Mulga Bill 2023 Winners
Entries are now closed for the 2023 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 160 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 'Gold' were both inspiring and surprising.
And now for the winners...
Short story winners
2000 words or less. Winner selected by local writer and author Lauren Mitchell.
- First Prize ($500): Abaigael Kate O'Brien - Da
- Second Prize ($150): Andrea Rowe - Stone Fruit Season
Poetry winners
25 lines or less. Winners selected by award-winning poet and writer Lorraine Marwood
- First Prize (200): Ronald Arana Atilano - Speers Point
- Second Prize (50): Andrea Khong - After the Gold Rush
Click on the titles above to read the winning entries.
We look forward to doing this all over again next year. Check back in December for details on next year's theme.
What the judges had to say:
"A finely crafted portrait of the life and fate of a family. A quiet story with a compelling subtext and beautiful use of original metaphor." Lauren Mitchell on Abaigael Kate Obrien's Da.
"Immersive and poetic imagery. Lovely handling of the structure, varying between past and present tense, adding depth to the short story form. A warm and satisfying closing scene." Lauren Mitchell on Andrew Rowe's Stone Fruit Season.
"The 24 line poem leads us through imagery we can see in colour, shape, texture and sound. Some great features of great poetry. The build up brings us to sharp sound and the final gold image. Well done." - Lorraine Marwood, on Ronald Arana Atilano's Speers Point.
"A rhythmic poem encompassing the gold seeker's past, the scars and then the beauty of the landscape around us." Lorraine Marwood on Andrea Khong's After the Gold Rush.
Read the 2022 winning entries here.
With thanks to:
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