Northern Territory Literary Awards
The annual Northern Territory Literary Awards celebrate the long tradition of writing and storytelling in the Northern Territory.
The annual Northern Territory Literary Awards have celebrated the unpublished work of Northern Territory writers for over 40 years. It is part of a special program of annual events at Library & Archives NT that celebrate the achievements of established and emerging writers, storytellers and prominent Territorians.
Whether established or emerging, all writers from across the Northern Territory are encouraged to enter unpublished work for a chance to win cash prizes, free memberships and performance passes.
Key dates for 2027
- The Northern Territory Literary Awards have closed for the 2026 season with winners announced at the NT Writing Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 23 September.
- Watch this space for future updates and information about the 2027 awards.
Terms and Conditions and Submission
Entries have now closed for 2026.
Submission forms are available through our online entry system. Click through to view the Terms and Conditions.
Image (L-R): 2026 NT Writing Awards finalists Darren McCallum, Ryanna Clayton, Sophie Benkemoun, Roland Bull, Leonie Norrington, Kylie Gatjawarrawuy Mununggurr, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Vamshika Bakshi, Julie Marcus, Eric Daams, Kathie Rea. Photo Charlie Bliss.
Categories
| Category | Prize | |
|---|---|---|
| Brown's Mart Theatre Award | Theatre script with a performance time of more than 30 minutes | $1,000 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to select shows in Brown's Mart's performance program. |
| Charles Darwin University Creative Non-Fiction Award | A factually-accurate work written with attention to literary style and technique up to 3,000 words | $500 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to select shows in Brown's Mart's performance program. |
| Charles Darwin University Essay Award | A referenced academic essay on a topic relating to the Northern Territory with a word limit of 3,000 words | $1,000 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to select shows in Brown's Mart's performance program. |
| Flash Fiction Award | A blog post, fan fiction, short story, fictional diary entry or fictional letter up to 500 words, limited to three entries per person | $600 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to select shows in Brown's Mart's performance program. |
| Kath Manzie Youth Award | An original work of short fiction or a single poem by a person aged 12 to 18 years on first of January for year of entry. Up to three poetry entries per person with a 300-line limit or a short story up to 3,000 words | $800 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to select shows in Brown's Mart's performance program. |
| NT Writers’ Centre Poetry Award | A single poem up to 300 lines, limited to three entries per person | $1,000 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to select shows in Brown's Mart's performance program. |
| Zip Print Short Story Award | An original work of short fiction up to 3,000 words | $1,000 prize, an NT Writers’ Centre membership and a double pass to select shows in Brown's Mart's performance program. |
Past winners
The annual Northern Territory Literary Awards have celebrated the unpublished work of Northern Territory writers for 40 years.