Aspiring writers and artists are invited to submit stories in what is believed to be Australia’s only literary award for both word and illustration.
The 2003 LiterARTure Award is the second annual literary competition held by UQ Vanguard (UQV), a publishing initiative run by full-time students, in association with Archive Fine Books .
The competition involves writing a short story between 3000 and 5000 words, and can be accompanied by any artwork as long as it is in a printable form.
UQV president Mr Max Leskiewicz said he hopes to foster greater communication between artists and writers through the competition.
“Combining writing and art is already part of what UQ Vanguard does in its publications, so the Award was an opportunity to encourage this,” Mr Leskiewicz said.
“And we’re genuinely interested in the possibilities offered by the term LiterARTure,” he said.
First prize is $3500 plus the top five entries gain publication in a special UQ Vanguard Competition Edition that will be distributed around the country.
There is also a bonus LiterARTure award of $500 for the story that best represents the relationship between word and image.
Queensland Minister for the Arts, Mr Matt Foley, will again present the award at Brisbane Customs House on Monday December 1.
Mr Leskiewicz said the story that won last year’s award impressed the judges through “strong and convincing characterisation, its engaging story-line, the natural flow of the conversation, and the poetics of its imagery”.
“We focused a lot on the language, how careful the writing was, more so than the plot or characterisation.
“But in Greg’s story, the writing combined with excellent contrast in characters, convincing dialogue, and relevant moving imagery,” he said.
Greg Been, the winner of last year’s award with his work entitled Harajuku Autumn, previously won the Queensland Comalco Young Playwrights Award, and is currently working on a collection of short stories for publication.
Entries for the Award close on Monday, September 1. For further information, contact Max Leskiewicz or Katherine Del Mar (email: uqvanguard@uq.edu.au).
Media: For further information contact Max Leskiewicz (telephone: 07 3876 0903 email: uqvanguard@uq.edu.au) or Katherine Del Mar (email:uqvanguard@uq.edu.au).
.jpg)
