ENTRY GUIDELINES
Theme for all Short Story Categories:
“Real and Imagined”
Entry dates:
The opening date for entries is 31 March 2025. Entries close 23 June 2025.
Short Story Competition Categories:
Adult/Open: Maximum 3000 words. $20 fee for entry.
Secondary: Maximum 1000 words. Free entry.
Primary: Maximum 500 words. Free entry.
Prizes:
The winner of the Adult/Open Category will receive a $500 cash prize.
The winner of the Secondary Category (under 19 years) will receive a $100 book voucher.
The winner of the Primary Category will receive a $50 book voucher.
Who can enter?
Entries are welcome from residents of the state of Victoria, Australia, writing in English who are not currently paid, professional fiction writers.
How to enter:
Only one entry may be submitted per person.
Entries must be submitted via the submission form on the Apollo Bay WORDfest website by 11.59pm on 23 June 2025.
Entry to the Primary and Secondary Categories is free. The entry fee of $20 for the Adult/Open category must be paid through the Apollo Bay Arts webstore here. If you are unable to make the payment online, contact us at info@apollobaywordfest.com.
If entering the Adult/Open Category, attach a copy of your entry fee receipt to the online form.
If entering the Primary Category or Secondary Category please do not use a .edu email address, as these are sometimes filtered and we may be unable to contact you.
The author’s name must not appear anywhere in the attached document, story or in the name of the digital file. Judging will be ‘blind’.
Formatting your entry:
Entries must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx) or Portable Document Format (.pdf).
The text should be presented in 12 pt font size.
The pages should be numbered.
The file name should only include the title of the story.
Entrants should not include their own name in the title of the story or the file name.
Entries must be a single, adhering to the word limit for the category.
Entries must be written in English.
Entries must be original works of fiction writing, not previously published elsewhere or infringing on copyright law.
Entries must be original works, written without the assistance of ‘AI’ tools (ChatGPT, etc.).
Copyright of the story (or stories) remains with the entrant.
Publication:
Apollo Bay WORDfest Committee reserve the rights to publish the three winning stories in print and online using appropriate media platforms.
Authorship of the shortlisted stories will be fully acknowledged in the event of print and online publishing.
The Judging Process:
Judging is a ‘blind’ process. Entrants who have included their name in their document, story, or file name will be disqualified.
The shortlist of entries will be decided by the Apollo Bay WORDfest committee.
The panel of judges who select the winners from the shortlisted entries will be independent of the Apollo Bay WORDfest committee.
The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into about the judgments or the judging process.
We are unable to provide feedback about individual entries.
Apollo Bay WORDfest reserves the right not to award a prize in any category.