Aspiring female football writers have the chance to be published in a new anthology thanks to a new initiative launched as part of the 2023 Football Writers Festival.
We are announcing the Emerging Women Writers program to coincide with Australia and New Zealand co-hosting the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The program is an opportunity for female writers who are not yet established as authors to have an original, previously unpublished work to be circulated as part of an anthology of stories to be available at the 2023 Football Writers Festival.
The newly launched Emerging Women Writers program offers a unique chance for aspiring writers to springboard their career in sports media.
Coinciding with the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand – which is set to be record-breaking following the outstanding rise the game has seen thanks to Euro 2022 – the competition is a great chance to champion a break-out female star in journalism and to nurture new writing talent from across the globe.
Writers are invited to submit a long-form story (or essay) of between 3,000 and 5,000 words on any football-related topic, such as an interview or profile of an individual or individuals, a club story, a short history of a club or an event, a dive into a football politics issue, a work of fiction, commentary, analysis, an investigative piece, a poem, or a first-person story.
Up to 20 entries will be included in a publication entitled Hear Us Roar – Stories from women of football, a book to be launched at next year’s Football Writers Festival. Up to three emerging writers will also be invited to Australia to attend and speak at the Festival.
The judging panel for the entries includes current and former journalists from Australia, the UK, Nigeria, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The fourth iteration of the Football Writers Festival is being held in Tar-Ra, the cultural precinct of Sydney, also known as Walsh Bay, from July 15-17 2023, days ahead of the opening of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
For further information, including terms and conditions, check out the Emerging Women Writers page here.
