The Nature Conservancy has announced the opening of the third biennial TNC Australia Nature Writing Prize. The $5,000 award is for an essay between 3,000 and 5,000 words in the genre of ‘Writing of Place’ and the winning essay will be published in the Australian Book Review.

The competition’s judges are Jesse Blackadder, award-winning author of Chasing the Light and Paruku The Desert Brumby, and Robert Gray, renowned poet, critic, and freelance writer. They will award the prize to an Australian writer whose entry is judged to be of the highest literary merit and which best explores his or her relationship and interaction with some aspect of the Australian landscape.

The prize is open to Australian citizens and permanent residents. Participants will need to pay an entry fee of $40 and the deadline for submissions is 24 December 2014. Visit http://www.natureaustralia.org.au/nature-writing-prize-2014.xml to learn more about the prize and review the terms and conditions.