Michael Thwaites Poetry Award

Closing date: 30 September

First prize: $300. The winning poem will be published in an issue of the ACT Writers Centre newsletter, ACTWrite.

Judge

Elizabeth Beaton is one of Australian Poetry's Cafe Poets for 2011, at B'artiste Lounge in Melbourne. She has won several poetry competitions, including Fab Slam in Melbourne and Traverse Poetry Slam in Canberra. Published works include 'Friday' (Poets' Lunch Anthology, ACT Writers Centre 2009) and 'Tyres and Bits' (Voiceworks 2008, Issue 72).

Conditions of entry

• Entries must not exceed 50 lines.
• The award will be for an emerging writer (ie without a collection of poems published or accepted for publication by a publisher with national distribution, at the closing date for submissions to the award).
• Entries must not have been previously published or won a prize in another competition.
• The author must reside permanently within the ACT or region (which covers the shires of Young, Harden, Gundagai, Tumut, Boorowa, Yass Valley, Upper Lachlan, Goulburn, Mulwaree, Wingecarribee, Palerang, Greater Queanbeyan, Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla, Bega Valley, Bombala, Cooma Monaro, and Snowy River).
• Limit of one entry per person.
• Entries should be postmarked on or before 30 September 2010. Hand deliveries are accepted.
• Entry fees should accompany submissions. Please do not send cash through the mail.
• An entry fee of $3 for ACT Writers Centre members and $5 for non-members applies. Please be very sure about your membership status before you apply. An incorrect entry fee will render your entry invalid.
• No names are to appear on the manuscript. All entries should be accompanied by either an entry form or a separate sheet which contains the entrants contact details and a signed declaration of the following sentence: ‘this entry is entirely my original work and I reside permanently in the ACT region’. If paying online, the payment form constitutes an entry form.
• The winners will be announced and the prizes awarded at the ACT Writers Centre Christmas party in December 2011.

Entries in the Michael Thwaites Poetry Award are now accepted by email. To submit, attach your entry to an email with 'Poetry Award' as the subject and your name and the title of your entry in the main body and send it to: admin(at)actwriters.org.au

Payment can be made by credit card over the phone on 6262 9191 or via PayPal/credit card online at www.actwriters.org.au/awards/award-payment-form.shtml

If you wish to submit your entry in hard copy, please complete the entry form (.pdf) and send it with your entry to:

Michael Thwaites Poetry Award
ACT Writers Centre
Gorman House Arts Centre
Ainslie Avenue
Braddon ACT 2612