The popular writing competition was established in 1991 to honour Orange’s favourite literary son, Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson. The competition encourages Australian content, but entries do not have to be written in Banjo’s style of bush writing.

Prizes are awarded in several categories: Short Story with a maximum word limit of 3,000 words; Contemporary Poetry not exceeding 200 lines; and the ABC Radio Children’s award for writers 16 years or younger, which can be a short story no longer than 1000 words or a poem no longer than 30 lines.

The winners of the Short Story and Contemporary Poetry sections take home $2000 each, while the winner of the Children’s award receives $200.

This year, the format for the 2026 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards has changed. All entries must be submitted via the Orange City Council secure payments platform, Bookable.

Entries are now open and close on Friday, 1 May. Entry fee is $15 for adults and $5 for children. To enter, visit: www.orange.nsw.gov.au/central-west-libraries/banjo-paterson-writing-awards

For inspiration, you may wish to view previous winners of the competition on the Central West Recollect platform: centralwest.recollect.net.au