Calling all writers and artists!
Here is a list of competitions for writing and illustrating/art open to children aged 12 and under. The list will be updated as often as we can. (Note: most of these competitions will be open to Australian residents only.)
Some tips when it comes to entering competitions:
- Writing comps are a good way to hone your writing skills and to work to a deadline.
- If you don’t win, it doesn’t mean your work is bad—don’t lose heart, just keep at it!
- Many writing/art competitions have free entry for kids. If there IS an entry fee, check with your parent/guardian about whether it’s a reputable competition. (Some competitions ask you to pay large amounts of money to enter, or say it is free to enter but then want you to buy a book with all the ‘winners’ writing published. It’s usually a good idea to avoid those sorts of competitions.)
- Read all the entry conditions. And read them again! You don’t want to be disqualified for going over the word limit or missing the closing date.
- DO NOT USE AI in any way unless a competition specifically states that you are allowed to use it. Most competitions won’t allow it and most will use plagiarism and AI checkers for entries.
- We list competitions here but we are not usually affiliated with those competitions and do not necessarily endorse them. You will need to check with a parent/guardian before entering.
NSW Govt WriteOn Competition (Entries close 19 June 2026)
Open to all NSW primary students in Years 1 to 6. Schools and home schools can use the stage-appropriate online entry form to submit one typed entry from each participating stage of learning.
Create an imaginative text of up to 500 words, using a provided stimulus. The 2026 stimulus is: ‘It was a small thing, but it made a difference.’
Check out the competition’s website for entry conditions.
Armadale Young Writers’ Awards (Entries close 30 June 2026)
Open to students in years 3 to 12 who reside or attend school in the City of Armadale, Western Australia.
Enter your story of fiction prose (no poetry, scripts or graphic novels or illustrations), maximum 2000 words. The use of any Artificial Intelligence tools or programs is not permitted in creating
entries for this competition.
ENTRY: Free
PRIZES: First place in each age category: $200 ; 2nd place: $150; 3rd place: $100. All finalists receive a trophy, certificate and a copy of the anthology containing all place-getting entries.
It is strongly recommended that you read the PDFs on the competition’s website with information and Terms & Conditions as this competition has strict rules about formatting and page layout of entries.
Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards (Entries close 30 June 2026)
Open to students enrolled in an Australian education facility (Kindergarten to Year 12). Poems must be no more than 80 lines. Poems may be on any subject, there is an optional theme: The Traveller. Poems can be written by an individual poet, a group of up to 5 students, or a whole class. See the competition’s website for details. The use of AI is not permitted.
PRIZES: Cash prizes (see competition’s website for details). The annual anthology includes all the winning, runners-up, shortlisted, highly commended and commended poems from all competition categories.
ENTRY: Fees apply
Check out the competition’s website for entry conditions
Randolph Stow Young Writers Award (Entries Open 20 April, Entries close 3 July 2026, 5pm)
Open to students of the Midwest and Gascoyne in Western Australia. The competition has categories for poetry and prose. Students in Years 3-6 may enter a prose piece with a maximum of 1200 words, or a piece of poetry with no word count limits.
ENTRY: Free
PRIZES: cash prizes
Check out the competition’s website for entry conditions
Better Read Kids Writing Competition (Entries close 1 August 2026)
Open to kids aged 6 to 17 years old. Write a short creative piece in the form of a short story, poem, or comic on the theme of “metamorphosis”. Maximum word count: 300 words.
ENTRY: Free
PRIZES: All entries will be published in an anthology, with prizes for the winning entry in each age category. The winning entry in each category (6-9, 10-12 and 13-17) will receive a $100 Better Read Than Dead voucher and two runners up in each category will receive a $50 voucher.
Check out the competition’s website for entry conditions
Australian Conservation Foundation Wild at Art Competition. (Entries OPEN 22 June 2026 ; Entries CLOSE 10 August 2026)
Open to Australian children aged 5-12. Create an original artwork of one of Australia’s many threatened native animals or plants, along with a short written component on the chosen threatened species.
For the artwork: Create your own work of art that interprets your chosen animal or plant. Make sure it falls within the categories of drawing, painting or mixed media (such as collage). (Three dimensional, photography and video works can’t be accepted.) Please make sure it is your own work.
For the written component: a short piece of writing that describes anything you care to mention about the artwork, e.g. what inspired you to choose your subject. Your reflection should be 50-150 words long.
ENTRY: unclear as competition is not yet open, but likely free to enter.
PRIZES: A mix of prizes including: Educational board games and books, Wildlife and zoo experiences, Nature activity sets, Arts and crafts gift cards, Australian animal soft toys
Check out the competition’s website for entry conditions.
2026 City of Subiaco WA Young Writers Award (Entries open 17 July 9.30am; Entries CLOSE 10 August 2026, 5.30pm AWST)
Open to Western Australian school students in Years one to twelve. Enter one piece of prose writing on any theme, maximum 1000 words. All entries must be the sole work of the entrant. Stories should not be edited by parents or teachers. Do not use Chat CPT or other AI.
ENTRY: Free.
PRIZES: Vouchers and gifts.
Check out the competition’s website for entry conditions.
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