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Nature Writing Prize 2026 now open to enter

The Nature Conservancy Australia

Key Facts:

• The Nature Conservancy has opened its eighth biennial Nature Writing Prize, offering an $8,000 prize to the winning essayist, who will also be published in Australian Book Review.
• Entries must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words in the 'Writing of Place' genre, exploring a relationship with some aspect of the Australian landscape.
• Submissions open on 1 July 2026 and close at 5pm AEST on 23 September 2026, with an entry fee of $30 (or $25 for ABR subscribers).

Calling all writers! The Nature Conservancy has announced the opening of its eighth biennial Nature Writing Prize.

The author of the winning essay will receive an $8,000 prize and be published in Australian Book Review (ABR). One additional author will receive a Highly Commended Prize of $1,000.

The competition’s judges are novelists Kim Mahood, Dave Witty and Dr Georgina Arnott, editor of the Australian Book Review.

The judging process is completely anonymous, with judges awarding the prize to an Australian writer whose essay they agree to be of the highest literary merit and which best explores a relationship and interaction with some aspect of the Australian landscape. All entries are required to be between 3,000 and 5,000 words and in the genre of ‘Writing of Place’.

The Nature Conservancy Australia’s Country Director Lara Gallagher said, “The Nature Writing Prize was created in 2011 to promote and celebrate the art of nature writing, and to encourage a greater appreciation of Australia’s magnificent natural heritage. I’d particularly like to thank Paula McLean and The McLean Foundation, without whose generous support this important prize would not be possible.”

Alongside the $8,000 Winners Prize, The Nature Conservancy welcomes the return of the Rosina Joy Buckman Award, a $1,000 prize awarded to one Highly Commended essay. The Rosina Joy Buckman Award is generously sponsored by Kinchem Hegedus and Peter Barge.

2026 heralds a new era for nature writing in Australia, with the announcement of Australian Book Review as the official Publishing Partner for the Nature Writing Prize. Gallagher said, “This collaboration with ABR offers the Prize a new level of support, expanding its reach and cementing its place as one of Australia’s leading nature writing initiatives.”

The prize is open to Australian citizens and permanent residents. Participants will need to pay an entry fee of $30, or $25 for ABR subscribers. Submissions open on Wednesday 1 July and will close at 5pm AEST Wednesday 23 September 2026. To learn more about the prize and review the terms and conditions visit: www.natureaustralia.org.au/nwp

 

Nature Writing Prize Background

Annamaria Weldon won the inaugural prize for her piece Threshold Country, which the judges described as "a marvelously orchestrated, complex meditation on belonging. It is at once assured and yet gently voiced." The second biennial prize was awarded to Stephen Wright for his essay Bunyip which explored the culture and fate of Indigenous communities and early European settlers as they navigated the landscape of south east Queensland. Victorian author Nick Gadd won the third prize for his essay A landscape of stories – a reflection on walking through the industrial landscapes of Melbourne and the fresh ways of seeing an unplanned or unfamiliar route can create.

The 2017 prize was awarded to Sophie Cunningham for her essay Biyala Stories, a beautiful account of the natural and social history of the red gums and waterways of Melbourne’s landscape that serves as an eloquent reminder of the degree to which the survival of the trees and the rivers is connected to our own. The 2019 Prize saw dual winners, Jenny Sinclair and Sue Castrique with Jenny’s An Orchard For My Father and Sue’s On the Margins of the Good Swamp. 2021 saw Gregory Day’s The Watergaw take the top Award, with judge Tara June Winch noting the piece was “striking for its nuance and accomplishment in expressing nostalgia, and the language of belonging to a place. A beautiful and subtle work.”

Connor Tomas O’Brien’s The Cryptids took out the top Prize in 2023, with judges noting, “The Cryptids is a potent reminder of the transient nature of life and landscapes, and of what we’re willing to recognise or ignore.” Lily Chan received the Rosina Joy Buckman Award for The Golden Age.

About us:

 

About The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy helps people and nature thrive by protecting and restoring ecosystems at scale. Guided by science, we focus on getting things done efficiently and with the greatest positive impact for conservation. We’re a trusted organisation working in more than 83 countries and territories on innovative solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy in Australia, visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

The Nature Writing Prize has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the McLean Foundation, Kinchem Hegedus and Peter Barge and Australian Book Review.

Contact details:

Ally Catterick, Director of Marketing & Communications 
[email protected] | M: 0407 501 132