Unpublished writers, take note: the excellent Kill Your Darlings (KYD) literary journal and writers’ workshop is offering a AUD$5,000 prize – plus mentoring – for an unpublished manuscript.

Agents and publishers take note of winning and short-listed entries for such competitions, in a way that they rarely pay attention to the slush pile, as I’ve written about elsewhere. You have little to lose by entering your manuscript, though I always recommend you read the fine print in terms of the rights such competitions want you to sign away, and seek advice if you’re not sure of the terminology of such contracts.

To enter, you must have a current KYD membership/subscription, which starts at $29.95.

Deadline: March 31, 2018. Longlist and shortlist announced during June for a July winning entry.

Judges: KYD Publishing Directors Rebecca Starford (Bad Behaviour) and Hannah Kent (Burial Rites, The Good People), and Curtis Brown literary agent Pippa Masson.

Details here.