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2016 New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing Closes 24 September
September 24, 2016 @ 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
The New England Writers’ Centre is proud to announce that entries are now open for the 2016 New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing.
In this, the fourth year of the Prize, there are six awards on offer for crime writers. All genres of crime writing are eligible, from hard-boiled to comic, paranormal to rural, historical to contemporary, noir to cosy. Entries welcome from anywhere in Australia, from published or unpublished writers.
Strong local support has again made possible the following awards:
The New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Fiction: First Prize: $500, for a story of up to 2,500 words. Sponsored by The School of Arts, University of New England.
The New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Non-Fiction: First Prize: $500 for an article of up to 2,500 words. Sponsored by The Armidale Express.
The New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Poetry: First Prize: $500 for a poem of up to 60 lines. Sponsored by the New England Writers’ Centre and the Armidale Dumaresq Library.
The New England Award of $250 for the best entry in any category by a writer resident in New England, sponsored by Reader’s Companion Bookshop, Armidale.
The Emerging Authors Award of $250, for the best entry in any category from new, unpublished writers only (over 18). Sponsored by Friends of Tamworth Libraries.
The Youth Award of $150, for writers under 18, jointly sponsored by Christmas Press and Little Pink Dog Books (both publishers based in Armidale).
Once again a panel of eminent judges has been assembled to evaluate the entries.
Judging the Crime Fiction Prize will be popular New England author Bronwyn Parry whose novels have twice been voted Favourite Romantic Suspense Novel by the Australian Romance Readers’ Association (ARRA) in 2010 and 2013.
Former Canberra Time poetry editor John Foulcher will judge the Crime Poetry Award. His work has been widely anthologised and published in national newspapers and journals including The Age, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Bulletin, Poetry Australia and the New Oxford Book of Australian Verse.
The Crime Non-Fiction Award will be judged by New England resident Helena Pastor, whose writing has attracted two Australian Society of Authors’ Mentorships and a residency at Varuna Writers’ House. And young Armidale-based writer, illustrator and editor Beattie Alvarez will judge the Youth Award.
Entries open on June 19th, 2016, and close on September 24, 2016. Fee: $10 per entry for Adults and $5 per entry for Youth, entries to be sent by post only. Winners announced November 16, 2016. Downloadable entry forms and full details at http://www.newc.org.au/thunderbolt-prize.html