Literary prizes

Full Job Description

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The University of Sydney's annual literary prizes have a long history, with many dating back to bequests received at the beginning of the 20th century.

All literary prizes require an application and the submission of written work, typically an essay or poem, on a selected topic. Written work should be submitted under a nom de plume.

Wentworth Medal

Essay — $20,000 award and a medal

Established in 1854 from a gift of £200 from WC Wentworth, this medal was initially presented as a reward for the best essay in English prose and now seeks to reward an outstanding essay addressing a nominated question.

Eligibility

Open to all students enrolled at the University of Sydney, except for previous winners of this award.

2026 Topic: In an increasingly polarised world, where knowledge is more contested than ever, institutions face the challenge of responding to global issues amidst widespread misinformation.

With reference to a specific disciplinary area, discuss the strategies and approaches universities might adopt to rebuild societal trust in knowledge systems and expertise, and tackle contemporary challenges.

Open date: 22 June 2026

Close date: 9 August 2026

How It Works

The topic or topics for the essay will be set each year and the examiners of the essay will be appointed by the Wentworth Medal Committee (who have the power to co-opt). The committee consists of the:

• Chair of the Academic Board

• Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) or nominee

• Deans (or nominees) of:

• the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

• the University of Sydney Business School

• the University of Sydney Law School.

• Additional members as agreed by the panel.

• the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

• the University of Sydney Business School

• the University of Sydney Law School.

The committee reserves the right to share the prize if two or more entries are judged to be of equal, highest, and sufficient merit.

Essay Requirements

The essay should be approximately 3000 words (including referencing). It should demonstrate a breadth of research, be of a high scholarly standard and include appropriate referencing.

In assessing the quality of the essay the panel will consider:

• its clarity and accessibility

• the quality of the argument upon which it is constructed

• its originality (specifically its ability to shed new light on the given topic).

Use of AI Essays submitted for the Wentworth medal essay prize must be the original, creative voice of a human.

1. AI is permitted for brainstorming, research, outlining, or as a "thought partner" to stress-test arguments, provided the final text is written by a human.

2. AI-powered grammar and spelling checkers are permitted.

3. If permitted AI assistance is used in the preparation of the essay submission, a statement on the coversheet must identify any AI tool that was used, a description of how each tool was used and the prompts that were used.

4. Entrants in the Wentworth medal essay prize are advised to keep a log of AI use and copies of working drafts of their submissions.

5. Violating the rules on AI use may lead to disqualification or being marked down by judges.

Finalists for the Wentworth medal prize will be selected to participate in a short in-person discussion of their essay (viva voce) with members of the judging panel.

These rules on the use of AI in the Wentworth medal essay prize have been developed based on The Authors Guild - AI best practices for writers: https://authorsguild.org/resource/ai-best-practices-for-authors/.

Steps To Apply

1. Submit a pen-name using the registration form: https://sydneyuniversity.formstack.com/forms/wentworthmedal

2. Self-enrol and submit your essay via Canvas: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/74058

3. Download and complete the cover sheet (in the Canvas site) and append it to your essay.

Both essay and registration form must be submitted by the deadline: 11:59pm 9 August 2026.

Incomplete submissions – that is any submissions, missing a pen-name, the cover sheet or the essay, will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Please note that early, late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances. All submissions will be screened through TurnItIn for Academic Integrity.

Adrian Consett Stephen Memorial Prize

Short story or play — $1,500 award

This Prize is funded by a bequest from Emilie Ann Consett Stephen.

Eligibility

Open to all undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Sydney. To enter, you must submit a short story or play that they have written through our form.

Submission Dates

• Opens: TBC

• Closes: TBC

Terms and conditions (PDF | 164KB)

Beauchamp Prize

Essay — $10,000 award

The Beauchamp Prize is awarded for the best essay on some matter of literary or historical interest. This Prize is funded by a gift from his Excellency the Right Honourable William Lygon, Earl Beauchamp, KCMG, Governor of New South Wales.

Eligibility

To participate, you must either be:

• enrolled as an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney, or

• a graduate of the University of Sydney who completed an undergraduate degree no more than 5 years previously at the time of their application.

You must submit an essay on some matter of literary or historical interest with a word limit between 5000 and 7500 words, through our form.

Submission Dates

Open date: 10 September 2026

Close date: 9 October 2026

Terms and conditions (PDF | 137.7KB)

Henry Lawson Prize For Poetry

English verse — $2,500 award

This Prize is funded by a gift from subscribers to the memorial of Henry Lawson, Australian poet and prose-writer. A maximum number of 3 prizes may be awarded each year between the Henry Lawson Prize for Poetry and the Henry Lawson Prize for Prose.

Eligibility

To participate, you must the following requirements:

• be enrolled at the University of Sydney in an undergraduate degree,

• have not graduated from another degree at the University of Sydney,

You need to submit an English verse through our form.

Submission Dates

Open date: 10 September 2026

Close date: 9 October 2026

Terms and conditions (PDF | 242KB)

Henry Lawson Prize For Prose

Short story or sketch — $2,500 award

This Prize is funded by a gift from subscribers to the memorial of Henry Lawson, Australian poet and prose-writer. A maximum number of 3 prizes may be awarded each year between the Henry Lawson Prize for Prose and the Henry Lawson Prize for Poetry.

Eligibility

To participate, you must the following requirements:

• be enrolled at the University of Sydney in an undergraduate degree,

• have not graduated from another degree at the University of Sydney,

You need to submit an original composition on an Australian theme in the form of a short story or descriptive sketch, through our form.

Submission Dates

• Opens: TBC

• Closes: TBC

Terms and conditions (PDF | 237KB)

Hm Moran Prize

Essay — $1,000 award

The HM Moran Prize was established in 1945 from a gift of £250 from Dr HM Moran and is awarded for the best essay.

Eligibility

Open to undergraduate students who are Catholic.

You must submit an essay (maximum 5000 words) on the history of medicine and science through our form.

Submission Dates

Open date: 10 September 2026

Close date: 9 October 2026

Terms and conditions (PDF | 136.1KB)

Robert A Dallen Prize

Composition — $5,000 award

This Prize is funded by a donation from Robert A Dallen.

Eligibility

To participate, you must be be one of the following:

• enrolled in the third year of your degree, or

• a graduate of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences who graduated no more than 2 years previously at the time of their application.

You must submit a composition on The Influence of the Bible on Later Culture and Literature through our form.

Submission Dates

Open date: 10 September 2026

Close date: 9 October 2026

Terms and conditions (PDF | 235KB)

Venour V Nathan Prize

Essay — $15,000 award

The Venour V Nathan Prize is awarded for the best essay on a subject connected to Australian or Imperial history. This prize is funded by a donation from Venour V Nathan.

Eligibility

To participate, you must be be one of the following:

• enrolled at the University of Sydney, or

• a graduate of the University of Sydney who graduated no more than 8 years and 4 months previously at the time of their application.

You must submit an essay (5000-7500 word limit) on a subject connected to Australian or Imperial history through our form.

Submission Dates

Open date: 10 September 2026

Close date: 9 October 2026

Terms and conditions (PDF | 642KB)

Explore Scholarships

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Have any questions? Get in touch with us.

Open to all students enrolled at the University of Sydney, except for previous winners of this award.

2026 Topic: In an increasingly polarised world, where knowledge is more contested than ever, institutions face the challenge of responding to global issues amidst widespread misinformation.

With reference to a specific disciplinary area, discuss the strategies and approaches universities might adopt to rebuild societal trust in knowledge systems and expertise, and tackle contemporary challenges.

Open date: 22 June 2026

Close date: 9 August 2026

The essay should be approximately 3000 words (including referencing). It should demonstrate a breadth of research, be of a high scholarly standard and include appropriate referencing.

In assessing the quality of the essay the panel will consider:

• its clarity and accessibility

• the quality of the argument upon which it is constructed

• its originality (specifically its ability to shed new light on the given topic).

Use of AI Essays submitted for the Wentworth medal essay prize must be the original, creative voice of a human.

1. AI is permitted for brainstorming, research, outlining, or as a "thought partner" to stress-test arguments, provided the final text is written by a human.

2. AI-powered grammar and spelling checkers are permitted.

3. If permitted AI assistance is used in the preparation of the essay submission, a statement on the coversheet must identify any AI tool that was used, a description of how each tool was used and the prompts that were used.

4. Entrants in the Wentworth medal essay prize are advised to keep a log of AI use and copies of working drafts of their submissions.

5. Violating the rules on AI use may lead to disqualification or being marked down by judges.

Finalists for the Wentworth medal prize will be selected to participate in a short in-person discussion of their essay (viva voce) with members of the judging panel.

These rules on the use of AI in the Wentworth medal essay prize have been developed based on The Authors Guild - AI best practices for writers: https://authorsguild.org/resource/ai-best-practices-for-authors/.

Open to all undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Sydney. To enter, you must submit a short story or play that they have written through our form.

To participate, you must either be:

• enrolled as an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney, or

• a graduate of the University of Sydney who completed an undergraduate degree no more than 5 years previously at the time of their application.

You must submit an essay on some matter of literary or historical interest with a word limit between 5000 and 7500 words, through our form.

To participate, you must the following requirements:

• be enrolled at the University of Sydney in an undergraduate degree,

• have not graduated from another degree at the University of Sydney,

You need to submit an English verse through our form.

To participate, you must the following requirements:

• be enrolled at the University of Sydney in an undergraduate degree,

• have not graduated from another degree at the University of Sydney,

You need to submit an original composition on an Australian theme in the form of a short story or descriptive sketch, through our form.

Open to undergraduate students who are Catholic.

You must submit an essay (maximum 5000 words) on the history of medicine and science through our form.

To participate, you must be be one of the following:

• enrolled in the third year of your degree, or

• a graduate of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences who graduated no more than 2 years previously at the time of their application.

You must submit a composition on The Influence of the Bible on Later Culture and Literature through our form.

To participate, you must be be one of the following:

• enrolled at the University of Sydney, or

• a graduate of the University of Sydney who graduated no more than 8 years and 4 months previously at the time of their application.

You must submit an essay (5000-7500 word limit) on a subject connected to Australian or Imperial history through our form.

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