2026 Program Submissions Now Open

We are welcoming submissions from published writers at all stages of their careers to participate in the 2026 festival, which will be held from 27 to 29 March. Ideally, you will have had work published in the past 12 months or publication is pending in the second half of 2025/early 2026.  

Please read the following information carefully before completing the submission form.

The closing date for submissions is 5.00pm 21 July 2025. We will not accept submissions after this date. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of October.

Consider how you would like to participate and seek approval from others before proposing a panel or joint event. We also welcome submissions from children’s book writers for our family program as part of the festival weekend.

We are a small team and unable to provide feedback about your submission. Festival programs are multifaceted and the director may home in on certain themes or synchronicities among writers. You may not be included in 2026 and this is not a reflection of the quality of your work.

Newcastle Writers Festival provides a platform for new voices and we are committed to supporting a diverse range of writers. If you have been successful with a previous submission, please don’t assume you will be included again. If you were successful in a submission for the 2025 festival, please do not submit for the 2026 festival.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive program. If you wish to be considered for the festival and there are barriers to your participation, please let us know how we can assist you; for example, by ensuring your accommodation is accessible by wheelchair or providing an Auslan interpreter for your event.

The challenging economic conditions are placing pressure on our travel and accommodation budget, and unfortunately this may be a factor when considering your submission. Our priority is to support regional NSW writers.

We recommend copying and pasting your information from another document in case there is a technical glitch while submitting. You will be asked to provide a bio, details about how you would like to participate, and the theme or topic you are proposing.

If you have more than one idea to submit, please submit multiple forms, but no more than three.

If you do not receive confirmation of your submission, check your spam folder. If an email is not there, submit again and if this fails, please email admin(at)newcastlewritersfestival.org.au