How to win a writing prize

Former winners and honorees of the Monash Prize share their tips on entering a literary competition.
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Margery Hellmann, Wave Words, Photo: Washington Library

Winning a literary prize can be an invaluable starting point for an emerging writer. It can give the winner a lot of exposure and can open doors to meeting publishers and to begin building a readership. It can also provide a sense of validation for the writer which can give them a massive confidence boost. 2013 Monash Prize winner, Rebecca Slater, said that winning ‘was incredibly validating and made this whole writing business seem like a real-life, actually-plausible thing.’ The prize money is an amazing opportunity to travel or rent a studio in order to work on your next piece. Or you could just throw a party and buy a shiny new bike; the money is yours to spend how you please!

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Kate McKenzie
About the Author
Kate McKenzie works in marketing at the Emerging Writers' Festival.