Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash
Geelong Writers challenges everyone—members and non-members alike—to participate in our monthly Ekphrastic Challenge!
A new challenge opens on the first day of every month (except December) and closes on the 25th of that month. A selection of the best responses is then published on our Ekphrastic Writing page on the last day of that month.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to receive news about the Ekphrastic Challenge, email ekphrastic@geelongwriters.org.au and include either “Subscribe” or “Unsubscribe” in the subject line.
Current Challenge
Ekphrastic Challenge #7 2026 is now open.
Photo source: https://mhnsw.au/stories/convict-sydney/leg-irons-heavy/
Opening Date: 1 July 2026
Closing Date: 25 July 2026
Submission to: ekphrastic@geelongwriters.org.au
(include “Challenge: #7 2026 Submission” in the subject line)
Using this untitled image as a prompt, participants must write an original poem or original piece of prose (fiction or non-fiction) that specifically responds to the image, using 300 words or less, then give your submission a title of your choosing (the title is not included in the word count).
We invite writing that:
- connects with the image or springs from it, having provoked your imagination
- is bold and creative
- has been written for the specific purpose of being published on the Geelong Writers Ekphrastic Writing webpage
- and, most importantly, allows you to have fun!
Guidelines
- Only one submission (300 words or less) per person
- Entries received after the closing date (the 25th of the month) will not be considered
- Please provide a title for your response to the image
- Please do not send revisions, corrections, or changes to your entry after you have submitted. Take time to read and edit your entry before you submit it
- Please ensure your work complies with the Australian Standard house style: singular quotations and Australian spelling
- If you are submitting any work that has unusual indents or forms such as shape poems, please send them as an image, for example in .jpg format
- Please do not send PDFs. Due to the nature of our publishing software, we may be unable to include any submissions using PDF in our published selection.
- If you are under 18, please confirm that you have permission from a parent, guardian or teacher (if the challenge is being written as part of a school activity) to have your work published online.
Publishing on Website
A selection of the best responses (up to 20) will be published on our Ekphrastic Writing page by the last day of each month. When selecting submissions for publication, we look for original responses to the image. We collate submissions for publication so that we can showcase how the challenge has provoked wide-ranging, inventive responses which all clearly reference the image.
This is a challenge; not a competition. There is no extra credit for submitting your response early. Every submission received by the due date will be reviewed for publication, according to the criteria we have set out here. Your considered response to the image is appreciated by our readership.
Call for Artwork for Future Challenges
We would greatly appreciate any original images that you may have created which you consider would be useful and inspiring for future Ekphrastic Challenges. Please submit your artwork as a jpeg attachment to ekphrastic@geelongwriters.org.au. Write “Ekphrastic Challenge Artwork” in the subject line and your full name and country of residence in the body of the email.
Additional Resources
We strongly encourage you to read examples from our Ekphrastic Writing page, as well as those listed in the links below.
The Ekphrastic Review archives
The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press Ekphrastic Challenges
Need Further Assistance?
If you require any further assistance, please email ekphrastic@geelongwriters.org.au:
Good luck! And have fun!