The Sydney Morning Herald Essay Prize

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Enter The Sydney Morning Herald Essay Prize to have your writing published to a wide audience! The winner will receive $1,000 and spend a day in The Sydney Morning Herald's newsroom. 

Two runners-up will receive $500 and a 12-month digital subscription. 

There are three essay topics to choose from, with a 2000-word limit: 

  • What makes you optimistic about the future of Sydney or NSW?
  • What are the priorities you would set for Australia and why?
  • What do you wish more people understood?

Entries close Monday 2 October and will be judged by senior Herald editors and Tara June Winch. The competition is open to Australian residents aged below 24. 

Learn more and enter!

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