Seven West Media’s The Best Australian Yarn – The Best Australian Yarn returns. Short story writers to compete for world’s biggest prize.
Australia’s most popular short story competition, The Best Australian Yarn, is back with an even richer, world-best prize pool and an exciting new category.
The 2024 competition is now underway giving published and amateur writers the chance to share in an astonishing $80,000 prize pool across eight categories, with $50,000 going to the overall winner.
For the first time, prizes will be awarded for the best Comic Story, both in the general section and in the two youth categories.
Leading global education provider Navitas has again partnered with Seven West Media to sponsor the competition, which has attracted more than 10,000 submissions since its inception in 2022.
Australia’s leading romantic fiction writer, Rachael Johns, has joined returning judges Robert Drewe, Terri-ann White, Rachel Bin Salleh and Holden Sheppard on the Prize Jury.
Indigenous affairs advocate and columnist for Seven West Media, Emma Garlett, returns as the ambassador for the First Nations Storytelling Prize and will be assisted in judging the category by dual Miles Franklin Award-winning author Kim Scott.
Seven West Media’s new national platform The Nightly joins the competition this year as a supporting partner, together with the WA branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Writing WA, Department of Premier and Cabinet of WA, Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage of WA and the Perth Comic Arts Festival.
The Best Australian Yarn is the brainchild of Seven West Media’s Director of News and Current Affairs and Editor-in-Chief, Anthony De Ceglie, who wanted to inspire people who have a passion for writing and help put arts and culture at the forefront of Australia’s identity.
Navitas’ Chief Executive Officer, Scott Jones, said:
“As a global education provider, we remain committed to offering the best opportunities for our students to grow and succeed every day. Similarly, The Best Australian Yarn provides writers of all ages and backgrounds across Australia with a platform to showcase their creativity and explore their talent as authors and storytellers.”
The Best Australian Yarn is open to all Australians aged 12 years and over. Entries must be original, unpublished works of fiction up to 2,500 words long and can cover any genre.
The total prize pool of $80,000 is split across these categories:
- Overall Winner – $50,000
- Runner up – $4,000
- Navitas ESL Prize – $3,000
- First Nations Storytelling Prize – $3,000
- Comic Story Prize – $3,000
- Regional Prize – $3,000
- Youth Prize – $3,000 ($1,500 each for entrants aged 12-14 and 15-18)
- Comic Story Youth Prize – $3,000 ($1,500 each for entrants aged 12-14 and 15-18)
- Eight shortlisted overall winner finalists – $1,000 each
Entries for The Best Australian Yarn are now open and close Monday, 12 August 2024.
The winners will be announced at a live-streamed awards night on Friday, 22 November 2024 at The State Library of Western Australia.
Further details can be found at www.bestaustralianyarn.com.au
Seven West Media’s The Best Australian Yarn is back
Media Release – Seven
Seven West Media’s The Best Australian Yarn is back
TV Central Seven content HERE
