Submit Your Work

The theme for the 2026 Anthology is Hope

Hope takes many forms – quiet and defiant, fragile and fierce, personal and collective. We welcome submission of essays, poetry and short stories that respond to this theme in any way that feels true to you. There are no right or wrong interpretations; we encourage poets and writers to bring their own experiences, perspectives, and voices to the page. The deadline for submission is 31 July 2026.  

1. About you

Your full name (please give your real name, not your pseudonym or pen name):
Your name, as you want it to appear in the book:
Your email address:*
Phone number (in case email doesn't work):*
Your full address:*
How did you find out about USYD Anthology?*
What is your connection to Sydney University?*
Your biography (just a paragraph, max. 150 words)*
If you are writing from the perspective or about the experience of a particular community or group, do you identify as a member of that community or group? This question is optional – you may answer yes or no, give us more detailed information, or leave this field blank.
Is your work fiction or non-fiction?*

2. Please upload your work

  • Your written work should be in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx), with an approximate word count of up to 5000 words.
  • To allow us to keep the Submissions assessment process anonymous, please do not include your name in the attached Submission.
  • The manuscript should be double-spaced, in 12-pt Times New Roman type,on A4 size.
  • Please only attach one work at a time.
Title 1*
Click the icon to upload a file for Title 1:*
Title 2
Click the icon to upload a file for Title 2:
Title 3
Click the icon to upload a file for Title 3:
Title 4
Click the icon to upload a file for Title 4:
Title 5
Click the icon to upload a file for Title 5:

3. AI Statement

We encourage human creativity and are looking for original pieces. If you have used AI tools to help you spell check, brainstorm and check grammar, please declare any tool/s you have used and explain how you have used them. If you have any questions about AI, please reach out to the anthology team.

Use of AI Tools Declaration:

4. Author release

When your work is accepted by the 2026 Sydney University Anthology, you are granting us the non-exclusive worldwide license from the date of publication to publish and sell your work in print and digital formats in perpetuity, including for marketing purposes. Intellectual property and trademarks, and all non-publishing licensing rights, remain with you.

Please confirm that this story is entirely your own work, and does not contain any material written by anybody else or copied from elsewhere.*

Thank you for your submission.