
Supporting the Arts

The first Minds Shine Bright writing competition is now closed for judging. Thanks to all participating writers for your submissions. They will keep us very busy over the next couple of months. We will keep you informed of progress and you can subscribe to follow us here.
What is the Minds Shine Bright writing competition?
The Minds Shine Bright writing competition is for writers of fiction. After a couple of topsy turvy years writers were invited to explore the theme of confidence through poetry, story telling and script writing.
The four categories include short stories, flash fiction, poetry and script writing. There will be a $1000 prize for the overall winner, a $500 prize for the winner of each category and $100 for commendations.
Winning and commended entries will be published in the Minds Shine Bright Confidence Anthology e-book and on MindsShineBright.com to promote this competition.
Winners will be selected on the basis of literary merit.
The judge of the Minds Shine Bright writing competition is Amanda Scotney, founder of Minds Shine Bright.
The entry fee is AU$ 5 per submission.
Each entry submitted must be the original, unpublished work of the submitting writer.
Please read the terms and conditions here.
Judging in progress
Not currently accepting entries.


Visit our blog for writing posts and competition updates

Minds Shine Bright Confidence Anthology
The Minds Shine Bright Confidence Anthology will feature the winners and commended writers of the first Minds Shine Bright Creative Writing Competition.
It will be launched in July 2022.

Poetry
Up to 240 lines
Both short and long poems are welcome
Fiction
Flash Fiction – up to 1000 words
Short fiction – from 1000 to 5000 words
Script Writing
Up to 90 pages
Both short and feature length scripts are welcome
Minds Shine Bright
Founded in 2021 by Amanda Scotney, Minds Shine Bright, is a creative arts business based in Melbourne, Australia
Do you have questions about our writing competition or the Minds Shine Bright Anthology?
- Writing Competition closes – 28 February 2022
- Judging – March to June
- Awards Event and Anthology Launch – July 2022
I want to ask:
Does the child have to be over 18 years of age to write an entry?
Hi Kathy, a child under 18 can submit a poem if parental approval is given on the entry form.
I’d love to enter this competition. I live in the UK, so how much does the entry fee translate to in sterling please? Thanks! Dorinda
Hi Dorinda, I think the current UK value is 2.74 UK pounds but it depends on the exchange rates. When you complete the form it should take out the right amount for you. You can contact us at writing@mindsshinebright.com if you have any further questions,
Regards Amanda
Do short stories need to be fictional or can they be based on true and actual events? Can they be like a memoir or shirt biography?
Hi Bruno, For the Minds Shine Bright writing competition the short stories need to be fiction. We don’t have any categories for non fiction or memoir.
Thanks Amanda, I have submitted my entry but haven’t received any indication that it or the competition fee was received. Do you not send out confirmation emails when you receive a submission?
Hi Bruno, we send out confirmation emails when they are requested by competition entrants.
Great! Thanks, I just wanted to make sure you received my entry.
Hi Amanda,
This is the first writing competition I have entered in a long time… I included my name at the bottom of my submission but have since realised that might render it void? Do I need to re-submit?
Hi Lauren, we will remove your name before judging so there is no need to resubmit your entry.
Regards
Amanda
Perfect – thanks for confirming!
What a great theme! I’ve really enjoyed writing a story based on this.