Deadline: January 22, 2024
Entry fee: $30
About the competition
he Calibre Essay Prize is an annual Australian Book Review essay-writing award. The competition is open to all essayists writing in English. There is no age limit.
Essays of all kinds are wwelcome: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental.
Entries must be a single non-fiction essay of 2,000 and 5,000 words.
Essays must be written in English.
Previously published, prize-winning, or broadcast essays will not be accepted.
Entries must be submitted online via the ABR website entry page.
Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of AU$30, or AU$20 for current ABR subscribers.
Prizes
The winner will receive AU$5,000.
The runner-up will receive AU$3,000.
Third place will receive AU$2,000.
The winning essay will be published in the April 2024 issue (print and online).
Competition guideline
- What are the opening dates for the 2024 Calibre Essay Prize?
Entries opened 23 October 2023 and will close at 11:59pm (AEST) on 22 January 2024. - What are the prizes for the 2024 Calibre Essay Prize
The 2024 Calibre Essay Prize is worth a total of $10,000. The winner will receive $5,000. The second prize is worth $3,000, the third prize, $2,000. All three winning essays will appear in Australian Book Review in 2024 (print and online). - Is there a set theme or topic for the Calibre Essay Prize?
No, we welcome non-fiction essays of all kinds: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental. - What is the word limit for the Calibre Essay Prize?
Essays must be between 2,000 and 5,000 words. - Should endnotes be included in the word count?
Yes. The maximum number of words is 5,000. While not rejecting endnotes, we discourage the inclusion of many. - Read the whole guideline and submit an entry here.
