Winners of National Storywriting competition announced

We are please to announced the following winners and commended authors. Congratulations!

Open Section
Winner: Kate, Allans Flat - Butterflies and Dragons
Certificate of Commendation: Beverley, Heathmont – Baby Talk

Local Section
Winner: Zoe, Yarra Junction – The Persimmon
Certificates of Commendation:
Jack, Selby – Old Uncle Sir
Marian, Menzies Creek, – Climb

Teen Section
Winner: Jessica, Rowville – Buttons
Certificate of Commendation: Holly, Ringwood East – Bigger

Junior Section
Winner: Kaiden, Mount Waverley – Sibling Rivalry
Certificate of Commendation: Erin, Lilydale– Under the Sea


PRIZE GIVING EVENING

You are invited to join us for the presentation of the prize winning entries in the ERL Storywriting Competition.

Cr Adam Gill will present the awards following the reading of Rose Michael’s Judge’s Report.

When: Friday 15th October 6:30pm
Where: Knox Library, 425 Burwood Hwy, Wantirna South

RSVP Janet Nolan by Thursday 14th October
Ph: 9800 6409
Email:

Cheers, Maryanne

Today's the last day for entries to the Storywriting competition

Have you finished off your story and submitted your entry to our National Storywriting competition? Entries close today 27th August 2010.

You can drop off your entries at any of our branches or mobiles. If you are posting entries to us then they must be postmarked with todays date. Any entries posted after today will not be accepted

Download the entry form (PDF 257KB, 2 pages)

Cheers, Maryanne

Only 12 days to go to submit entries for the National Storywriting competition

Calling all writers. Have you finished polishing off your short story for the National Storywriting Competition? What, some of you haven't even started?

Download the entry form with the conditions of entry. Its only $5 for Open entries and $2 for Junior and Teenage entries.

Entries close Friday 27th August 2010

Prizes:

Adult 1st Prize -  $1000
Local Award - $500 for residents of Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges
Teenage 1st Prize - $300 13-18 years
Junior 1st Prize - $200 9-12 years

Storywriting competitions are a great way to hone your skills and get on your way to being published.

Cheers, Maryanne

Have you completed your entry for the National Storywriting Competition?

Entries close for the National Storywriting Competition on Friday 27th August. You've still got plenty of time to complete your stories. You can enter a maximum of two stories and the stories should not exceed 3000 words

Prizes

Adult 1st Prize -  $1000
Local Award - $500 for residents of Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges
Teenage 1st Prize - $300 13-18 years
Junior 1st Prize - $200 9-12 years

View the Storywriting competition entry form (includes conditions of entry 263Kb, 2 pages)

Cheers, Maryanne

Stories written for children ineligible for Adult section of the Storywriting Competition

We have had several queries about one of the rules in the Storywriting Competition which states:

Please note: poetry and stories for children are not eligible

This refers to stories written for children by adults who wish to enter them in the Adult Section.
Cheers, Maryanne

New judge for the Storywriting Competition is Rose Michael

Unfortunately Dale Campisi is unable to judge this year's National Storywriting competition, however we are pleased to announce this year's judge is publisher Rose Michael.

Currently a publisher with Arcade Publications, she is a former editor of Bookseller and Publisher, and was a judge of the 2009 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. Rose is herself a published author, her book The Asking Game was published in 2009. She has lectured in Publishing and Communications at Melbourne University and will shortly take up a position with publishers Hardie Grant.

Cheers, Maryanne

Download the National Storywriting Competition entry form

Polish off those short stories and download the entry form for this year's National Storywriting competition.

Judge
Our judge this year is publisher Dale Campisi. Dale has established himself on the Australian publishing scene with Arcade Publications. He is an innovator who has developed a unique publishing format, ‘little books, big stories’. Dale also has an awareness of the Australian literary scene and the ability to foster and encourage new writers.

Previously a lecturer in Publishing and Communications at the University of Melbourne, Dale is currently the Communications and Marketing Director with the Public Records Office.

Prizes
Adult 1st Prize -  $1000
Local Award - $500 for residents of Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges
Teenage 1st Prize - $300 13-18 years
Junior 1st Prize - $200 9-12 years

View Storywriting Competition entry form (pdf, 243KB, 2 pages)
Entries close Friday 27th August 2010.

Cheers, Maryanne

Storywriting competition entry forms will be available mid-June

I've just found out the entry form has been delayed because we have changed judges. The form will be available on our website and in our branches mid-June.

Cheers, Maryanne

A message for writers

Eastern Regional Libraries has conducted a Storywriting competition for the past 21 years... yes 21 years! This year ERL has decided to run a poetry competition. We will alternate the years, this year will be a poetry competition and next year we will conduct the competition for short stories. Every year we have received poetry entries that don't qualify for the storywriting competition. This way both poets and authors have an opportunity to test their skills and gain competition experience.

Entry forms will be available in July, so keep your eye on the website and also for the forms to be displayed in branch libraries.

Cheers, Maryanne

National Storywriting Competition Winners

The winners of the National Storywriting competition have been announced. Congratulations to all of the winners.

Presentation of ERL Storywriting Competition
When: Sunday 5th October 2:30-4pm
Where: Ringwood Library, 4 Melbourne Street Mall Ringwood

Join this year’s judge; author Robert Hillman for the presentation of the winning entries in the 21st Eastern Regional Libraries Storywriting Competition. Winner of the National Biography Award in 2005 for his book Boy in a Green Suit, Robert is the author of a number of books including My Life as a Traitor (2007) which he co-authored with Zia Ghahramani detailing her life and subsequent imprisonment in Iran.

Cheers, Maryanne

National Storywriting Competition closes today!

Well now it's the mad dash to get your entries in. The National Storywriting Competition closes today. You can drop your entries off at any of our branches. Faxes and emails are not accepted. If you're posting your entry, it MUST be postmarked today. Posted entries need to be sent to:
Eastern Regional Libraries
7B Eastgate Ct
Wantirna Sth, Victoria, 3152

View the storywriting entry form (pdf)

Cheers, Maryanne

National Storywriting competition closing soon

August has come so quickly I thought it was time to remind everyone to complete your entries for the National Storywriting Competition. The entries close on Friday 22nd August 2008. The presentation of prizes will coincide with the Maroondah Writers' and Readers' Festival in early October.

In case you were wondering about the fantastic prizes this year:

Adult 1st Prize $1500
Teenage 1st Prize $350 13-18 years
Junior 1st Prize $250 9-12 years
Local Award $500 For residents in Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges

Download the Storywriting entry form (289Kb includes conditions of entry)

Cheers, Maryanne

The Eastern Regional Library Show - 30th July 2008

Library staff members Lesley Conway and Pia Butcher run a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 98.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next Wednesday for a great show.

On Wednesday's show

What are judges of Story Writing Competitions looking for? If you are contemplating entering some of your writing for the Eastern Regional Libraries National Story Writing Competition, you would find it helpful to read the Prefaces that each of the previous years' judges have written. There is a different judge each year, so they all have individual takes on what they are looking for, but interestingly they also have many comments in common, such as economy of language, finding a new way to say something which has been written about many times before, and going for simplicity rather than complexity. You can find the compilations of winning and commended short stories on shelf in all our branch libraries.

Re-visiting a theme of our program 3 weeks ago, I have some more fascinating titles about Scotland. Highland Wilderness by Colin Prior is a thick book full of magnificent photos of the severe and beautiful landscape of northern Scotland. Most are amazing panoramas of mountains, lochs and sea coast, but there are also some lovely intimate shots of waterfalls, rivers and small valleys. An in depth introduction discusses the competing demands of environmental protection and agricultural use that has been a challenge for centuries.

In contrast to the isolation and wildness of the Highlands, we have a book which describes Scotland in the 1700's as "Europe's most literate society, producing an idea of modernity that has shaped much of civilisation as we know it". The Scottish Enlightenment : the Scots invention of the modern world by Arthur Herman, who is very clear that he is not a Scot or descended from Scots, is not a chauvanistic exercise. He is writing about the legacy of remarkable people like David Hume, James Watt and Robert Adam, and makes a compelling case for the significance of Scots in the development and growth of British influence over two centuries.

Going back a little further in Scottish history, The sickly Stuarts : the medical downfall of a dynasty by Frederick Holmes goes into the many health problems of different generations of the royal Stuarts which led to Queen Anne (even after 17 pregnancies, with no heir living to adulthood) being the last of her line in 1714. The author argues that this was a major factor in the growth in importance of the British Parliament, and he makes a very interesting read out of the complex politics of the times.

Music today was from Loreena McKennitt's CD An ancient muse


Cheers, Maryanne

National Storywriting Competition

It's time to fire up the computer or typewriter and enter our National Storywriting Competition. It's our 21st year running the competition and the judge you'll need to impress is Robert Hillman, winner of the 2005 National Biography Award for his memoir, The Boy in the Green Suit.

Download Storywriting entry form (pdf, 289Kb)

A significant change this year is the earlier closing date - Friday 22nd August 2008. It's a little earlier than usual as the presentation of prizes will coincide with the Maroondah Writers' and Readers' Festival in early October.

Prizes:
Adult 1st Prize $1500
Teenage 1st Prize $350 13-18 years
Junior 1st Prize $250 9-12 years
Local Award $500 For residents in Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges

Cheers, Maryanne

National Storywriting Competition winners

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries and James Phelan for judging them. Congratulations to the following:

Winners & Commended

Open Section

First
Jeannie Haughton, Drouin
This is where they stood

Second
Vicki Thornton, The Patch
Drifters

Third
Janet Wilson, Montrose
In my backyard


Commended

Jason Cotter, Langwarrin - Bloodbirds
Graham Lacey, Richmond - Boys night out
Cheryl Bennett, Upwey - Nirvana Interruptus
Cally Jetson, Upper Ferntree Gully - The Sketch
Clancy Tucker, Eildon - The Long Paddock
Julie Hopper, Bendigo - Joey’s Drought
Emily Storey, Belgrave - Changes



Local Award

Deidre Oliver, Upwey
Chair for One


Special Encouragement Award

Amy McDonald, Mornington
Yarn for Alma Rose


Teenage Section

First
Rebecca, Ringwood East
Scarlett

Second
Anna, Bellerive,Tas.
Breakfast

Third
Monika, St Georges, SA
Never Again


Commended

Morgan, Emerald - The Dress Collector
Laura, Thornton, NSW - Stargazing
Grace, Rowville - Moira May Jump
Lauren, Warranwood - Hate Hurts
Nicole, Rowville - A Disgusting beautiful kind of thing
Monique, Blackburn - The Wren
Olivia, Mt Eliza - Addiction
Monika, St Georges SA - When the Fighting Begins



Junior Section

First
Thomas, Kalorama
My Brother the Bum Wart

Second
Melissa, Rowville
A Strange Day in July

Third
Abbey, Knoxfield
Flying Free


Commended

Maeghan, Belgrave - Touch the Sky
Sue, Balwyn - The Treasure Hunt
Joseph, Mont Albert - Just Another Monday
Hannah, Kardinya WA - The Blitz Raid
Stephanie, Hoddles Creek - Ln’t a story of Love and Loss
Erika, Kardinya WA - On Board with Columbus
Allison, Croydon - The Beginning of William Tongue: Boy Warrior


The Presentation Night is on Thursday 15th November 7pm at Belgrave Library. Poet Tricia Sykes will be reading extracts from the winning entries, and guitarist Geoff Penny will be providing some music. Coffee and cake will be served.

Cheers, Maryanne

Storywriting update

Well we have the winning stories and all but one of the winners has been contacted by phone. All I can tell you is that the person is an adult and is a winner of the 20th Anniversary Encouragement Award. Make sure your phones are charged and turned on as we endeavour to contact the last person, maybe it's you!

I hope to be able to officially announce the winners very soon.

Cheers, Maryanne

Storywriting competition update

At present we're still waiting to find out the winners of the Storywriting competition. Once we do this the winners will be phoned and then an announcement will be placed on the blog.

The presentation evening is organised for Thursday 15th November at Belgrave Library.

Cheers, Maryanne