8th annual ACT Writing and Publishing Awards

Sponsored by Bluestar Print Group and Paperchain Bookstore, Manuka.

Closing date: 9 September

The aim of the ACT Publishing Awards is to recognise, reward and promote writing by ACT region authors that has been published by small publishers or self-published. The Awards are administered by the ACT Writers Centre, in recognition of the excellent writing published locally.

There are four categories:

• fiction
• non–fiction
• poetry
• children's books

The awards will be judged on the excellence of the writing/content of the titles entered in each category.

The winning entry in each category will receive a $500 printing voucher for Blue Star Print Group with the aim of assisting in their next publication venture. Winners will also receive $100 Paperchain Books vouchers.

Judges

Fiction: Maureen Bettle and Peter Papathanasiou

Maureen Bettle has previously been the convenor of Literary Studies at University of Canberra. She has been a teacher of literature for most of her life, including at New England University and the Australian National University. She was also on the editorial board of Redoubt magazine, first as fiction editor and later as literary editor. Maureen has a BA Hons degree in English and an MA, both from Cambridge.

Peter Papathanasiou has won or been shortlisted for many short story awards. He likes to write stories that are inspired by the nature and celebration of the human condition. He has just finished the manuscript for his first book, which is based on his short story O Micros, which won the 2007 Marjorie Graber-McInnis Short Story Award.

Non-fiction: Robert Macklin and Dr Patricia Clarke

Author, journalist and screenwriter, Robert Macklin has worked at The Courier-Mail, The Age and as Press Secretary to Sir John McEwen during his Prime Ministership. He has also written and directed documentary films in 32 countries from Afghanistan to Western Samoa. His major non-fiction works include The Secret Life of Jesus (1990), War Babies – a memoir (2005), Jacka VC - Australian Hero (2006), and Kevin Rudd: The Biography (2008). He was the winner of the Blake Dawson prize for the 2009 Business Literature award (with co-author Peter Thompson). His most recent works are the No 1 bestseller, SAS Sniper (the life story of one of Australia's top Special Forces marksmen, Rob Maylor) and the hugely popular My Favourite Teacher.

Dr Patricia Clarke is a writer, editor, historian and former journalist, who has written extensively on women in Australian history. Her eleven books include The Governesses (1985), Pen Portraits: women writers and journalists (1988), Pioneer writer: the life of Louisa Atkinson (1990) and Tasma, the life of Jessie Couvreur (1994). She also edited Judith Wright's autobiography Half a Lifetime.(1999).

Children's book: Tania McCartney and Diana Harley

Tania McCartney is an author, editor, book reviewer and publisher. She is the creator of the Riley series of travelogue picture books, writes for several online sites and runs kids-bookreview.com, a well-respected children's literature site. Her 2008 book Riley and the sleeping dragon: a journey around Beijing was featured in the ABA's Kids' Reading Guide.

Diana Harley lives in the Bega Valley Shire. She has written a number of books for children, both fiction and non-fiction. Her published works include Helping Hands (2005), Beetles and Bugs (2003) and Butterflies (2003). She conducts author talks and writing workshops at numerous schools around the district.

Book of poetry: Joe Massingham and Charlotte Clutterbuck

Joe Massingham is a published poet, short story writer, essayist and occasional journalist. He was born in the UK but has lived the second half of his life in Australia. He was the founding Director of the New England Writers' Centre and a Director at Armidale's School of Expressive Arts. Joe has also been a writing teacher throughout NSW and the ACT, including conversational English classes for migrants.

Charlotte Clutterbuck's published works include a collection of poems, Soundings (1997), and Encounters with God in medieval and early modern English poetry (2005). She won the Romanos the Melodist Prize for religious poetry in 2002 and the David Campbell Prize in 2009. Charlotte has also written essays, articles and reviews for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Financial Review and Quadrant, as well as poems for many Australian journals and anthologies.

Conditions of entry

• Titles must have been published (or self–published) during the 2010 calendar year, made available for sale, and published in book form, with an ISBN.
• The writer must have been residing in 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) at the time of publication.
• Entries may have been published in the ACT or interstate, provided the publisher has no more than five employees.
• Entries must be postmarked on or before Friday, 9 September 2011 (or delivered in person to the ACT Writers Centre by 5pm that day).
• There is no entry fee or limit on the number of titles entered by any writer or publisher; however, each title can only be entered in one category.
• The entrant can be the writer or the publisher, but the prize will go to the writer. Any publisher submitting an entry must inform the writer(s) that they have done so.
• A shortlist will be announced in November. One winner will be selected in each category, and the writer of each winning title will be awarded a prize and a certificate. Based on the merit of the entries, and at the judges' discretion, highly commended certificates in each category may also be awarded.
• Books will not be returned after the awards, but will remain with the judges as part of the judge's fee.
• The winners will be announced and the prizes awarded at the ACT Writers Centre Christmas party in December 2011.

For each entry please send a completed entry form (.pdf) and two copies of the book to:

ACT Writing and Publishing Awards
ACT Writers Centre
Gorman House Arts Centre
Ainslie Avenue
Braddon ACT 2612