John Marsden & Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers

GREAT WRITING COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS

The John Marsden & Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers is an annual developmental award open exclusively to Australian secondary school students across the nation.

The prize recognises excellence in three creative writing categories: fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

The Prize is named after and supported by international best-selling author John Marsden, sponsored by Hachette Australia and administered by Express Media. The prize is judged by John Marsden, alongside representatives from Hachette Australia and Express Media.

Submissions for The 2018 John Marsden & Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers are now open.

The Prize will awarded on Thursday August 30 2018, at a special Melbourne Writers Festival.

Pictured above are the 2017 prize winners - from Left: Robert Watkins, Publisher at Hachette Australia, Maz Howard (Poetry), Rose Forrest (Fiction), Angela Chen (Nonfiction), John Marsden, Express Media Patron. Photo: Connor Tomas O’Brien.

Read Rose Forrest’s winning short story, ‘A Stretching Summer’ on the Express Media blog.

Read Angela Chen’s winning nonfiction piece, ‘From, From?’ on the Express Media blog.

Read Maz Howard’s winning poem, ‘victim blaming’ on the Express Media blog. 

Prize winners received a $500 cash prize and a book pack of YA titles, courtesy of Hachette Australia, publication of their work on the Express Media website and their names and an acknowledgement printed in Voiceworks, Australia’s premier youth literary journal.

The 2018 John Marsden & Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers is open for submissions.

COMPETITION GUIDELINES

How to Enter

1. All entries must be received by 11.59pm, Friday June 29, 2018
2. One entry may be submitted, per category, with a maximum of 2 entries across the 3 categories
3. Each entry must be submitted via the submissions portal, with one entry per submission form. DO NOT put multiple submissions in one word or PDF document
4. Submissions of fiction or nonfiction may be up to 3,000 words in length
5. Submissions of poetry may be up to 100 lines in length
6. All entries must be typed and double-spaced
7. Submittable accounts must be created in the entrant’s own name and list the entrant’s contact details.

Conditions of Entry

1. Entries must be original works, written entirely by the entrant, and must not infringe upon anyone else’s copyright or intellectual property rights
2. Entries must not, either wholly or partly, have previously been published in print or online (with the exception of an entrant’s personal blog or website)
3. The name of the entrant should not be included anywhere on the submission; it should only be entered in the submission form
4. All members currently serving on the Express Media board; and/or all paid, permanent staff of Express Media, are ineligible to enter
5. Entrants must be in secondary school or, if not enrolled in school, be of secondary school age
6. Entrants under 18 years of age must have permission from a parent/guardian/teacher to enter the prize

• Express Media and Hachette Australia each reserve the right not to consider a submission if the conditions of entry above are not complied with
• Note: Entrants must acknowledge and agree to these terms upon submission. Parent/guardian/teacher of the entrant must confirm permission for entry upon submission

Consideration of Submissions

1. The judges’ decision is final; no correspondence will be entered into about the judgements or the judging process
2. Only shortlisted entrants will receive feedback on entries

PRIZE DETAILS

Shortlisted writers from each prize category receive:

• Feedback on their writing from Hachette Australia and Express Media judges
• An invitation to meet John Marsden over lunch hosted by Hachette Australia and Express Media
• An invitation to take part in an exclusive writing masterclass
• An invitation to attend a premiere event as a guest of the Melbourne Writers Festival

The first place winner of each prize category receives the above, plus:

• A $500 cash prize
• Up to $500 travel reimbursement to attend the winners’ announcement event
• A book pack of selected works from Hachette Australia’s young adult publications
• Publication on the Express Media website
• Winner names and an acknowledgement will be printed in Voiceworks, Australia’s premier youth literary journal

Ms Casey

English Faculty