Emerging Voices 2025

Call-out

Griffith Review is looking for submissions of fiction and creative non-fiction from 3,500 to 5,000 words. You can write to any theme you like – but we’re looking for new ideas, fresh voices and bold perspectives – work that commands our attention.

Griffith Review has a long history of discovering and supporting early-career writers. We have a distinguished track record of nurturing new voices, publishing creative thinkers and supporting our writers to establish enduring industry connections.

Up to four winning entries will be selected by our judges: Jane Novak (Jane Novak Literary Agency), Terri-ann White (Upswell) and John Morrissey (author) with Griffith Review’s editorial staff. The winners will share a prize pool of $20,000, and their work will be published in Griffith Review.

For the purposes of this competition, we are defining ‘emerging’ as writers ranging from previously unpublished through to those with a maximum of one published book (fiction or non-fiction).

Entry fees are $25 for non-subscribers and $15 for current subscribers. The entry fee entitles you to a complimentary digital subscription, valid for six months. (If you are a subscriber we will extend your existing subscription by six months).

Entries close: 11.59 pm AEST on Monday 7 April 2025

Winners announced: July 2025

Publication dates: From 1 November 2025 to 1 August 2026.

Please refer to the full terms and conditions here.
 

Before you submit...

Please make sure that you've completed the following steps before you submit your entry:

1. Please name your submission document file with your surname first, then the genre. For example: filename: surname_fiction.doc. Do not include your name or any identifying information in the document itself.
2. Make sure your submission is an editable Word document with 12pt Times New Roman font, 1.5 line spacing and all document margins set to 2.54 cm.
3. Please submit only one entry.
4. Please pay your entry fee via GriffithPay and keep a note of the receipt number.
    

Summary of Terms and Conditions of Entry

• Entries 11.59pm AEST on Monday 7 April 2025. Early submissions are encouraged. Late submissions will not be accepted.
• Submissions are limited to Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.
• Original works of fiction and creative non-fiction only. Work between 3,500 and 5,000 words is preferable; if a piece is slightly over or under the work limit (no more than 10%) we can still accept the submission.
• Works must not have been published elsewhere in any format.
• Emerging writers are defined for the purposes of this competition as writers ranging from previously unpublished through to those with a maximum of one published book (fiction or non-fiction). Note: Self-published books that have sold over 500 copies will be considered published works.
• Only one entry per author.
• All entries must be submitted electronically via the Submittable page. Emailed or posted entries will not be accepted.
• Entry fee for the competition is $25 (including GST) or $15 (including GST) for Griffith Review subscribers. Entry fees must be paid via GriffithPay here. Entries that are submitted without corresponding payment will not be accepted. Griffith Review subscriptions can be purchased at Griffith Review. The entry fee entitles you to a complimentary digital subscription, valid for six months.
• All potential entrants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the type of work published by Griffith Review before submitting.
• It is anticipated that four works will be selected for publication, but the judges reserve the right to vary the number selected.
• Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges and the Griffith Review editorial team in a blind reading. The decision will be final and there will be no correspondence with unsuccessful candidates about the merits of the work submitted.
• The winning works will undergo a professional editorial process prior to publication.
• Winners will share the $20,000 prize pool. The amount awarded to each author will be at the discretion of Griffith Review. All entrants will be notified of the outcomes by 31 July 2025.
• Winning works will be published in an edition of Griffith Review between 1 November 2025 and 1 August 2026 (Griffith Review editions 89, 90 and 91).
• Please refer to the full terms and conditions here.
   

Griffith Review 88: Culture Vultures

There’s no escaping the onslaught of content these days. But it seems increasingly tricky to determine what’s good and what’s not as we stream, tap and swipe our way through our endless entertainment feeds. How can we tell our own taste? Have we reached the end of culture? What place does criticism occupy in this ever-shifting landscape? And what does all this mean for the relationship between form and content? 

From page to screen and everything in between, this edition of Griffith Review consumes the culture of the twenty-first century – and tries to outrun the algorithm.

Submissions are open from Monday 9 December to Sunday 22 December.  

You can submit up to four individual poems, each no longer than two pages.

Submissions close: 11:59 pm AEST, 22 December 2024

Publication date: May 2025