New short story competition
Cate Blanchett, Kate Grenville and Quentin Bryce to judge new prize for short stories that explore resilience in face of poverty.
"The stories we tell ourselves are a reflection of who we are. To be excluded from such national imaginings is to live a half-life." – Cate Blanchett
A new national short story competition aimed at exploring hope and resilience in the face of poverty and disadvantage will be judged by three leading Australians: actor Cate Blanchett, author Kate Grenville and former Governor General Quentin Bryce.
The anti-poverty group the Brotherhood of St Laurence has assembled the high-profile judging panel for its new national short story competition, The Hope Prize, to encourage Australian writers to tackle a complex subject that is all too often hidden from public view or reduced to stereotypes. The inaugural The Hope Prize will have a total prize pool of $12,500, including a first prize of $5000 and an award for an emerging writer under 18.
"We deliberately chose the name ‘Hope’ for the title of our new short story competition because we want to see more nuanced storytelling that reflects the resilience we know that people in the community show in the face of poverty and testing times," said the Brotherhood’s Executive Director, Tony Nicholson.
Cate Blanchett said she was pleased to support the aims of the competition. "The stories we tell ourselves are a reflection of who we are. To be excluded from such national imaginings is to live a half-life. I am excited to take part in the Brotherhood short story competition and look forward to reading the stories that shine a light on disadvantage."
Kate Grenville, one of Australia's best-known writers including of short stories, said she was delighted to participate in such a good project: "Stories enrich both the storyteller and the story-reader, bringing new understanding and new perspectives to both."
Quentin Bryce says she would like to see The Hope Prize help raise community awareness and cultivate new audiences: "Poverty and disadvantage are pressing issues in contemporary Australia, especially in outer suburbs and rural areas. This important new short story competition will help illuminate this to new audiences. I congratulate the Brotherhood of St Laurence for their initiative."
$12,500 prize pool for The Hope Prize
Thanks to the generosity of the late Prudence Myer and the support of her family, in addition to the $5000 first prize, the competition includes $3000 for the second prize winner, $2000 as third prize and writers of highly commended stories will be awarded $500 each.
The short story entered for The Hope Prize can be fiction or fact. Whatever the genre, the story submitted must convey the experience of people facing hardship in their lives. The deadline for entry is 31 January, 2016. Stories submitted must be between 2000 and 5000 words.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence’s The Hope Prize is also supported by publisher Simon & Schuster and book retailer Readings.
For further information on how to enter and competition rules visit our web page
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jeannie Zakharov, Senior Communications Manager
Phone: (03) 9483 2463, 0428 391 117
Email: jzakharov@bsl.org.au