ABR welcomes entries in the 2024 Calibre Essay Prize, worth $10,000. The Calibre Prize is open to all essayists writing in English. We seek essays of between 2,000 and 5,000 words on any subject. We welcome essays of all kinds: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental. Founded in 2007, the Calibre Prize is one of the world’s leading prizes for a new non-fiction essay.

Status: Open for entry

Prize money: $10,000

Dates: 23 October 2023 – 22 January 2024, 11:59 pm 

Judges: Amy Baillieu, Shannon Burns, and Beejay Silcox

Click here to enter the 2024 Calibre Essay Prize

Past winners

Click the link for more information about past winners and to read their essays.

FAQs and Terms and Conditions

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions before contacting us with queries about the Calibre Prize.

Before entering the Calibre Essay Prize, all entrants must read the Terms and Conditions.

Exclusivity

Entries may be offered elsewhere during the judging of the Calibre Prize. If an entrant is longlisted and has their essay offered elsewhere, the entrant will have 24 hours to decide if they would like to withdraw their essay on offer elsewhere or from the Calibre Prize. Exclusivity is essential for longlisted essays. The overall winning essay will be published in the April 2024 issue, followed by the runners-up.

Entry fees

Current ABR subscribers: $20
Standard/non subscribers: $30*

*All non-subscribers will automatically receive four-month digital access to ABR free of charge.

Entry + subscription bundles

Entry + 1-year digital subscription: $100
Entry + 1-year print subscription (Australia): $120
Entry + 1-year print subscription (NZ and Asia): $200
Entry + 1-year print subscription (Rest of World): $220

Those who purchase a subscription while entering will be able to submit subsequent entries at the subscriber rate ($20).

ABR thanks founding Patrons Mary-Ruth Sindrey and Peter McLennan for their continuing support for the Calibre Essay Prize.