Entries are now open for the 2026 Woollahra Digital Literary Award, a national award celebrating innovation in Australian digital-first writing.
A national stage for bold, original storytelling in a digital world.
If you’ve published work online in fiction, non-fiction or poetry, this is your chance to be recognised on a national stage.
If you’re working on something new, the reimagined Digital Innovation prize invites you to develop it further to use technical elements or explore themes relating to digital life.
With $7,500 in prizes across four categories, the award recognises both excellence and experimentation in contemporary storytelling.
Award categories
Fiction ($2,500)
Short stories, collections, novellas or novels first published online or in a digital format.
Non-Fiction ($2,500)
Essays, memoir, commentary and longform non-fiction published digitally.
Poetry ($1,000)
Single poems, sequences or short collections, including multimedia work, first published online.
Digital Innovation ($1,500 – development prize)
New in 2026, this category supports works in progress. Writers with a project or idea that uses digital elements to shape narrative can apply for seed funding to develop their work.
Whether collaborating with a programmer, digital artist or editor, or experimenting with form, this prize is designed to support ambitious new writing.
Readers’ Choice Award ($250)
An additional prize awarded after the shortlist is announced, inviting readers to vote for their favourite entry.
A growing literary legacy
Since 2017, the Woollahra Digital Literary Award has attracted more than 1,000 entries from emerging and established writers.
Alumni include Bri Lee, Vanessa Berry, Pip Smith, Sam Twyford-Moore, Eloise Grills, Julie Janson, Ali Whitelock, Jane Rawson, Fiona McGregor, Omar Sakr, Rae White and Michael Mohammed Ahmad.
Entries are reviewed by respected figures in the Australian literary community.
Key dates
- Entries open: 17 April 2026
- Entries close: 19 July 2026
- Shortlist announced: 9 October 2026
- Awards night: 4 November 2026
Submit your work and be part of a literary award shaping what comes next.
Images
- 2022 Non-Fiction Judge Vanessa Berry with winners Lucia Tường Vy Nguyễn and Reina Brigette Takeuchi
- Host Claudine Tinellis (left) with 2025 Digital Literary Award judges Ali Whitelock, Ashley Kalagian Blunt and Brett Osmond
- Crowd at the 2023 Woollahra Digital Literary Award ceremony
- Suri Matondkar, winner of the 2025 Non-Fiction and Readers’ Choice awards
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