Australian Book Review welcomes entries in the 2025 Calibre Essay Prize, worth $10,000. The Calibre Prize is open to essayists worldwide writing in English.

Non-fiction essays of all kinds are welcome: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental.

Entries must be a single non-fiction essay of 2,000 and 5,000 words. Previously published, prize-winning, or broadcast essays will not be accepted.

The winner will receive AU$5,000. The winning essay will be published in the April 2025 issue (print and online).

Australian Book Review (ABR), one of Australia’s major cultural magazines, presents high-quality journalism and new writing for the widest possible audience.

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.