Launched in 1996, the Awards have fostered our creative community for 28 years.

Glen Eira Mayor Cr Jim Magee encourages everyone to get involved, even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer.

“Creativity and expression are so important — for everyone and anyone, and at any stage,” Cr Magee said.

“It’s a way to try out new ideas, develop your unique voice, and express how you feel about the worlds both inside and outside of your head. I can’t wait to see what wonderful stories and ideas are produced this year.”

We’re delighted that leading literary figures Eliza Henry-Jones, Alicia Sometimes, Ozlem Baro, and Angela Meyer return as judges in 2023. And this year, we welcome Paul Dalgarno, who will take over from Annette Trevitt as a judge of the Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary Short Story categories.

Paul is an author and journalist. He was deputy editor of The Conversation (Australia) and has written for The Guardian, Big Issue Scotland and Australian Book Review. Born and raised in Scotland, Paul has lived in Australia since 2010. His most recent novel, A Country of Eternal Light, has just been shortlisted for The Age Book of the Year.

For Paul, nurturing and encouraging young talent is something he is very passionate about. “I’m delighted to be a 2023 judge for the Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary Short Story categories,” he said.

“For me, it’s about getting a chance to see the storytellers of tomorrow in this exciting stage of their development and to hopefully encourage in them a lifelong exploration of words and stories.”

A big thank you to Annette, who is hanging up her judging boots after many years with the Awards.

This year also sees the introduction of our Early Primary Encouragement Award. This special recognition will celebrate some of our very youngest writers who show incredible potential.

Entries open on Monday 3 July at 9am and close on Monday 11 September at 5pm. Shortlisted finalists will be notified on Monday 16 October. The total prize pool is $6,400, to be awarded across eight short story and poetry categories.

Winners will be announced at the My Brother Jack Awards ceremony on Sunday 5 November.

For further information and to enter, visit library.gleneira.vic.gov.au/mbj