The winner of the 2021 Pamela Miller Award was announced at the June Members’ Night on 30 June.
Richenda Rudman was judged the winner with ‘Returning the Sharps’. Richenda won $100, an engraved glass and a certificate. Congratulations!
Eight entries were received for the contest, for BW members only. Judges were members of the Ballarat Writers committee: Rebecca Fletcher, Kirstyn McDermott, Laura Wilson, Nicole Kelly, Megan Riedl and Jason Nahrung.
Entries had to be fictional prose entries of up to 500 words on the theme A New Start.
Category: contest (Page 3 of 4)
It’s time for our first Ballarat Writers competition for 2021 … and this one is open only to members of Ballarat Writers!
The Pamela Miller Prize was first run in 2015, in memory of Pamela Miller, who was a very active and productive member of Ballarat Writers. She was a writer of short stories and poetry, and won the Murder at MADE short story competition in 2014. Early in 2015, Pamela wrote a very popular poem called ‘Bronze Heads—The Prime Ministers’ Walk’ as part of a Ballarat Writers project run during the Begonia Festival.
The winner of the Pamela Miller Prize will receive a certificate and $100 first prize, as well as publication in the Ballarat Writers newsletter. The winner will be announced at the Ballarat Writers June Members’ Night.
Entries open: Saturday 1 May
Entries close: Tuesday 1 June
Ballarat Writers is accepting fictionalprose entries of up to 500 words on the theme A New Start. Entry is free.
All entries must be:
- Original and unpublished
- Written by a current member of Ballarat Writers
- Engage with the theme A New Start, and be less than 500 words in length
- Sent to ballaratwriterscompetitions@gmail.com with the subject line, ‘2021 Pamela Miller Prize Entry’
As the competition will be a blind judging, please do not include your name or contact details on the entry.
Happy writing!
After feedback from our members survey and the engagement with Ballarat Flash in the past few years, the Ballarat Writers committee has decided to stop running the monthly Ballarat Flash competition.
It will be replaced with regular writing prompts on our Facebook page and in our Ballarat Writers newsletter.
The Pamela Miller Prize will continue as an annual prize for members, and we are currently working on how we can make it a bigger and better opportunity for the first half of the year, with the winner announced at our June members night.
The biennial prize will continue to alternate between the Southern Cross Short Story Prize (2021) and the Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize (2022).
If you have any comments, questions or ideas, please feel free to contact Megan on ballaratwriterscompetitions@gmail.com or, better still, join our committee at the AGM on 10 February and make a contribution to Ballarat Writers! Contact our Chair, Rebecca, on chairperson@ballaratwriters.com to find out more
Ballarat Writers Inc. is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize and the Pamela Miller Award.
The MRMPP, run every two years, was judged by Terry Jaensch. To read Terry’s comments, click here, and click on the entries to read the poems.
BWI thanks Terry for his insightful comments and all those who entered for their support, and offers congratulations to the winners and those highly commended.
First Prize ($1,000)
‘Bee Hives at Night‘ by Nathan Curnow, Ballarat East, VIC
Second Prize ($400)
‘Banksia‘ by Claire Miranda Roberts, Edinburgh
Third Prize ($100)
‘What Time It Is In Auckland‘ by Colin Montfort, Padbury, WA
Highly Commended
‘Piano Concerto’ by Helen Bradwell, Williamstown, VIC
‘Burden’ by David Terelinck, Biggera Waters, QLD
‘Ibis Roost’ by Pippa Kay, Hunters Hill, NSW
‘The Georges Sand, Eliot and Lewes’ by Anne M Carson, Bonbeach, VIC
‘The Way’ by Damen O’Brien, Wynnum, QLD
‘Your Coma Is A Half Death’ by Scott-Patrick Mitchell, Padbury, WA
The Pamela Miller Prize is for members of BWI, with the winner chosen by the committee and the people’s choice by an online vote. The entries can be read at the Ballarat Flash website.
Judge’s Choice ($100): ‘Double Act’ by Polly Musgrove
People’s Choice (BW pen): ‘Spontaneity’ by Kirily McKellor
It’s an action-packed week as we bid farewell to 2020, with prize announcements on Wednesday and a picnic on Sunday!
Our last monthly members’ meeting for the year is on Wednesday November 25, at which the winners of the Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize (judged by Terry Jaensch) and the Pamela Miller Prize will be announced, as well as affording members a chance to catch up. The meeting will be held online using Zoom. It will start slightly later than usual, at 7.30pm. We look forward to returning to in-person meetings in the new year!
Details for joining the meeting have been sent in the members’ newsletter. Please get in touch if you’ve missed it or need help accessing Zoom.
Then, on Sunday, the easing of COVID restrictions means we can go ahead with our end-of-year picnic! Please join us at South Gardens, Ballarat Botanic Gardens, on Wendouree Parade, from 2pm on Sunday 29 November. BYO snacks, chairs and rugs as we exercise COVID-safe distancing to finally catch up in the flesh, reflect on 2020 and look forward to a more social and active 2021.
Bonus: We will have a signed copy of Lament, by Beaufort’s Nicole Kelly, to give away to one lucky picnicker!
The closing date for the Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize, to be judged this year by Terry Jaensch, has been extended by one week.
The competition has an open theme and accepts poetry to 40 lines.
It now closes on 18 October 2020
Entry Fee: $25 first poem
$20 first poem for members of Ballarat Writers
$15 for second or subsequent poems
Prizes: First $1,000; Second $400; Third $100
Finalists and winner will be announced in November 2020.
Please see the competition website for details on how to enter.
Ballarat Writers is now accepting entries into the Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize, to be judged this year by Terry Jaensch.
The competition has an open theme and accepts poetry to 40 lines.
It closes on 11 October 2020
Entry Fee: $25 first poem
$20 first poem for members of Ballarat Writers
$15 for second or subsequent poems
Prizes: First $1,000; Second $400; Third $100
Finalists and winner will be announced in November 2020.
Please see the competition website for details on how to enter.
2019 BALLARAT SHORT STORY COMPETITION.
Ballarat Writers Inc. would like to thank everyone who submitted to the 2019 Southern Cross Short Story competition. The winners were announced at our final meeting for the year in November, and the winning entry was read aloud.
Continue readingThe Southern Cross Short Story Competition runs every second year, alternating with the Martha Richardson Memorial Poetry Prize. The 2019 Southern Cross Short Story Competition is now open!
Ballarat Writers are proud to announce that the winner of our biennial Martha Richardson prize for 2018 is Janine McGinness-Whyte with her poem “Transplanted”.