Enter our Short Story Competition

Power to Change Australia has a vision to help people encounter Jesus today, impact Australia tomorrow and reach the nations for eternity. In a rapidly changing nation with such rich diversity this vision finds many different expressions.

Power to Change Australia is asking writers to enter a compelling short story into their 2022 Short Story Competition. The judges are looking for a fiction or fictionalised story with a link to Christian mission in contemporary Australia that reflects the theme “power to change”.

  • Theme: “Power to Change”
  • Closes: 31 January 2022
  • Word Limit: 3,000
  • Entry Fee: Free
  • Prize: $1,500 for first place. Writers will receive $150 for each story selected for publication.

Winners will be announced in Power to Change Australia’s ChangeMakers email, and contacted directly. First place and nine other stories will be published by Power to Change Australia in an anthology.

Entry Conditions & Story Content

  1. Entry is open to all authors aged 16 or over and of any nationality.
  2. A maximum of three entries per author will be accepted.
  3. The maximum length of each entry is 3,000 words, excluding the title.
  4. Stories must be submitted electronically via email attachment to shortstory@powertochange.org.au, with the author cover sheet as a separate attachment to the story. Coversheet details below or download the template cover sheet here.
  5. Submitted Stories must be .Doc .Docx or .RTF
  6. Computer file titles can be named as the story title, and the surname of the author.
  7. The stories are to be formatted in 12-point Times Roman typeface.
  8. Stories are to be single spaced and use 0.5cm indented paragraphs.
  9. The story must match the competition theme. All stories must be suitable for a general audience.
  10. By submitting the story, the author warrants that the story has not been published elsewhere (including electronically) and that they own the copyright to the story.
  11. If the story wins first prize, the author undertakes to provide the publisher with the right to publish the story. The copyright to the story is always retained by the author and the author may submit it elsewhere. ‘Publish’ includes all forms of electronic publication, including podcasts.
  12. If the story does not win first prize, the author may still be asked to contribute their story to an anthology of short stories. Up to ten stories will be selected for publication and will receive commendation prizes. Permission to reprint these stories will not be unreasonably withheld.
  13. Each story will be judged according to the following criteria:
    Literary quality (40%)
    An expression of Christian mission (20%);
    An expression of the theme (20%)
    Alignment with Power to Change’s ethos and values (20%)
  14. The decision of the judges is final and legally binding and no correspondence shall be entered into regarding the awards.
  15. The judges may, at their discretion, change the awards (e.g., offer two first places and no third place or vice versa). This may entail changing the amount of prize money allocated to each place-getter. However, the judges are NOT allowed to reduce the total amount of prize money awarded.
  16. The closing date for submissions is midnight 31 January 2022 Australian Eastern Standard Time. No submissions will be accepted after this time, under any circumstances.
  17. Results will be announced in Power to Change Australia’s “ChangeMakers” email, and winners will be contacted directly.
  18. By submitting the story you accept Power to Change’s Privacy Policy. ©Power to Change ABN 25126098398 is an international faith based mission that connects people to Jesus and each other. We respect your privacy and will only use your information to do what you have asked (eg, registration, donation, subscription) and to keep you informed of our work. We will not pass your details onto unrelated third parties and we will allow you to opt out of our publications

What to include on the Author Coversheet

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