Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing

The Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing (NPCW) is a biennial writing award.

It is a counterpart to the Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art (NPCA), which is also a biennial prize. The writing prize and the art prize are held on alternate years.

2026 Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing

The 2026 Prize builds on the Shire's strong tradition of supporting contemporary Australian writing. It is offered in partnership with Writers Victoria and Yarra Plenty Regional Library.

Read the Conditions of Entry(PDF, 459KB) before applying.

Entries are open from 1 July to 30 September 2025 in the following genres.

Short Story

Up to 2500 words
Theme: Echoes
Open, Local and Youth categories

Poetry

Any form
Up to 60 lines
Theme: Echoes
Open, Local and Youth categories

Prizes and awards

The prize awards the best work in each genre under each category. The prizes are monetary plus publication in the NPCW anthology which is launched at the public awards announcement held in May 2026. The prizes amounts are the same for both genres.

Category	Prize amount
Open	$5,000
Local	$2,500
Youth	$1,000

The Alan Marshall Short Story Award is awarded to the best short story in the Short Story Open category.

A Mayor's Award ($500) is also awarded from shortlisted entries in the Short Story Local category.

All entries in the Local category are automatically entered into the Open category.

Entry fees

The entry fees are the same for both genres.

Entry is free for the Youth categories and for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people across both genres.

Category	Full entry fee	Concession
Open (up to two entries)	$25.00	$15.00
Local (up to two entries)	$15.00	$10.00
Youth (up to two entries)	Free	Free

Eligibility

Open category is open to all Australian residents.
Local category is open to Australian residents who live, work or study in Nillumbik.
Youth category is open to Australian residents aged 11 to 21.