The season of the novella has begun. Now is the perfect time to knuckle down and finish that short novel then send it in to Viva La Novella.

This year, the ninth year of the competition, we are partnering with The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS) and are on a mission to strengthen regional representation in Australian letters.

We are looking for two winners – one of the winning places is reserved for a regional writer. For this competition, ‘regional’ refers to a writer who is an Australian or New Zealand resident who lives somewhere with fewer than 1 million people (i.e. anywhere outside of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide).

We can’t wait to read your submissions!

• Now in its ninth year, Viva la Novella is once again open for entries.
  We want your novellas. We want extraordinary stories that surprise, unnerve, discomfort and inspire. The competition is open to all genres and in the past we have awarded the prize to dystopian spec-fic, a reimagined Colonial story and realist fiction – among others.

  Seizure invites Australian and New Zealand residents to submit their completed novella manuscripts for consideration. We are looking for two writers, who will each receive a $1000 prize and publication with Seizure in print and digital formats.

  What’s a novella? By our reckoning it’s 20–50,000 words of solid narrative goodness. We’ll take an over/under of 10% (ie no fewer than 18 000 words / no more than 55 000 words) but anything outside that is ineligible.
  What isn’t a novella? Collected short stories are ineligible. Also, we’re sticking with fiction but that includes auto-fiction and/or semi-fictionalised life writing. We’re open to all genres but also works that self-identify as anti-genre.
  Why a novella? Because they are great. You don’t need big word counts to communicate big ideas and you don’t need eight hundred pages to tell a great story.
  What’s the prize? $1000 + a contract for print and digital publication with Seizure – this includes 10% royalty on print books from the first sale and 50% on ebooks. Winners will have their manuscript carefully shepherded to publication by an editor and the Seizure team. The winning novellas will be designed with the usual Seizure flair and unleashed in digital and print form in bookshops, on our website and ebook retailers.

  There is no fee to enter.
  Entries close: 31 December 2020
  Shortlisting: February 2021
  Publication: September 2021
  For further information, please contact seizureonline.com