- The is back for 2022
- to enter. Submissions are open August 16–September 21 (deadline has been extended)
The SBS Emerging Writers' Competition is a chance for budding writers to share their unique story and be in the running to win a prize pool of up to $10,000. Along with the prize pool, there is an opportunity for your story to appear in an of the SBS Emerging Writers' Competition entries, published by Hardie Grant.
You are invited to enter a non-fiction memoir piece written to the theme of 'Emergence'.
So if you are an Australian resident with a story to share, and you're aged 18 and over (and have never published a book), read on. Entries need to be submitted between 9am, August 16 and 5pm, September 21, 2022. Sign up now at to register and we will notify you when the competition opens.
The great idea
The theme this year is 'Emergence'. Entrants are invited to interpret this theme as they choose, whether it's a story of emerging fully into their true selves, or an event arising in the narrative of their life, or – anything that sparks the imagination. All entries must be non-fiction memoir pieces.
The beginner's mind
"There's so much to go on with with 'emergence'," says competition judge Alice Pung.
She urged entrants, whatever their age, to approach the theme with a fresh perspective – the 'beginner's mind'.
"I used to go to this Buddhist Temple in my early 20s and we would sit in full Lotus," she said.
"After half an hour, my legs would creak and my back would hurt and I'd be really straining. And right next to me was a gentleman named John who was 72 years old. He would sit in full Lotus where your legs are crossed in this, you know, very elaborate position.
"He said 'I may be 72, but in terms of Buddhist practice, I'm still a beginner.' And that's what I'd like our entrants to think about – that you don't have to be youthful to be emergent. You can still be a beginner at the age of 72."
Writers of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply
Pung says she and fellow judge Christos Tsiolkas are not necessarily looking for pieces that are "perfectly polished".
"We're not even looking for proper English. When I edited Growing Up Asian in Australia, some of the winning entries weren't perfectly polished. And certainly with many of them, English was their second or third language. So I think that's what we can give as judges."
Ultimately, the judges are looking for a voice. "I didn't grow up in a world where I knew writers, where my folks knew writers or filmmakers or artists or theatre people. There was a sense of 'that's not available to me'," says Tsiolkas. "Trust us that we're just seeking a voice. We're going to respond to the voice that is on the page."
Be brave
"It's a brave thing to commit your thoughts, ideas, passion to the page," says Tsiolkas. "Don't forget that. We all do have a story to tell. Someone entering this competition may be someone who wants to do what I'm doing, which is write for the rest of my life. But there may also be people who have a story to tell, and it's important to get that story out.
"This is an opportunity to tell that story."
So get started, and write! When writing his debut novel Loaded, Tsiolkas committed to writing 1500 words per day. "It's something that I've committed to that I still do now," he says. "Sometimes it's a struggle to get to those words and you're going to delete all of them, but it is work. And you learn what it is to write in the process of writing."
Make your story rich in anecdotes, quotes, description and dialogue. For examples of memoir stories, check out the website for inspiration.
Here are a few examples to get you thinking:
You can change names, dates and places in your story to protect privacy if you wish.
Podcast inspiration
You'll find the answers to all your writing questions and more on the companion for the SBS Emerging Writers' Competition, .
The podcast – hosted by editor Caitlin Chang and senior writer and presenter Sarah Malik – takes you behind the scenes of the writing process to help you understand what makes a great story.
Caitlin and Sarah will speak to judges Christos Tsiolkas and Alice Pung for their tips and advice; they'll unpack the theme of 'Emergence' and you'll hear from previous competition winners about their entries.
You can also listen to previous episodes that explore what makes good writing: How do you get your readers to connect with a character? Can you capture memories, smells and tastes on the page? What will make a reader laugh? How does a story change during the editing process?
Tips for writing
Opening your story with a description of an image, or dialogue from a conversation can be a good starting point.
You may wish to use fiction writing techniques such as setting a scene, and building suspense to a climax to keep readers engaged (rather than a straight recount of 'this happened, then that happened…').
Using detailed description also helps bring your story to life.
The word count is 1000–2000 words, so make sure your entry fits within that range and ideally get a trusted friend to read it over and suggest any improvements or edits.
Once you're happy – send it in! Go to , register and follow the directions to submit your entry. (Note: if you signed up to enter the competition last year then you will already have an account, so proceed directly to the log-in area on the right hand side.)
Entries open at 9am, August 16, 2022 and close at 5pm on September 21, 2022. You can only submit one entry per person. All entries must be submitted in English.
What happens next?
The winner will be awarded $5000 to support the development of their storytelling. There is $3000 awarded for second place, and $1000 each for two honourable mentions. Winners and runners-up will be publicly announced on November 22. They will also be published on the website.
The best entries will also be published in an anthology of the SBS Emerging Writers' Competition, published by Hardie Grant in 2023.
The SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition is open for entries until September 21. Write a non-fiction memoir story on the theme of ‘Emergence’ for your chance to be awarded the $5000 first place prize, $3000 second place or two runners up prizes of $1000. The top entries will also be published in an anthology by Hardie Grant. Go to to register and find out more.
Listen to SBS Voices podcast, , in the , , , , or wherever you listen to podcasts.
