Free to enter, Margaret Dooley Award for Young Writers 2011, prize: $1,500 (Australia)

Deadline: 10 June 2011

Margaret Dooley Award for Young Writers 2011 (under-30s age category)

(Note: Entries to the Margaret Dooley Award DO NOT NEED to reflect the theme of the Eureka Street/Reader's Feast Award.)

Eureka Street's Margaret Dooley Award is offered to support the development of young writers. Entrants should submit a piece of writing that offers reasoned ethical argument based on humane values. This could take many forms, for example: advocacy or criticism of current ethical frameworks; an ethical response to a contemporary social or political issue; ethical exploration of personal experience or cultural phenomena.

The winner's essay, and the two runners-up, will be announced and presented during Reader's Feast Bookstore's Crime and Justice festival, taking place in Melbourne on 15, 16 and 17 July 2011, and will be published online in Eureka Street.

Submission Guidelines

1. The award of $1500 is open to any writer under the age of 30, as of 1 January 2010. Second place in the award is awarded $350, and third $150.

2. Entrants must submit a previously unpublished piece of ethical exploration that will engage a non-specialist audience. Contributions will be judged for their appeal to humane values, such as those that are found within, but are not exclusive to, the best of the Christian humanist tradition. These should be expressed in clear argument and elegant expression, and a generosity and courtesy of spirit within forceful argument.

3. The piece of writing should be no longer than 1500 words.

4. All entries must be received by 5pm Friday 10 June 2011.

5. Electronic submissions only. Please email your submission as a Word attachment to eureka@eurekastreet.com.au. Include the words 'Submission: Margaret Dooley Award' in the subject line. Include a COVER LETTER in the body of your email, stating your full name, age, postal address and a contact telephone number.

6. The awards will be made only if the judges believe the winning entries are of sufficient quality. The judge's decision is final; no correspondence will be entered into.

7. By submitting entries to the 2011 Margaret Dooley Award, the author acknowledges that the pieces are their own original work, and agrees to abide by the rules of the competition and the decision of the judges.

More information here.