You are allowed to enter one piece of work per competition. Additional entries received will unfortunately be disqualified.

No. We ask that each entry is written by only one author. Co-written entries can often cause problems with the judging.

The story/poem must not exceed the specified word limit. Please also remember to count every single word, such as "it", "and" and "the". However, you do not have to count the title.

Working to a word limit is a part of what you are being judged on. It is a skill to show you can construct your story to a specified length. Also, we receive so many entries that if they exceeded the word count, our judges would not be able to read through the entries in the timeframe they have been allocated for the competition. Entries over 500 words/16 lines are not eligible to win a prize.

The best way for everyone to enter is online! Your entry is sent to us automatically and you will receive verification immediately that your entry has been accepted. Entering online also ensures that we have all of the details that we need to process your entry.

However, you may also enter the competition by:

Mail:
Write4Fun
PO Box 2142
Nerang DC, QLD 4211
Australia

Email: enter@write4fun.net

We do prefer that the story is typed, but if you are unable to type it, then we will accept the entry in very neat handwriting.

You are legally not allowed to copy anything. Copying the work of another person is called plagiarising and it is against the law.

1st-5th winners in the short story competition and 1st place in the poetry competition and their schools will be notified by mail upon completion of the competition. All grand finalists in the competition will also be notified by mail. If you have not heard anything and are interested in finding out who the winners are, you can view our online winners' list for the competition here. Alternatively, you can send in a self addressed, stamped envelope, and a copy of the winners' list will be sent to you.

  • Art
    • 1 Division
    • 1 x First Prize
    • 1 x Second Prize
    • 1 x Third Prize
    • 15 x Finalists
  • Short Story
    • 1 Division
    • 1 x First Prize
    • 1 x Second Prize
    • 1 x Third Prize
    • 15 x Finalists
  • Poetry
    • 1 Division
    • 1 x First Prize
    • 1 x Second Prize
    • 1 x Third Prize
    • 15 x Finalists
  • Combined Short Story/Poetry
    • 2 Divisions (1 for short story & 1 for poetry)
    • 1 x First Prize in each division
    • 1 x Second Prize in each division
    • 1 x Third Prize in each division
    • 15 x Finalists in each division

All entries are rated on originality, creative expression, style and theme. Our Primary division criteria heavily concentrates on theme and what the writer is trying to convey more so than correct grammatic expression. Whereas the High School Division's criteria is a lot stricter in this regard. Although judging for the poetry entries is over the one division. The judges do take into account the entrants age and the poetic form applied. Notice is also given to how well the underlying message is conveyed. You can also view winning entries.

Initial judging is completed by our editorial staff. They choose the entries that will continue in the competition and those worthy for publication. The final judge is an English Co-ordinator, Art Teacher or Principal from a school who has not entered the competition. The identity of the final judge is not disclosed until the competition has been finalised.

Your work is purely judged on the story or poem itself. Judges do not mark on presentation. If you want to include pictures, photos, borders, or fancy headings, please make sure that the text of your work is clear and easy to read. Similarly, descriptions included with artwork entries will not be taken into consideration when judged.

It is entirely up to you to decide whether or not you wish to include your photo and dedication. However, it does liven up your work and is a great idea if the book is purchased as a gift. You can include your photo only without a dedication or vice versa but unfortunately there is no reduction to the fee. We have found that the scanning/typing, final typesetting and layout take a similar amount of time whether you have both included or just the one.

Not all students who enter the competition are given the option of being published. If they are unsuccessful in receiving an offer, they are sent a thank you letter and a Certificate of Participation. You are under no obligation to purchase a book. If you choose not to be published, please be assured that your place in the competition will not be affected.

When you order a copy of the book, it is purchased as a 'pre-publication' special, which means that the book has not yet been printed. It can take up to approximately 20 weeks before you will receive your book.

The easiest and most cost effective way to purchase a book is to respond to our order form, visit our website or telephone our office. However, if you wanted to purchase a book through a bookstore, you simply need to quote the ISBN Number.

Copies of all of our books are donated to State Libraries in Australia and New Zealand, and more recently America. We also donate copies to a number of local and community libraries. Following is a few of the libraries where copies of our books can be viewed:

Location Name of Library Address
AUSTRALIA
QLD State Library of Queensland PO Box 3488, South Brisbane, QLD, 4011
Phone: (07) 3840 7756
Queensland Parliamentary Library Parliament House, George & Alice Streets, Brisbane,QLD, 4000
Phone: (07) 3406 7199
Brisbane City Council Library Flr 14, Brisbane Admin Centre, 69 Ann Street, Brisbane, QLD, 4006
Phone: (07) 3403 9416
Gold Coast City Council Library PO Box 8435, Bundall, QLD, 9726
Phone: (07) 5578 0211
NSW State Library of New South Wales Level 10, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000
Phone: (02) 9273 1414
City of Sydney Library GPO Box 1591, Sydney, NSW, 2001
Phone: (02) 9265 9665
SA State Library of South Australia North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5000
Phone: (08) 8207 7200
City of Adelaide Public Library GPO Box 419, Adelaide, SA, 5001
Phone: (08) 8203-7203
NT State Library of Northern Territory PO Box 42, Darwin, NT, 0801
Phone: (08) 8999-7177
Darwin City Council Library PO Box 84, Darwin, NT, 0801
Phone: (08) 8982-2563
WA State Library of Western Australia Alexander Library Building, Perth Cultural Centre, WA, 6000
Phone: (08) 9427-3111
City of Perth Library Law Chambers Building, 573 Hay Street, Perth, WA, 6001
Phone: (08) 9461-3581
VIC State Library of Victoria 328 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Phone: (03) 8664-7000
Port Phillip Library Service 150 Carlisle St, St Kilda, VIC, 3182
Phone: (03) 9209-6460
ACT National Library of Australia Parkes Place, Canberra, ACT, 2600
Phone: (02) 6262-1266
TAS State Library of Tasmania 91 Murray Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000
Phone: (03) 6233-7502
NEW ZEALAND
NI National Library of New Zealand 70 Moelsworth St, Wellington
Phone: (04) 474-3063
Central City Library 44-46 Lorne Street, Auckland
Phone: (09) 377-0209
Hamilton Public Library Private Bag 3010, Hamilton
Phone: (07) 838-6699
AMERICA
CA Los Angeles Public Library 630 West Fifth Street, Los Angeles CA 90071
Phone: (213) 228-7000
San Diego Public Libraries 820 E St, San Diego CA 92101
Phone: (619) 236-5800
FL Fort Lauderdale Library 1300 E Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale FL 33304
Phone: (954) 765-4263
NY New York Public Library 2085 Honeywell Ave, Bronx NY 10460
Phone: (718) 367 5376
New York Public Library 2550 Victory Blvd, Staten Island NY 13014
Phone: (718) 494 1642
William K. Sanford Library 629 Albany Shaker Road, Albany NY 12211
Phone: (518) 458 9274
OH Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County 4980 Glenway Ave, Cincinnati OH 45238
Phone: (513) 369-4460
PA Free Library of Philadelphia 2851 Island Road, Philadelphia PA 19153
Phone: (215) 685-4170
TX Bracewell Public Library 10115 Kleckley Drive, Houston TX 77075
Phone: (713) 948-9052
Fort Worth Public Library 300 Taylor Street, Fort Worth TX 76102
Phone: (817) 871-7703
NH Boscawen Branch Library 73 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03303
Phone: (603) 753-8576
WI Public Library Youth Department 32 Sheboygan Street, Fond Du Lac WI 54935
Phone: (920) 929-7083
NJ Library Free Public Clifton 292 Paiget Avenue, Clifton NJ 07011
Phone: (973) 772-5500
IN St. Joseph County Public Library Main Library 304 S Main Street, South Bend IL 46601
Phone: (574) 280-2764
IL City of Chicago Public Library 1743 W 47th Street, Chicago IL 60609
Phone: (312) 747-8367
GA Waycross Ware County Public Library 401 Lee Avenue Waycross GA 31501
Phone: (912) 287-4978
AZ Yuma County Library District 11279 Glenwood Ave Yuma AZ 85367
Phone: (928) 342-1640
MI Adrian Public Library 143 East Maumee St, Adrian MI 49221
Phone: (517) 265-2265
CT Milford Woodmont Borough Public Library 16 Dixon Street Milford CT 06460
Phone: (203) 874-5675
RI East Smithfield Public Library 50 Esmond Street, Smithfield RI 02917
Phone: (401) 231-5150
HI Hawaii Kai Public Library 249 Lunalilo Home Rd, Honolulu HI 96825
Phone: (808) 397-5833
VA Arlington County Libraries Central 1015 North Quincy St, Arlington VA 22201
Phone: (703) 228-5990
MO Rock Hill Public Library 9620 Manchester Road Saint Louis MO 63119
Phone: (314) 962-4723
WA Des Moines Library 21620 11th Ave S Des Moines WA 98198
Phone: (206) 824-6066
MD Baltimore County Public Library 320 York Road, Towson MD 21204
Phone: (410) 296-8575
LA Amelia Branch Library 625 Lake Palourde Rd, Morgan City LA 70380
Phone: (985) 631-2262
MA Billerica Public Library 15 Concord Rd, Billerica MA 01821
Phone: (978) 671-0948
NC Wake County Libraries 200 Horizon Drive Raleigh NC 27615
Phone: (919) 870-4000

Support Enquiry

Write4Fun.net was established in 1997, and since then we have successfully completed numerous short story and poetry competitions and publications.
We receive an overwhelming positive feedback each year from the teachers, parents and students who have involvement in these competitions and publications, and we will continue to strive to attain this level of excellence with each competition we hold.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Stay informed about the latest competitions, competition winners and latest news!