Australia 2050: Foresight Through Fiction
Entries close: 18 September 2026
Welcome to the Australia 2050: Foresight through Fiction writing competition for 2026!
Australia 2050: Foresight through Fiction is a creative writing competition designed to leverage storytelling as a tool for exploring alternative futures that inspire strategic responses to emerging national challenges.
It is open to Australian public servants and officials.
Each submission must include a fictional short story (maximum 2,000 words) that describes an Australia of the future (circa 2050) and a brief scenario (of about one paragraph) describing the characteristics of the future world in which the short story is set.
Destined to provoke thinking across government about the many paths Australia could go down in future, these stories and scenarios should:
be plausible but engaging
be grounded in real trends or emerging challenges
explore future policy, societal or national security issues relevant to Australia.
(Note: stories and scenarios do not need to be about government or involve government – they just need to show a plausible future world the government should be thinking about.)
How do I enter?
Entries are open now and must be submitted by 11.59pm, 18 September 2026.
All entries must be submitted via the submission portal at https://awards.judgify.me/Australia2050ForesightThroughFiction.
Stories and scenarios must:
be submitted as a single document in the .pdf, .docx or .doc format
not exceed meet the size restrictions (2,000 words for the story and one paragraph for the scenario)
use a size 12 font that allows for clear readability (such as Times New Roman, Calibri or Atkinson Hyperlegible)
use margins and line spacing that allows for clear readability
not include the author's name in any way
meet all terms and conditions
What can I win?
Entries will be judged by an expert panel of public servants and authors.
Entries will be judged based on the clarity of the future vision (relevance, plausibility, clarity of implications), the quality of the creative work (originality, ability to engage and influence the reader, demonstration of creative writing tradecraft) and the ability of the scenario to be used as a concise standalone resource.
Top entries, will be featured in a print booklet and published online as foresight resources. Scenarios will also be used across government to help plan for the future, such as through synthesis into future scenarios for policy use and in workshops and strategic discussions.
One winner will be crowned “Public Futurist of the Year” and offered free enrollment in a National Security College professional development course of their choice.