Open now. Closes 17 July 2026 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 twelfth 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 runner up will receive $500, with the possibility of a second runner up to be determined by the judges. The prize alternates between poetry and short fiction each year.

In 2026, 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 is now open and will close 17 July 2026 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• The work must be unpublished at the time of entry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 Luke Patterson and Evelyn Araluen.

Luke Patterson is a Gamilaroi poet, educator and musician living on Gadigal lands. His poetry has appeared in Cordite Poetry Review, Plumwood Mountain, Rabbit, Running Dog and The Suburban Review, and in the anthologies Active Aesthetics, Firefront: First Nations Poetry and Power Today and Best of Australian Poems 2025. His research and creative practice are grounded in extensive work with  First Nations and other community-based organisations across Australia. His debut poetry collection, A Savage Turn, is out now with Magabala Books.

Evelyn Araluen is a Goorie and Koori poet, editor and researcher. Born and raised on Dharug Country and in the  broader Western Sydney Black community, she now lives on Wurundjeri Country where she works as a lecturer at the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development, as a co-editor of Overland Literary Journal and Chairperson for the Board of the Institute of Postcolonial Studies. Her debut poetry collection, Dropbear, won the 2022 Stella Prize, and her second collection, The Rot, was awarded the 2026 Victorian Prize for Literature. 

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 (if you have one) and bank account details. Download a sample invoice here.

In line with the Payday Super bill, we will be paying 12% superannuation to all freelance contributors. Please download Overland's Super Choice form here, fill in your details, and return it to us by uploading it with your invoice below.

Contributor rates 

For the online magazine

Articles: $170.

For the print magazine

Fiction: $550; essays: $550; poetry: $170.

We process invoices every fortnight. 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.

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.

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 2026, contributors to the online magazine are paid $170 per article plus 12% superannuation, and GST if applicable. 

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. 

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 2026, contributors to the online magazine are paid $170 per article plus 12% superannuation, and GST if 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.

Overland publishes a weekly 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 $170 plus 12% superannuation, and GST if applicable. Our online editors are Giovanni Tiso, Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk.

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.  

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.

Kindly note the following guidelines:

• Due to the number of submissions our editors and volunteer readers receive, we ask that you submit no more than one submission for consideration at any one time. Please wait for a response before submitting other work.
• Please do not resubmit an edited version of a piece already considered unless you have been invited to resubmit.
• We allow simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere.
• Most importantly, read Overland. Reading Overland will increase your chances of publication. If you are familiar with the work we publish, it will show in your work.

About Overland’s online magazine

Overland publishes a weekly 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 $170 plus 12% superannuation for ABN holders. 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 $550. 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.
 

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.

Kindly note the following guidelines:

• Due to the number of submissions our editors and volunteer readers receive, we ask that you submit no more than one submission for consideration at any one time. Please wait for a response before submitting other work.
• Please do not resubmit an edited version of a piece already considered unless you have been invited to resubmit.
• We allow simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere.
• Most importantly, read Overland. Reading Overland will increase your chances of publication. If you are familiar with the work we publish, it will show in your work.

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 $550 plus 12% superannuation for ABN holders. 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 $170 per poem plus 12% superannuation for ABN holders. Our poetry editor is Elena Gomez.

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. 

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.

Kindly note the following guidelines:

• Due to the number of submissions our editors and volunteer readers receive, we ask that you submit no more than one submission for consideration at any one time. Please wait for a response before submitting other work.
• Please do not resubmit an edited version of a piece already considered unless you have been invited to resubmit.
• We allow simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere.
• Most importantly, read Overland. Reading Overland will increase your chances of publication. If you are familiar with the work we publish, it will show in your work.

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 $170 plus 12% superannuation for ABN holders. Our poetry editor is Elena Gomez.

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 $550. Payment for stories published online is $170.
   

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.

Kindly note the following submissions guidelines

• 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 $550. Payment for stories published online is $170.
   

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.