Entry guide · Australia

ABC Heywire

Tell a lived experience that helps an audience understand life in your community.

Explore writing coaching →Writing calendar →

Competition & entry information

Writing: Essays & Real Stories
Location: Regional
Preparation level: Developing
Opportunity: Competition

Who can enter?

Ages 16–22 in regional, rural or remote Australia; major-capital exclusions apply.

What do you write?

A true personal story in writing, audio or video.

How to enter

Use the ABC competition portal, confirm regional eligibility and tell a story grounded in your own experience.

Dates and planning notes

2027: Reopens March 2027 · close TBC
Opening month confirmed
ABC announces March 2027 reopening; a closing date has not been confirmed.

Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide residents are excluded under the current rules.

Official sources

Official website / entry information ↗Rules / entry document ↗

Checked 4 October 2026. Preparation levels are editorial guidance, not a prediction of winning. Recheck the live rules, fees and eligibility before entering.

Turn your target into stronger writing

Prepare with purpose.

Creative Writing · Poetry · Real Stories

Australian Writing
Competition Coaching

For secondary students building their voice and craft through Australian national and local writing competitions.

Preparation focusVoice, structure and expression

Working towardsA suitable target each term

Understand the brief and choose a suitable competition.
Develop stories, poems and personal writing through regular practice.
Learn to revise with purpose and make stronger writing choices.
Build a body of original work over successive competition goals.

What students build: A stronger writing process, purposeful drafts and an original piece prepared for a suitable submission.

Discuss the Australian course →

What preparation can develop

Beyond the final submission.

A clearer sense of voice, audience and purpose.
More deliberate choices in structure and language.
The ability to use feedback and revise independently.
A growing portfolio and a next writing goal.

How our coaching works →

Students complete their own work. Coaching respects the organiser’s rules on feedback, editing and AI; where entry editing is restricted, teaching uses separate practice tasks.