Short Story Competition
Stretch your creative muscles and you could share in more than $3000 worth of prizes in the Melton City Libraries Short Story Competition!
Our annual Short Story competition is a great opportunity for budding writers of all ages to showcase their talents and have their work reviewed by popular authors.
Your short story can be given in any format including text, illustration, video, verse, voice or a combination of any of the above. Written entries should be no more than 3000 words for adults or 1500 words for juniors and young adults. For other story formats, aim for something that takes no more than 5 minutes to experience.
The competition is open to all ages with prizes awarded to the best entries in Junior, Young Adult and Adult sections, as chosen by our expert panel of judges.
Entries open: Monday 20 June 2022
Entries close: Monday 15 August 2022
Finalists will be notified via email by Monday 30 September 2022.
All entries must be submitted online.
Submit your entry: Under 18
Submit your entry: 18 and over
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
Terms and conditions
- Entries open Monday 20 June 2022. Entries received after the closing date of Monday 15 August 2022 will not be accepted.
- One entry per person.
- All entries must be submitted online at www.melton.vic.gov.au/shortstory. The author’s name must NOT appear on the submitted work.
- The author must live, work or study in the City of Melton, or be a library member. Winning authors may need to supply proof of residency, work or study in the City of Melton.
- Employees and family members of Melton City Council and sponsors cannot enter.
- Entries must be the original unpublished work of the author.
- If written, the story should be legible, preferably typed in a clear font.
- If illustrated, the story should be in a format that is easily viewed and not too large.
- If animated, the story should be in a format that is viewable using Windows Media player.
- Stories should be within the prescribed limits: no more than 3000 words for adults, 1500 words for junior and teen, or 5 minutes long.
- Entries will not be returned and will be disposed of in a secure manner.
- The judges’ decisions are final.
- Finalists will be notified by Monday 30 September 2022.
- Winning entries, with the names of winning authors may be published by Melton City Council. By entering, you agree to have your work published.
DOWNLOAD
Short Story Competition 2022 Terms and Conditions(PDF, 147KB)
PRIZES
Junior A Section (Prep - Year 3)
1st Prize: $300
2nd Prize: $200
3rd Prize: $100
Junior B Section (Year 4 - Year 6)
1st Prize: $300
2nd Prize: $200
3rd Prize: $100
Teenage Section (Year 7 - Year 12)
1st Prize: $300
2nd Prize: $200
3rd Prize: $100
Adult Section (18 years )
1st Prize: $750
2nd Prize: $500
3rd Prize: $250
Additional information
Prizes will also be awarded for the 'Best First-Time Entry' as well as 'Highly Commended' entries in each category.
In the event of a tie in any category, prizes will be added to together and divided equally between the winners.
DOWNLOADS
JUDGES
This year's Short Story Competition judges are:
Favel Parrett
Favel Parrett's career was launched in 2011 with her critically acclaimed debut ‘Past the Shallows’. A heart-breaking novel, it was sold internationally and was shortlisted for the prestigious Miles Franklin Award. Her next novel, ‘When the Night Comes’, was also critically acclaimed and further consolidated Favel's reputation with booksellers and readers. Her success has continued with her eagerly-awaited third novel, ‘There Was Still Love’ and her first children’s book, ‘Wandi’.
Learn more about Favel Parrett.
Nicole Hayes
Nicole Hayes is an award-winning writer and podcaster, a Stella Prize Schools Ambassador and an Australia Reads Ambassador. Her Young Adult novel, ‘One True Thing’, was awarded the Children’s Peace Literature Award and was shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Literary Award, the WA Young Readers Award, the YABBA and KOALA awards. ‘A Shadow’s Breath’ was a finalist for the NSW Premier’s Award, the Gold INKY Awards and a CBCA Notable book. Her debut novel, ‘The Whole of My World’, a YA #MeToo novel set in the world of AFL, was longlisted for the Gold Inky Award, and shortlisted for YABBA and KOALA awards.
Nicole is also co-author of the popular AFL junior fiction series, ‘Little Legends’ and is part of the ground-breaking ‘Outer Sanctum’ AFL podcast. She teaches creative writing to adults and young people, and is pursuing a PhD at Deakin University.
Learn more about Nicole Hayes.
Katherine Kovacic
Katherine Kovacic is the author of the award-winning Alex Clayton art mystery series. She has also delved into true crime with ‘The Schoolgirl Strangler’ and brought the character of Peregrine Fisher from screen to page in Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, ‘Just Murdered’.
Based in Melbourne, Katherine has a diverse background ranging from veterinary medicine to art history. When she’s not writing, she divides her time between a small family dog training business, and working in the heritage sector.
Learn more about Katherine Kovacic.
2021 WINNING ENTRIES
Need some inspiration for your Short Story? Check out last year’s winners below.