Writing competitions
Deadline December 15: The Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize 2024 for a non-fiction or fiction book has a $2500 winner's package. See: hawkeyebooks.com.au.
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Deadline December 18: The Blake Poetry Prize challenges Australian poets to explore the spiritual and religious in a new work of 100 lines or less, and is strictly non-sectarian. The entries are not restricted to works related to any faith or any artistic style, but all poems entered must have a recognisable religious or spiritual integrity. See: westwords.com.au.
Deadline December 31: The Moth Poetry Prize is for a single unpublished poem. See: themothmagazine.com.
Deadline January 1, 2024: The Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize is for works of fiction and non-fiction between 20,000 and 40,000 words. Non-fiction submissions are particularly encouraged. See: finlaylloyd.com/20-40.
Deadline January 22, 2024: The ABR Calibre Prize seeks essays of between 2000 and 5000 words on any subject. It is open to essays of all kinds: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental. See: australianbookreview.com.au.
Deadline January 27, 2024: The Local Word Writing Prize, open to over-16s in Australia, is for an "entry of up to 3000 words from emerging and established writers in creative non-fiction". (Fiction also accepted.) See: grlc.vic.gov.au.
Deadline June 1, 2024: The 2024 Questions Writing Prize aims to recognise and reward young Australian writers (18 to 30 years). The writing can be fiction or non-fiction between 1500 and 2000 words. See: questions.com.au.
Events
December 9: At the Book Cow at 10.30am will be the launch of Plume: Christmas Elf by Tania McCartney. See: bookcow.com.au.
![Abra Pressler. Picture supplied Abra Pressler. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MxhEgQKUJhZgHxwVaKiqcq/cbea3bde-e774-4db2-b47b-8bdcfe677efb.jpg/r0_0_3781_5664_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
December 8: At the Barton Tennis Club at 6.30pm, the Book Cow will host the launch of Love and Other Scores by Abra Pressler. See: bookcow.com.au.
December 16: Nucleo, a memoir by Belgian-born Canberra photographer Wouter Van de Voorde will be launched at 1pm at Manuka Arts Centre Gardens, 30 Manuka Circle, Griffith ACT.
2024 events
While these are subject to change, here are some events to look forward to in 2024.
![Three Lifeline Book Fairs are scheduled for next year. Picture by Dion Georgopoulos Three Lifeline Book Fairs are scheduled for next year. Picture by Dion Georgopoulos](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MxhEgQKUJhZgHxwVaKiqcq/750d9adb-8b67-4266-a618-9aac807f04c6.jpg/r0_256_5000_3078_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Lifeline Book Fair: The three Lifeline Book Fairs scheduled for 2024 are: February 9 to 11 and September 27 to 29 at Exhibition Park in Canberra and June 28 to 30 at Tuggeranong Southern Cross Stadium. Donations are welcome. See: lifelinecanberra.org.au.
Woden Seniors Big Book Fair: This fair will take place at Woden Seniors Club, 12 Corinna Street, Phillip on April 5 to 7. Donations - of clean, resellable books, comics, CDs, DVDs, audio books, jigsaws, and games - can be left at the club on Mondays to Fridays between 9.30am and 3.30pm. See: wodenseniors.org.au.
Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Societies Canberra: Gemma Black's lecture, The Book of Kells: Its History, its Mystery and its Wonder, will be at the National Gallery of Australia on Monday June 3 at 6pm. See: trybooking.com.
In A Nutshell: The Poetry of Violence: When Shakespeare explores violence it is often epic and cruel, but never gratuitous. Shakespeare asks questions about our relationship with violence. But he also uses the word to describe the limits of emotion, and the rashness provoked by love and hate. Join Bell Shakespeare's artistic director Peter Evans and a team of actors as they jump from scene to scene and play to play, exploring the poetry of violence. Evans will share insights into Shakespeare's concerns and preoccupations and the inner workings of the plays. Canberra Theatre Centre, September 13 and 14. Ticket sales open on February 15. See: canberratheatrecentre.com.au.