Open now. Closes 27 July 2024 11:59pm AEST.

Sponsored by Trinity College at the University of Melbourne and supporters, the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers, established in 2014 and now in its ninth year, recognises the talent of young Indigenous writers across Australia.

It is the first of its kind in Victoria, and complements Trinity’s ongoing commitment to Indigenous education and reconciliation. The initiative is named after the first two Indigenous residential students at Trinity College – Sana Nakata and Lilly Brophy. The aim of the prize is to provide the winner with the opportunity to focus on and develop their writing skills and portfolio.

First prize includes $5000, an optional writing residency at Trinity College, and publication of the successful piece in Overland. The prize alternates between poetry and short fiction each year.

In 2024, first prize will be awarded to the best poem up to 88 lines by an Indigenous writer who is 35 years or younger at the closing date of the competition. A runner-up prize may also be awarded.

The prize opens on 10 May 2024 and will close 27 July 2024 at 11:59pm AEST.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• The prize is open to Indigenous writers who are 35 years or younger at the closing date of the competition
• First prize will be awarded to the best poem up to 88 lines
• The work must be unpublished at the time of entry
• Entrants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia
• The author’s name must not appear on the submitted document
• The prize will be awarded at the judges’ discretion and they reserve the right to not select a winner
• Second and third place prizes may be awarded at the judges’ discretion.

The residency

The Trinity College residency will provide the writer with a bespoke opportunity for professional and creative engagement with the wider Melbourne writing scene, community involvement with the student cohort at the College, and social and professional engagement with staff at the College. Trinity will cover the costs of flights, accommodation, and all meals during the residency period.

Subject to the winner's availability, the residency will be hosted at Trinity College between March and May to facilitate engagement with one or both of the Blak&Bright First Nations Literary Festival and the Melbourne Writers Festival. The residency will provide ample time for the fellow to work on their writing. 

There will be opportunities to engage in campus and college life, to give workshops or talks, and receive writing mentorship. Trinity will connect the writer-in-residence with staff and students, including their Indigenous Engagement and Support Coordinator and potential mentors, during the residency.

Subject to the wishes of the Indigenous writer-in-resident, the residency may include:

• a prize presentation evening at the Awards Dinner in late March
• mentorship with writers connected with Trinity College or the University of Melbourne
• an introduction to the Trinity-run Indigenous reading group and student group
• inclusion in staff events via the Senior Common Room
• readings/participation in Trinity’s programs and/or at Overland events
• running a workshop for the Trinity-run book club, Literature Coterie.

Judges

This year’s judges are Karen Wyld and Evelyn Araluen.

Karen Wyld is a freelance writer and author living on the coast south of Adelaide. Born in South Australia, her Grandmothers’ Country is in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. As a diasporic Aboriginal woman of Martu descent, she writes fiction and non-fiction that seeks to contextualise colonisation, displacement, the Stolen Generations, homecoming, resistance and rights. She’s currently a Masters candidate, exploring how magic realism is used to articulate time, belonging and Country in Aboriginal-authored text.

Eugenia Flynnis a Larrakia, Tiwi, Chinese Malaysian and Muslim writer, researcher and community organiser. She is Vice Chancellor’s Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow in Writing and Publishing at the School of Media and Communication, RMIT University. Eugenia’s creative practice explores narratives of truth, grief, and devastation, interwoven with explorations of race and gender. Her essays, short stories and poems have been published widely.

Evelyn Araluen is a Goorie and Koori poet, researcher and co-editor of Overland Literary Journal. Her Stella-prize winning poetry collection DROPBEAR was published by UQP in 2021. She lectures in Literature and Creative Writing at Deakin University.

About Trinity College

Trinity College is the oldest residential college at the University of Melbourne. It is home to over 300 residential students, including a number of Indigenous students. Trinity’s Indigenous programs have been developing since Sana Nakata and Lilly Brophy became the first Indigenous students to attend the College.

Read the previous winners: Jessica Hart (poetry); Marika Duczynski (fiction); Ellen van Neerven (poetry); Evelyn Araluen (fiction); Raelee Lancaster (poetry); Allanah Hunt (fiction); Grace Lucas-Pennington (poetry); Jasmin McGaughey (fiction).

Invoicing Overland

Overland pays contributors upon publication. If one of your pieces has recently appeared in our print or online magazines, this is the place to submit your invoice. Invoices should include your name, address, ABN and bank account details. Sample invoices can be downloaded here. 

*If you do not have an ABN, you will also need to submit a Statement by Supplier form.

If you would like to use all or part of your contributor fee for a donation, subscription or extra issues of Overland, please fill out the relevant form, which can be downloaded here.

**Overseas contributors are not required to submit an ABN (Australian Business Number). However, please ensure to include all the relevant international banking details on your invoice.

2024 contributor rates 

For the online magazine

Articles: $150.

For the print magazine

Fiction: $500; essays: $500; poetry: $150.

We process invoices each week. If it's been a couple of weeks and you haven't heard anything, you can follow up the status of your invoice by sending a query to overland@overland.org.au

On another financial note, Overland would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription, which start at $50. If you're feeling even more generous, remember that Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets. Contributors are welcome to donate their fees back to the magazine. If you'd like to do this, contact overland@overland.org.au

If you have a current subscription to Overland, use this form to pitch an article for publication.
 

Pitching to Overland

Please explain your proposed article in 100 words or so. What will your piece be about and why are you the person to write it? How will your article be different from other writing on the subject? When will you be able to send the finished piece? Make sure that your deadline is realistic – if we accept your pitch, we are committing to publishing the article only so long as we receive publishable copy by the specified time and date.
 

If you can provide links to examples of your writing (whether in other publications or on your own site), please do so. 

In 2024, contributors to the online magazine are paid $150 per article plus superannuation for ABN holders and GST when applicable. 

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription, which start at $50. 

If you do not have a current subscription to Overland, use this form to pitch ideas for articles. 

Overland relies on its subscribers for survival. While all work will be read, we cannot guarantee response times to submissions by non-subscribers. You can support Overland by becoming a subscriber.

Pitching to Overland
Please explain your proposed article in 100 words or so. What will your piece be about and why are you the person to write it? How will your article be different from other writing on the subject? When will you be able to send the finished piece? Make sure that your deadline is realistic – if we accept your pitch, we are committing to publishing the article only so long as we receive publishable copy by the specified time and date.  If you can provide links to examples of your writing (whether in other publications or on your own site), please do so.

In 2024, contributors to the online magazine are paid $150 per article, plus superannuation for ABN holders and GST where applicable.

About subscribing to Overland
Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription on our website, which start at $50, or in the form below.

Regarding the payment options below: only fill this section out if you wish to subscribe to the magazine.

If you have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for submissions of articles for the online magazine.

Please note: Overland’s current response period is up to 6 months due to the large volume of submissions received. We appreciate your patience as we carefully consider all pieces through multiple readings and endeavour to respond as quickly as possible.

About Overland’s online magazine

Overland publishes a daily nonfiction magazine of literary, political and cultural analysis and polemic. While the magazine is eclectic, the online format generally favours short, punchy and topical articles. The rate for online articles is $120. Our online editors are Giovanni Tiso, Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk.

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription, which start at $50, on our website.
 

If you do not have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for submissions of articles for the online magazine.

Please note: Overland’s current response period is up to 6 months due to the large volume of submissions received. We appreciate your patience as we carefully consider all pieces through multiple readings and endeavour to respond as quickly as possible.

Overland relies on its subscribers for survival. While all work will be read, we cannot guarantee response times to submissions by non-subscribers. You can support Overland by becoming a subscriber.

About Overland’s online magazine

Overland publishes a daily nonfiction magazine of literary, political and cultural analysis and polemic. While the magazine is eclectic, the online format generally favours short, punchy and topical articles. The rate for online articles is $120. Our online editors are Giovanni Tiso, Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk.

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription on our website, which start at $50, or in the form below.

Regarding the payment options below: only fill this section out if you wish to subscribe to the magazine.

If you have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for essay submissions for the print magazine.

Please note: Overland’s current response period is up to 6 months due to the large volume of submissions received. We appreciate your patience as we carefully consider all pieces through multiple readings and endeavour to respond as quickly as possible.

About the essays in Overland’s print magazine

The print edition of Overland publishes essays, polemics and other hard-hitting articles with a strong cultural or political analysis. As a quarterly, it cannot carry news articles or other content that will date quickly. Because space in the print edition is necessarily limited, material submitted in this category must justify its inclusion on the basis of originality, style, theoretical profundity or similar basis –it must, in short, stand the test of time. Academic articles may be refereed but Overland is a generalist publication and discourages specialist or narrowly scholastic submissions. Overland does not impose formal word limits but potential contributors should be aware that space limitations make longer pieces harder to accept.

The standard payment for nonfiction print essays is $500. Our print magazine editors are Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk.  

*We particularly encourage submissions from women writers, activists and academics. 

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription, which start at $50, on our website.
 

If you do not have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for submissions.

Please note: Overland’s current response period is up to 6 months due to the large volume of submissions received. We appreciate your patience as we carefully consider all pieces through multiple readings and endeavour to respond as quickly as possible.

Overland relies on its subscribers for survival. While all work will be read, we cannot guarantee response times to submissions by non-subscribers. You can support Overland by becoming a subscriber.
 

About the essays in Overland’s print magazine

The print edition of Overland publishes essays, polemics and other hard-hitting articles with a strong cultural or political analysis. As a quarterly, it cannot carry news articles or other content that will date quickly. Because space in the print edition is necessarily limited, material submitted in this category must justify its inclusion on the basis of originality, style, theoretical profundity or similar basis – it must, in short, stand the test of time. Academic articles may be refereed but Overland is a generalist publication and discourages specialist or narrowly scholastic submissions. Overland does not impose formal word limits but potential contributors should be aware that space limitations make longer pieces harder to accept.

The standard payment for nonfiction print essays is $500. Our print magazine editors are Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk.  

*We particularly encourage submissions from women writers, activists and academics.  

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription on our website, which start at $50, or in the form below. 

Regarding the payment options below: only fill this section out if you wish to subscribe to the magazine.

If you have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for poetry submissions to the print quarterly. 

 Please note: Overland’s current response period is up to 6 months due to the large volume of submissions received. We appreciate your patience as we carefully consider all pieces through multiple readings and endeavour to respond as quickly as possible.

About the poetry in Overland’s print magazine

Overland publishes emerging, politically engaged poets, printing their work alongside more established national and international progressive contemporaries. The payment for poems published in the print journal is $150 per poem. Our poetry editor is Toby Fitch.

Due to the number of submissions Overland receives, we ask that poets submit no more than 3 poems per quarter. We also ask that multiple poems be submitted in a single Word document or PDF. 

*We particularly encourage submissions from women writers of colour.  

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription, which start at $50, on our website. 

If you do not have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for submissions.

Please note: Overland’s current response period is up to 6 months due to the large volume of submissions received. We appreciate your patience as we carefully consider all pieces through multiple readings and endeavour to respond as quickly as possible.

Overland relies on its subscribers for survival. While all work will be read, we cannot guarantee response times to submissions by non-subscribers. You can support Overland by becoming a subscriber.

About the poetry in Overland’s print magazine

Overland publishes emerging, politically engaged poets, printing their work alongside more established national and international progressive contemporaries. The payment for poems published in the print journal is $150 per poem. Our poetry editor is Toby Fitch.

Due to the number of submissions Overland receives, we ask that poets submit no more than 3 poems per quarter. We also ask that multiple poems be submitted in a single Word document or PDF. *We particularly encourage submissions from women writers of colour.  

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription on our website, which start at $50, or in the form below.

Regarding the payment options below: only fill this section out if you wish to subscribe to the magazine.

NOTE: Overland’s current response period is up to 6 months due to the large volume of submissions received. We appreciate your patience as we carefully consider all pieces through multiple readings and endeavour to respond as quickly as possible.

Overland relies on its subscribers for survival. While all work will be read, we cannot guarantee response times to submissions by non-subscribers. You can support Overland by becoming a subscriber.

If you have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for fiction submissions for the print magazine. If you do not have a current subscription, click here to be taken to the non-subscriber fiction submissions.

Kindly note

• Due to the number of submissions our editors and volunteer readers receive, we ask that writers submit no more than one story for consideration at any one time. Please wait for a response before submitting other work.
• We are currently only accepting fiction submissions from writers living and/or working in or around Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. We are not accepting short fiction from other international writers for the print magazine at this time.
• Fiction word count guideline is 3000 words or less.
• All work should be submitted as WORD documents in 12pt Times New Roman double-spaced.
• Please do not resubmit an edited version of a story already considered unless you have been invited to resubmit.
• Please submit complete stories only, no excerpts from novels.
• We allow simultaneous submissions but please let us know if a story is accepted elsewhere.
• Most importantly, read Overland. Reading Overland will increase your chances of publication. If you are familiar with the fiction we publish, it will show in your work.
• Payment for stories published in the edition is $500. Payment for stories published online is $150.
   

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription, which start at $50, on our website. 

NOTE: Overland’s current response period is up to 6 months due to the large volume of submissions received. We appreciate your patience as we carefully consider all pieces through multiple readings and endeavour to respond as quickly as possible.

Overland relies on its subscribers for survival. While all work will be read, we cannot guarantee response times to submissions by non-subscribers. You can support Overland by becoming a subscriber.

If you have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for fiction submissions for the print magazine. If you do not have a current subscription, click here to be taken to the non-subscriber fiction submissions. 

If you do not have a current subscription to Overland, use this form for fiction submissions. You can support Overland by becoming a subscriber below. 

Kindly note

• Due to the number of submissions our editors and volunteer readers receive, we ask that writers submit no more than one story for consideration at any one time. Please wait for a response before submitting other work.
• We are currently only accepting fiction submissions from writers living and/or working in or around Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. We are not accepting short fiction from other international writers for the print magazine at this time.
• Fiction word count guideline is 3000 words or less.
• All work should be submitted as WORD documents in 12pt Times New Roman double-spaced.
• Please do not resubmit an edited version of a story already considered unless you have been invited to resubmit.
• Please submit complete stories only, no excerpts from novels.
• We receive a large volume of submissions, so the current response period is 6 months or more. With this in mind, please wait at least six months before asking about progress on a piece under consideration. All submissions receive several readings.
• We allow simultaneous submissions but please let us know if a story is accepted elsewhere.
• Most importantly, read Overland. Reading Overland will increase your chances of publication. If you are familiar with the fiction we publish, it will show in your work.
• Payment for stories published in the edition is $500. Payment for stories published online is $150.
   

About subscribing to Overland

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of publishing ideas and voices often excluded from mainstream media and publishing outlets – but it would not exist without its subscribers. You can help support Overland by taking out an annual subscription on our website, which start at $50, or in the form below.  

Regarding the payment options below: only fill this section out if you wish to subscribe to the magazine.