Winners will be announced at a special live and streamed event on Thursday June 15.
Voices of Women acknowledges the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Eora nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we produce and share stories. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
Welcome to Embellishment: the fifth Voices of Women annual story competition!
Welcome to the Fifth Voices of Women annual writing competition!
Embellishment: Infinite Possibilities in the Definition of Self
What defines you? What binds you together with others? What tears you apart? Be brave! What’s your story?
We are committed to presenting new diverse stories and tales from all women of all writing abilities, in particular we welcome First Nations stories, stories from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, from women living with disability and from LGBTQI+ communities.
Let’s make some noise and create some magic!
We invite all unpublished short monologues and narratives written in the first person by Australian and United States writers.
What does Embellishment mean? Embellishment is a broad provocation for your story – it explores the definition of ourselves – the moments when beauty is revealed, when the truth is hidden. It is about the layers in your life – mind, body, language, ritual and emotion. When is embellishment a great and beautiful thing? When does it hide the truth? When does it bring you together with your community? When does it tear you apart? Embellish your story with rich language, with some of your own language, with culture, with emotion, with imagination. Be brave.
What are we looking for?
We love monologues. Watch the trailer of our feature film Entanglement for some inspiration!
Monologues are short stories written or spoken in the first person, or “I”.
Talk about a moment that stands out for you. Create a character that captures what you want to say about the world, your life, other people. Be brave! Embellish it with rich and imaginative language. Use English mostly – but we love to hear you speak in your own culture’s language as well. Unleash your pen and let it do the work. But keep it short. 3-4 minutes out loud or 800 words maximum.
Talk to yourself, your hairdresser, your dog, your computer, your best friend, lover, teacher, a tree, the night sky, a ghost, your mum or dad, yourself as a younger person.
All genres are welcome. For example: First Nations stories on country, realism, minimalism, collage, magical, magical realism, poetic narrative, adventure, diary, letter, identity story, historical reflection, futuristic, natural universe. Just keep it short! You don’t have to include the word ’embellishment’ in the story or make it the title of your story.
Keep it short: 800 words maximum. 3-4 minutes out loud.
What topics are acceptable? Any! Write about issues, events, people, past, present. We are looking for stories that are moving, funny, powerful, dramatic, curious, quirky, beautiful, uplifting, devastating. We love stories that show you have been brave!
What happens if your story is selected?
- Each shortlisted writer will receive $100 (AUS).
- Selected stories will be performed on the Voices of Women podcast by a professional actor, or in some cases, by the writer, subject to the Artistic Director’s discretion.
- Selected stories will be performed in live shows in Australia with the potential for inclusion internationally with our partners in the USA.
- Selected stories will be part of the planned Embellishment Feature Film in 2023/24.
- Selected stories will be published on the Voices of Women website.
Need any help? We run writing workshops to support you develop your story. If you would like to attend a writing workshop for individuals or groups, live or online, please contact us. We will be running face to face workshops for young women in Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Nambucca Valley, South Coast and online. We want to make sure everyone is included. If the entry fee is a barrier to you taking part, please get in touch and we may waiver the fee.
Submissions close MARCH 30 2023. There is an entry fee of $20 to cover our costs. We want to make sure everyone can enter. If the fee is a barrier to your entry please contact us.
Artwork for Embellishment: thank you to Nioka Lowe-Brennan from Boomali Aboriginal Artists Co-operative and Lucy Scales from Studio ARTES for their artwork to inspire writers to create their stories.