The 2024 Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition is now OPEN!

The organizer is looking for stories with powerful beginnings, rising tension, and a climax that resonates, to the theme of The look that said it all. Short stories about complicated relationships, quirky happenstance and tense encounters that examine lessons learned, cautionary tales, surprising endings and the quirky characters that enrich our lives. Whether it’s love at first sight, misunderstood intentions, a big reveal, forbidden love or a decisive moment, play with unconventional storytelling and make the judges take notice.

Entries can be fiction, or fiction inspired by true events.

First prize:

• A ticket to the Children and Young Adult (CYA) Conference for 2024 (valued at $410)
• A year-long membership to the Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) valued at $79.
• Anthology cover based on the winner’s story.

TOP 40 published in an anthology – free copy to all published entrants.

Judges are Looking for the Following

• Writing ability: correct tense, point of view, minimal redundant words and adverbs, show not tell.
• Story arc: rising tension, climax, resolution.
• Adherence to the competition theme.
• Spelling & Grammar.
• Layout conforms to the competition guidelines.

We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid. They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives.