The Best Australian Yarn

After a twenty-year departure from the short story format, critically acclaimed author Anson Cameron has made an emphatic return, securing a coveted spot on the longlist for The Best Australian Yarn, the world’s most lucrative short story competition.
The Best Australian Yarn
Ezra Kaye

Anson Cameron makes short story comeback for $50k prize

Melbourne author Anson Cameron hadn’t written a short story since the early 2000s. His powerful comeback could land him $50,000.

Read more (2 min) →
Abby Guy is among the finalists in the The Best Australian Yarn.
The Best Australian Yarn
Alison Wakeham

The 50 authors who made our short story contest’s longlist

Judges pore over more than 6000 entries from around Australia to deliver this year’s top 50 entries

Read more (4 min) →
Best Australian Yarn judge author Holden Sheppard.
The Best Australian Yarn
Alison Wakeham

Short story competition attracts record 6000 entries

Authors across Australia have submitted a staggering 6020 entries to the world’s biggest short story competition, the Best Australian Yarn — up nearly 10 per cent on last year.

Read more (3 min) →

Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.

Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.

Email Us
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.
Best Australian Yarn competition event at WA Museum. Simon Baronowitz, Miles Hitchcock, Basim Shamaon & Julia Lambo.
The Best Australian Yarn
Alison Wakeham

Competition celebrates the stories of migrants

Refugee Week and The Best Australian Yarn share the same ambitions - to promote a greater understanding and celebrate the lives of migrants

Read more (3 min) →
The Spitfire was one of more than 10,000 Allied aircraft involved in the epic D-Day operation.
Australia
Jacob Shteyman

80 years on ‘Dinger’ and his D-Day mates are remembered

Australian servicemen played a small but important role in the D-Day landings 80 years ago, which turned the tide of the Second World War in Europe.

Read more (3 min) →
Jacqueline MacDonald.
The Best Australian Yarn
Alison Wakeham

$50,000 gives winner confidence to write on

Top prize gives Tasmanian author the boost and the time she needs to reinvigorate her love of writing.

Read more (3 min) →
Sharleigh Crittenden.
The Best Australian Yarn
Emma Garlett

Award renews First Nations writer’s love for storytelling

There was a time when Sharleigh Crittenden lacked confidence in her writing abilities. Now, she’s penning a novel.

Read more (6 min) →
Best Australian Yarn judge author Holden Sheppard. Kelsey Reid
The Best Australian Yarn
Holden Sheppard

Win or lose, writing competitions are the best

Yes, this contest offers a lot of money but it also offers opportunity, acclaim and a lesson in resilience

Read more (4 min) →
Professor Kim Scott will be on the judging panel of Indigenous judges for this year’s First Nations Storytelling Prize.
opinion
The Best Australian Yarn
Emma Garlett

Stories we choose to pass on tell us about who we are

Indigenous stories are the bedrock of Australia, and we need to dig beneath the surface to find the hidden gems of our future talent which will transform the nation.

Read more (3 min) →
STM - Celebrated author Professor Kim Scott, for a feature on his role judging the First Nations prize for The Best Australian Yarn, and the 25th anniversary of his book Benang, which won the Miles Franklin Award. Daniel Wilkins
The Best Australian Yarn
Emma Garlett

Best Australian Yarn: Author reveals judging panel secrets

As someone who spends his time immersed in the power of words and stories, Kim Scott finds his role as a judge for The Best Australian Yarn short story competition both daunting and exciting. 

Read more (2 min) →
Professor Kim Scott, who this year marks the 25th anniversary of his Miles Franklin Award-winning book, Benang: From The Heart, will judge the First Nations Storytelling Prize for The Best Australian Yarn short story competition.
exclusive
The Best Australian Yarn
Emma Garlett

Twenty five years after Benang, Kim Scott still has hope

Kim Scott was the first Indigenous author to win the Miles Franklin, an accolade that still sits uncomfortably. But belief in the power of Aboriginal storytelling to heal and connect continues to drive him.

Read more (9 min) →
Sean E Avery and Aśka are two of the driving forces behind the new Best Australian Yarn Comics Prize.
The Best Australian Yarn
Alison Wakeham

New comic story prize offers cash and kudos

Our hugely successful short story competition has now opened its door to comic creators young and old.

Read more (4 min) →
The Best Australian Yarn judges: Seven West Media’s Director of News and Current Affairs and Editor-in-Chief Anthony de Ceglie, Children's Book Council of WA's Kris Williams, author Holden Sheppard, author Rachael Johns, Navitas chief executive Scott Jones and Education Minister Tony Buti.
The Best Australian Yarn
Alison Wakeham

Richest short story comp back with an even bigger prize pool

Australia’s most popular short story competition, The Best Australian Yarn, has returned for 2024 with a bigger prize pool, a new addition to the Prize Jury and an exciting new category.

Read more (6 min) →