Whitsundays Writers Festival has just announced the longlist for its inaugural Best Unpublished Manuscript Award which has been launched in honour of the original Festival Founder, Gloria Burley.
Returning for the first time since 2017, the much-anticipated 2024 Whitsundays Writers Festival is bringing it with a host of new events offering an exciting opportunity for writers, poets, and book cover designers across Australia.
In a bold initiative, the Festival launched earlier this year the Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards, offering substantial cash prizes to recognise and honour outstanding contributions to the literary and design landscape.
The Heart Awards’ mission is to spotlight the diverse talents within the Australian creative community while also paying homage to the captivating Heart Reef—a natural wonder found in the Whitsundays region.
Festival President Karen Jacobsen expressed enthusiasm for the awards program, “Beyond assembling some of Australia’s celebrated authors in Airlie Beach, our Festival will also celebrate and champion homegrown writing and design talent. The Heart Awards epitomise our commitment to nurturing creativity and honouring the legacy of festival founder Gloria Burley.”
Gloria was the driving force in the establishment of the Whitsunday Writers Festival, which ran 2010-17. She penned two books titled A Rolling Stone Gathers No Husbands, chronicled many of her travels, with Gloria visiting more than 100 different countries during her life, and Blood & Guts that sums up her exploits as a nurse in regional Australia. Gloria passed away from cancer in 2018.
The award for Best Unpublished Manuscript is named in Gloria’s honour, offering $2,500 for first prize and $1,000 for the runner up for the best original and unpublished creative fiction works. The award sought submissions from around Australia of 12,000 words of completed unpublished stories.
The following submissions have been selected:
• Compass: Losing Him, Jessica Ellen Pryor (NSW) drama/romance.
• Condemnation to Beasts, Noah Bennett (Vic), crime/thriller, romance.
• Constant Companions, Tara East (Qld), drama.
• Island Wolf, Rachel Armstrong (Qld), fantasy/sci-fi, romance.
• Italian by Default, Margaret Walker (NSW), drama.
• Rescue Remedy, Jane Carrick (NSW), crime/thriller.
• Rose and Graham, Lesley Boland (Qld), drama.
• Starts with C, Garry R McDougall (NSW), crime/thriller, historical.
• Strange Affliction, Greg Woodland (NSW), horror, romance.
• The Christmas Cult, Catherine Owen (NSW), comedy-drama.
• The Longest August, J.C. Burke (NSW), crime/thriller.
• The Murder Tree, Greg Woodland (NSW), crime/thriller.
• The Paris Artists, Kellie Cox (Qld), romance.
• UnCommon Thread, Meg Dunley (Vic), historical.
The judging panel has diligently reviewed blind submissions (all author information removed) against five selection criteria of originality and creativity, plot and storytelling, character development, setting and atmosphere, dialogue and voice, and emotional impact.
The longlist submissions are currently under further consideration. From the longlist, a final shortlist will be selected from which winners will emerge and be announced on Saturday 7 September 2024.
For Festival program highlights and confirmed speaker line-up visit our website: www.whitsundayswriters.com
The Whitsundays Writers Festival Best Unpublished Manuscript Award honours the legacy of festival founder Gloria Burley. Photo supplied
Publishers Indemnity. Any individual or entity that places advertising, supplies copy material, or submits editorial content to Core Life Publishing agrees and undertakes to ensure that all such material:- Does not infringe upon any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights;- Is free from any content that could be considered defamatory, libelous, or slanderous;- Does not infringe upon any rights related to privacy or breach of confidence;- Contains no obscene, indecent, or otherwise unlawful material;- Complies fully with the Trade Practices Act and all other applicable laws, regulations, or statutes.Furthermore, by submitting or placing such material, these individuals or entities agree to indemnify and hold harmless the publisher, Core Publishing and Events Pty Ltd, and/or its agents from and against any and all investigations, claims, demands, liabilities, damages, costs, or judgments arising out of or in connection with the material provided. All material is believed to be accurate at the time of printing and remains the copyright of Core Publishing and Events Pty Ltd.
© 2024 Mackay and Whitsunday Life Pty Ltd.
