Mulga Bill 2022 winners
Entries are now closed for the 2022 Mulga Bill Writing Award, and winners have been selected!
Thank you to our wonderful judges, Lorraine Marwood and Lauren Mitchell, who took on the mammoth task of reading through all the entries and selecting our winners. More than 150 poems and short stories were entered, and we would like to thank each and every person who took the time to write and enter the competition. The quality of writing was fantastic, and the varied interpretations of the theme 'celebration' were both inspiring and surprising.
And now for the winners…
Short story winners
2000 words or less. Winner selected by Lauren Mitchell, author and writer.
- First Prize ($500): Andy McQuestin - Ring of Survivors at the Bellfield Community Centre
- Second Prize ($150): Steven French - A Shearing to Remember
- Highly Commended: Emma Louise Gill - And We'll Throw Your Ashes to the Wind
Poetry winners
25 lines or less. Winners selected by award-winning poet and writer Lorraine Marwood
- First Prize ($200): David Campbell - Pelican
- Second Prize ($50): Julia Giffard - Again
- Highly Commended: Gideon McDonald - Between the Speckled Lights
Click on the titles above to read the winning entries.
We look forward to doing this all over in 2023! Check back towards the end of the year for details on next year's theme.
What the judges had to say:
"A tightly-crafted story that had me hooked from the title. A great example of how a simple scene can reveal so much character, humanity and heart. Beautiful, subtle use of the 'celebration' theme. A clear winner." – Lauren Mitchell, on ‘Ring of Survivors at the Bellfield Community Centre’.
"The reader is taken on a flight with the effortless images and carefully chosen words which allows us to see and feel the take off and flight of a pelican, 'a magnificent celebration of avian beauty'. And in these days of a changed world, poetry like this invites us all to stay still and soar in imagination with the simple yet awe-inspiring flight of a pelican." – Lorraine Marwood, on 'Pelican'.
"Simply a cracking story. I was carried along with its momentum, its imagery and its final gripping moments witnessing a fierce competition between two gun shearers. Lots of fun to read, and no doubt write, too." – Lauren Mitchell, on ‘A Shearing to Remember’.
"A rhythmic poem written in Villanelle format and the joy is very evident in each line, repeated line and rhyme scheme." – Lorraine Marwood, on ‘Again’.
"A moving and memorable piece relevant to the line we're toeing with climate change. A serious work and comment handled with a light touch. A standout story worth further polishing." – Lauren Mitchell, on ‘And We'll Throw Your Ashes to the Wind’.
"An adventurous poem in structure, in word choice, repetition, and the dance of the poem." – Lorraine Marwood, on ‘Between the Speckled Lights’.