The writers group at the prize giving for the 2019 Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction: from left, Malcolm Brodie, Don Watson (guest speaker), Julie Constable, Christine Grayden and Phyllis Papps. By Catherine Watson
WHILE these are grim times for the arts community, for many writers, artists, musicians it's also a time to step back from the usual noise and bustle and actually create.
The second Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction has been brought forward to take advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown when many writers have more time for writing.
Entries are now open for the 2020 Bass Coast Prize, one of the richest competitions for non-fiction in Australia, with a total of $10,000 in prize money. The first prize winner will receive $5000, second $3000 and third $2000.
Given the cancellation of exhibitions, concerts, plays and arts festivals, including our own Phillip Island Story Gatherers Festival, the non-fiction prize keeps the literary flame burning in Bass Coast.
WHILE these are grim times for the arts community, for many writers, artists, musicians it's also a time to step back from the usual noise and bustle and actually create.
The second Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction has been brought forward to take advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown when many writers have more time for writing.
Entries are now open for the 2020 Bass Coast Prize, one of the richest competitions for non-fiction in Australia, with a total of $10,000 in prize money. The first prize winner will receive $5000, second $3000 and third $2000.
Given the cancellation of exhibitions, concerts, plays and arts festivals, including our own Phillip Island Story Gatherers Festival, the non-fiction prize keeps the literary flame burning in Bass Coast.
The prize is sponsored by Phillip Island writer and activist Phyllis Papps to encourage and support local writers of non-fiction in a time of diminishing opportunities for mainstream publication. It's open to writers living, working or studying in Gippsland, or who have a strong connection with the Gippsland region.
While the generous prize money is important, most important to many writers is a deadline and a guarantee that their work will be read.
Julie Constable, who won second prize in the inaugural competition, said her essay Pittosporum flowering began by threading together journal entries about her garden.
“The Bass Coast Prize with its long form framework gave me the opportunity to reflect upon and explore the personal, environmental and historical stories that surfaced — digressions which became integral to the fabric of the essay.”
The inaugural competition last year attracted 42 entries from throughout Gippsland, ranging from personal memoir and true adventure through to biography, natural history and local history.
Ms Papps said the judges were gratified by the response from writers and impressed by the very high quality of the work submitted.
Entries can be in the form of prose or poetry but must pertain to the Gippsland region, issues or people. The required length is 4000-10,000 words.
The prize is auspiced by the Bass Coast Post and the Waterline News. The three judges are Bass Coast Post editor Catherine Watson, Waterline News editor Geoff Ellis and local writer Anne Heath Mennell.
Entries close on September 4, 2020 and prize winners will be announced in November 2020.
The winning entries will be published in the Bass Coast Post and may be republished as an e-book or hard copy following consultation with the writers.
For more information and entry criteria, visit Bass Coast Prize for Non Fiction at basscoastprizefornonfiction.weebly.com/ or email Phyllis Papps at p.m.papps@waterfront.net.au.
While the generous prize money is important, most important to many writers is a deadline and a guarantee that their work will be read.
Julie Constable, who won second prize in the inaugural competition, said her essay Pittosporum flowering began by threading together journal entries about her garden.
“The Bass Coast Prize with its long form framework gave me the opportunity to reflect upon and explore the personal, environmental and historical stories that surfaced — digressions which became integral to the fabric of the essay.”
The inaugural competition last year attracted 42 entries from throughout Gippsland, ranging from personal memoir and true adventure through to biography, natural history and local history.
Ms Papps said the judges were gratified by the response from writers and impressed by the very high quality of the work submitted.
Entries can be in the form of prose or poetry but must pertain to the Gippsland region, issues or people. The required length is 4000-10,000 words.
The prize is auspiced by the Bass Coast Post and the Waterline News. The three judges are Bass Coast Post editor Catherine Watson, Waterline News editor Geoff Ellis and local writer Anne Heath Mennell.
Entries close on September 4, 2020 and prize winners will be announced in November 2020.
The winning entries will be published in the Bass Coast Post and may be republished as an e-book or hard copy following consultation with the writers.
For more information and entry criteria, visit Bass Coast Prize for Non Fiction at basscoastprizefornonfiction.weebly.com/ or email Phyllis Papps at p.m.papps@waterfront.net.au.