The Local Word Writing Prize 2023/24 - Finalists

Pictured L-R: Vanessa Schernickau (CEO, Geelong Regional Library Corporation), Penne Thornton (Highly Commended), Carolyn Leach-Paholski (Winner), Hannah Duffus (Highly Commended) and Professor David McCooey (Deakin University). 

The winner of the 2023/24 Local Word Writing Prize was Carolyn Leach-Paholski, for her entry titled “Hokusai in the Antipodes - Thirty-Six Love Letters to a Mountain”. Congratulations to Carolyn and to all finalists!

The shortlist was selected from a longlist of 24 entries by our judging panel comprised of Vanessa Schernickau, Geelong Regional Library Corporation’s CEO, Professor David McCooey of the Faculty of Arts and Education in the School of Communication & Creative Arts at Deakin University, and Geelong Regional Library’s Virtual Writer in Residence, Alice Eaves (from the United Kingdom). All judging was carried out anonymously.

We received a total of 536 entries to the competition, which was a fabulous response!

The overall winner of the Prize was announced at our World Poetry Day event on Thursday 21 March, 2024 at Geelong Library and Heritage Centre.

Carolyn Leach-Paholski	“Hokusai in the Antipodes - Thirty-Six Love Letters to a Mountain”	Winner
Hannah Duffus	“Premiership Quarter”	Highly Commended
Leticia Parish	“Bird Found”	Highly Commended
Penne Thornton	"The Air Gap"	Highly Commended

(You can read the finalists' works by clicking on the titles of their work above)

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The Local Word Writing Prize 2023/24 - Longlist

(in order of submission, all judging carried out anonymously)

Paul McClure	‘Departures’
Carolyn Leach-Paholski	‘Hokusai in the Antipodes’
John Lewis	'Trailblazer'
Penne Thornton	‘The Air Gap’
Lee Hana	‘Bushfire’
Dayna Aislinn	'Meat'
Leticia Parish	‘Bird Found’
Elspeth Seacroft	‘Singing Country’
Deborah Van Heekeren	‘A Few Thoughts on Friendship, Feminism & Posthumanism’
Jane Downing	‘Returning Home’
Terry Hastings	‘ Reply to a Note on My Windscreen’
Gary Furnell	‘Tim’s Bookshelf'
Katelyn Phillips	'No One is Alone’
Ale Prunotto	‘On the Edge’
Leone Gabrielle	‘Terminus’
Hannah Duffus	‘Premiership Quarter’
Matt Freeman	'The Rituals of Dinner’
Paulette Gittins	‘Dark Holiday’
Holly Trenaman	'Shells'
Paul van der Plank	‘West of England’
Finn Webster	‘What Remains of the Chambers’
Peta Keown	‘To Breathe’
Lachlan Alexander	‘Code Twists, but Justice Persist’
Sanchana Venkatesh	‘Driving Lessons’

Congratulations to all longlisted entrants!

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Key Dates

Saturday 26 August, 2023	Prize announced at the Local Word Writers Festival Submissions Open
Saturday 27 January, 2024	Submissions Close
By Wednesday 6 March, 2024	Entries longlisted and list published here
By Saturday 16 March, 2024	Prizes selected (shortlisted entrants will be notified)
Thursday 21 March, 2024	Winner announced at World Poetry Day event at Geelong Library & Heritage Centre
Friday 22 March, 2024	Winning and Commended Entries published on this page

For Local Word Poetry Prize information, see here

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The Local Word Writing Prize 2023/24

Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC) and Deakin University (DU) are pleased to present The Local Word Writing Prize. The prize is offered annually.

Each year, the winner of the prize will receive:

• a prize of $2000*
• a one-hour mentoring session with a Deakin University writing practitioner
• publication on GRLC’s website and announcement in GRLC’s e-newsletter

Commended writers will receive:

• a prize of $250*
• publication on GRLC’s website and announcement in GRLC’s e-newsletter

{* please note that prizes are awarded as VISA Debit cards up to the specified amount}

Please contact events@grlc.vic.gov.au if you require any clarification or further information regarding your entry.

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Submission Guidelines

1. Entries will be accepted in prose fiction (short story) and creative nonfiction (personal essay, lyric essay, and other literary nonfiction forms of prose writing).
2. Entries must no longer than 3000 words in length. They may be part of a longer work but they should function as stand-alone pieces.
3. Each entry must be an original work by the entrant and written in English.
4. Entrants must be over the age of sixteen and residents of Australia.
5. Entries must be typed and double-spaced. Please do not include your name anywhere on the submission.
6. Entrants must submit their entries by using the online entry form. Complete one form per entry. Entries submitted without the completed entry form will not be processed.
7. There is a maximum of one entry per individual.
8. Entries close at 5:00pm, Saturday 27 January, 2024. Late entries will not be accepted. GRLC & DU take no responsibility for lost or delayed entries.

 

Terms and Conditions

1. The submission guidelines form part of the terms and conditions.
2. No more than 10 percent of the entry material may have been previously published (in print or electronic form) on a commercial basis.
3. While the entrant may submit the work in other prizes, the entry material must not have previously been awarded first place in any other prize. If, during the judging of the this prize, the entry material wins another prize, the entrant must notify GRLC as their entry ceases to be eligible.
4. Entrants warrant that their submission is their own original work; that they are the sole author and owner of the copyright in the entry; that the material has not been previously licensed for exclusive use in any form in any territory; that the material does not infringe any existing copyright or licence or any other third-party rights.
5. Permanent staff of GRLC and continuing staff at Deakin University are not eligible to enter.
6. Longlisted entrants will not be notified individually. The longlist will be published on this website.
7. An announcement of shortlisted entries will be made on the GRLC website, and shortlisted entrants will be notified by Saturday 2 March, 2024
8. Shortlisted entrants agree to take part in events and media activities to promote the Prize. If your entry is shortlisted, you grant GRLC and DU permission to use part of your entry for the purpose of promoting you as a shortlisted entrant.
9. The shortlisted entrants will be notified in strict confidence during March 2024 but must agree to keep this news confidential until the announcement of the winning entry.
10. The judges have the discretion to divide the prize equally between authors of entries they consider to be of equal merit, should the situation arise. In this instance, the prize money will be split evenly and a mentoring session will be awarded to both winners.
11. The judges may decide not to award the prize if they do not believe any of the entries to be of a suitable standard.
12. The mentoring session must be completed within 12 months of the awarding of the prize. The meeting may occur at a GRLC Library, Deakin University, or via phone or Zoom, depending on the winner’s preference and location.