Terms & Conditions

General Terms & Conditions

  • Nominations for the 2025 Heart Awards will open Monday 14 April 2025.
  • By submitting your work, participants agree to grant the Whitsundays Writers Festival permission to publish excerpts of winning entries for promotional purposes.
  • Short story entries might be used with the permission of the author in an edited Festival publication.
  • Shortlisted nominees and overall category winners will be promoted, and an image and further author and book information might be requested for publicity purposes.
  • The decision of the Heart Award judges is final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding evaluation or feedback on submissions.

The Gloria Burley Award for Unpublished Manuscript

  • Submissions must be original and unpublished works of fiction by an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
  • Entries should consist of the at least the first three chapters, totalling no more than 12,000 words.
  • A fully completed manuscript should be available on request.
  • Manuscripts must be written in English.
  • The entry fee for this category is $50.
  • Multiple entries are allowed, but each entry requires a separate entry fee.
  • Submissions must be made electronically through the official Festival Awards website.
  • The deadline for submissions is 14 July 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.
  • Shortlisted entries will be notified by email and posted on the website.
  • The winner will be announced at an event during the 2025 Whitsundays Writers Festival.
  • The winner will receive a monetary prize, certificate, and digital assets.
How to Apply

Published Book Cover Design Award

  • Entries must be covers of published books, including full cover paperbacks, digital covers, or audio covers by an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
  • The entry fee for this category is $50.
  • Multiple entries are allowed, but each entry requires a separate entry fee.
  • Submissions must be made electronically through the official Festival Awards website.
  • Late entries will not be accepted.
  • Shortlisted entries will be notified by email and posted on the website.
  • A best of genre recognition may be awarded within the shortlist.
  • The winner will be announced at an event during the Whitsundays Writers Festival.
  • The winner will receive a monetary prize, certificate, and digital assets.
Not Offered in 2025

Short Story Award

  • Submissions must be original short stories by an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
  • The award is for writers under 18 years old.
  • Stories should not exceed 3,000 words.
  • Entries must be written in English.
  • The entry fee for this category is $25.
  • Multiple entries are allowed, but each entry requires a separate entry fee.
  • Submissions must be made electronically through the official Festival Award website.
  • The deadline for submissions is 14 July 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.
  • Shortlisted entries will be notified by email and posted on the website.
  • The winner will be announced at an event during the Whitsundays Writers Festival.
  • The winner will receive a monetary prize, certificate, and digital assets.
How to Apply

Poetry Prize

  • Submissions must be original poems of any length within the genre of poetry by an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
  • Entries can be written in any language but must include an English translation.
  • The entry fee for this category is $50.
  • Multiple entries are allowed, but each entry requires a separate entry fee.
  • Submissions must be made electronically through the official Festival Awards website.
  • Shortlisted entries will be notified by email and may posted on the website.
  • The winner will be announced at an event during the Whitsundays Writers Festival.
  • The winner and runner-up will receive a monetary prize, certificate, and digital assets.
Not Offered in 2025