Kulawai Press

04/04/2026

Something is rising. 🥚👻

Not from the grave. From the submissions pile.

Winners have been contacted. Public reveal coming soon.

Happy Easter from Kulawai Press.

27/03/2026

🎉 Big news, horror lovers! 🎉

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is almost here! Kulawai Press is about to announce the winners of our Horror Short Story competition!

Our incredible judges have been working so hard, reading through your haunting submissions remotely. But when it came to the final decision? They had to sit down face to face (with some food of course). Because when the stakes are this high (and the scares this good), you know things are about to get serious.

There was a final hurdle the judges had to clear: figuring out who used AI tastefully as a tool and who just copied and pasted exactly what AI churned out.

These were our grading criteria:

1)Originality

Submissions must demonstrate a distinctive authorial voice and original plot development. Works exhibiting derivative storytelling or "author squatting" received reduced points.

2)Contextualisation

We celebrated works that integrated Fijian language, cultural references, settings, and characters in a manner that grounds the narrative deeply in Fiji, its land, its people, and its cultural identity. Points were deducted for submissions that felt like they could have happened anywhere outside of Fii.

3)Horror

Entries must satisfy the general conventions of the horror genre, interpreted broadly to accommodate diverse approaches and subgenres.

4)Line Edits
Submissions demonstrating clean line editing, including correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. A first draft should never be a final draft.

5)AI Usage
Submissions were evaluated against established indicators of AI-generated writing. Strong evidence of AI reliance resulted in a deduction of points from the total score. Lesser deductions were applied where the writer demonstrated genuine effort and original craft, despite some AI influence.

Craft matters and heart matters. We hope you continue to create and strengthen your own unique writing style and encourage you to use AI as a tool and not your voice.

So stay tuned - the winners will be revealed next week. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

👏 Thank you to everyone who entered. You brought the chills, and we are here for it.

🖤

12/11/2025

Vinaka Vakalevu to everyone who has been submitting their writing. We still have a few days left before submissions close so keep them coming.

27/10/2025

📣 Call for Submissions – Women Writers of the Pacific ✍️

Kulawai Press is proud to celebrate the voices, visions, and creative fire of Pacific women writers. We’re calling for submissions of poetry, short stories, and creative non-fiction—works that reflect the lived experiences, dreams, struggles, and strength of women across our islands.

Write about your grandmother’s hands, your daughter’s laughter, the silent battles fought in kitchens and boardrooms, the way the sea sings to you, or the dreams you’ve carried across generations. Whether it’s fiction or fact, whispered memory or bold declaration—we want your stories.

This is a platform to uplift women’s narratives in all their power and complexity.

🌺 Open Genres:
• Poetry (up to 3 poems)
• Short Stories (max 2,000 words)
• Creative Non-Fiction (memoir, essays, reflections – max 2,000 words)

🧵 Tell us about strength, softness, survival, joy, sisterhood, motherhood, identity—your truth, your way.

🎁 Prizes:
🥇 1st Place – $250 + Publication
🥈 2nd Place – $150 + Publication
🥉 3rd Place – $100 + Publication
✨ Next Top 10 Submissions – Publication + Author Copies

📅 Deadline: February 20th, 2026

👉 Submit your work to [email protected]
Please include your name, a short bio, and indicate the genre of your submission.

https://kulawaipress.my.canva.site/

27/10/2025

Call for Submissions – Fijian Christmas Stories 🎄

Kulawai Press is inviting warm, joyful, and unforgettable tales that capture the true spirit of a Fijian Christmas. We’re looking for short stories between 500–1000 words that showcase the heart, humor, and heritage of how Christmas is celebrated across our islands.

From family lovo lunches under mango trees to last-minute shopping frenzies in town, from carol singing through villages to splashing water on friends, dancing into the night, and lighting fireworks that shake the sky—we want stories that celebrate the traditions, laughter, and moments that make Christmas in Fiji so unique.

Tell us about the old man who becomes Santa each year, the aunties who argue over whose cassava pudding is best, or the Christmas where everything went hilariously wrong—but the love remained. Whether rooted in personal memory, community customs, or a touch of festive fiction, we want to capture the Fijian Christmas spirit for readers of all ages.

📘 This will be a collection of stories that bind together our festive traditions, island joy, and tropical cheer—a celebration of Christmas, the Fijian way.

🎁 Prizes:
🥇 1st Place – $250 + Publication
🥈 2nd Place – $150 + Publication
🥉 3rd Place – $100 + Publication
✨ Next Top 10 Stories – Publication + Author Copies

📅 Deadline: December 15th, 2025

👉 Submit your story to [email protected] and help us share the magic of a Fijian Christmas with the world.

https://kulawaipress.my.canva.site/

19/09/2025

📣 Call for Submissions – Horror Short Stories 🩸

Kulawai Press is seeking spine-chilling tales that linger long after the last page. We’re looking for short stories between 500–1000 words in the horror genre.

From the eerie stories your grandmother whispered to keep you in line, to the chilling tales of Daucina and spirits that roam village paths at night, to the strange happenings at crossroads, rivers, and graveyards—these are the stories that shape how we understand fear. Add to that the urban legends drifting through Suva’s streets—the ghostly figures in government buildings, the whispers of Queen’s Road, the shadows that cling to the seawall at midnight.

We want to capture all of Fiji’s eerie tales in one book—a collection that binds together our shared folklore, myths, and modern hauntings in print for generations to come.

💀 Prizes:
🥇 1st Place – $250 + Publication
🥈 2nd Place – $150 + Publication
🥉 3rd Place – $100 + Publication
✨ Next Top 10 Stories – Publication + Author Copies

📅 Deadline: December 1st, 2025

Send us your best, scariest work—and claim your place among the storytellers who dare to haunt the page.

👉 Submit today at [email protected] and let the shadows speak.

https://kulawaipress.my.canva.site/

23/07/2025

International Writers’ Workshop 2026, Hong Kong | Fully Funded

Dates: 2 March to 29 March 2026.

Link: https://scholarshipscorner.website/hkbu-international-writers-workshop/

Benefits: Participants will receive round-trip economy airfare, four weeks of on-campus accommodation at HKBU, and a per diem.

Founded in 2004, HKBU’s International Writers’ Workshop has hosted 150+ writers from 55+ countries.

Deadline: 7 September, 2025.

Credit: ASIA-EUROPE FOUNDATION (ASEF) 2017
This content is based on and adapted from information available on the official website. Details are subject to change. For any credit or content inquiries, please contact us.

16/07/2025

Bula Baka Bookers, Our Literacy Labs start again this Saturday and next Saturday led by Baka Books and hosted at the YWCA Kindy in Desvouex Road, (the building after Chef Phillipe's formally known as Mana Cafe). There are limited spaces so please register via link in bio. The target age group is for 13 to 16 year olds. Looking forward to your enquiries and registrations. Vinaka and Happy Reading from the Baka Books Team.

16/07/2025

10/07/2025

Where the Sugarcane Grows is available on Siuhuu for customers outside Fiji.

Where the Sugarcane Grows is a rich tapestry of life in western Viti-levu, weaving together stories of resilience, love, and cultural identity. From the bittersweet triumph of a father’s sacrifice in Sandhya - The Twilight to the rebellious spirit of a village girl in Bloody Julie, these tales cap...

09/07/2025