival, arguably one of Australia’s most respected and beloved literary festivals.
This alignment creates a powerful moment in Newcastle’s cultural calendar: it brings poetry to the main stage, reaches new audiences, and celebrates Newcastle as an oxygenated, networked centre for Australian literature. It places poetry and poets into the cultural heart of this beautiful city.
We’re grateful to our long-term presenting partner, the University of Newcastle, a steadfast supporter of poetry and the literary arts, whose generous backing underwrites the Newcastle Poetry Prize’s $15,000 first prize.
Newcastle Short Story Award
We are pleased to announced submissions are now open for the 2025 Newcastle Short Story Award.
This year’s competition opens earlier than usual, with submissions closing at 8 pm AEST on Sunday 14 September. The shortlist will be announced in early November, and winners revealed in December, alongside the launch of the 2025 anthology.
Now in its thirteenth year, the award continues to attract outstanding short fiction from writers across Australia. Prizes range from $200 to $3,000 for the first prize, and we’re thrilled to welcome Catherine McNamara and Mirandi Riwoe as judges in 2025 — two exceptional writers and editors whose work spans continents, genres, and literary communities.
This will be the final year the award runs on an adjusted timeline. From 2026, it will open each year on 1 May as a permanent fixture in our awards calendar.
The Grieve Project
The beautiful and powerful Grieve Project has now closed submissions for 2025, and will reopen next year on Valentine’s Day — the traditional launch date for the project.
The shortlist of works to be included in the 2025 Grieve Anthology will be announced at the end of August, with the award winners, anthology launch, and public storytelling event, Lament, scheduled for 29 October 2025.
Thank you to everyone who submitted to this year’s Grieve Project. Your stories remind us why this work matters.
We also extend our sincere thanks to our partners and supporters who make the Grieve Project possible each year.
2025 Calendar
| Competition | Opens | Closes | Event / Launch |
| Newcastle Short Story Award | Monday 21 July 2025 | Sunday 14 September 2025 | Early December 2025 |
| Newcastle Poetry Prize | Tuesday 23 September 2025 | Sunday 7 December 2025 | 27 – 29 March 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival |
Greive Project | Shortlist announced: Late August 2025 Event / Launch: Wednesday 29 October 2025 Reopens in 2026 on 14 February 2026 | ||
2026 Calendar
| Competition | Opens | Closes | Event / Launch |
| The Grieve Project | Saturday 14 February 2026 | Sunday 26 April 2026 | August 2026 |
| Newcastle Short Story Award | Friday 1 May 2026 | Sunday 12 July 2026 | October / November 2026 |
| Newcastle Poetry Prize | Wednesday 23 September 2026 | Sunday 6 December 2026 | Newcastle Writers Festival 2027 |