From scores of submissions our volunteer judges have selected a shortlist of six poems and six stories in our Write about Walking competition.

Big shout out to our current writers-in-residence, Amelia Hodsdon and Shani Cadwallender, who not only came up with the competition theme  of “Walking Together”, but have also acted as judges.

They remarked that any of the 27 in the long list could have made it to the shortlist, so high was the quality of the submissions.

In previous years for our annual writing competition, we’ve always received more poem submissions than stories, but this year was an exception with stories outnumbering poems. However, the quality of the poems that were submitted was higher than in previous years.

Among that shortlist are some established writers and others who would not yet, class themselves as such. We are pleased that our competition, focussed on writing about walking, attracts both new and established writers.

Interesting too is how a local prize sponsor, Orana Arts from regional New South Wales, can create a significant number of submissions from that region of the world and we’re delighted that there are three Australian writers included in the shortlist. A first for the competition is that we have Annette Lyons and her daughter Bronwyn Birdsall who each have submitted stories that have been shortlisted.  We also have an author, Damaris West who has both their poetry submissions in the shortlist.  This year we were able to waive the submission fee for 20 concessionary entries.

The shortlisters and their pieces are: 

Bronwyn Birdsall (story): Connecting…

Krista Carson (poem): Christmas Eve

Daragh Fleming (poem): Months from Now

Rachel Henson (story) “Not More Gnomes!”

Sarah Leavesley (poem): An Unlikely Pair

Annette Lyons (story): Hand in Hand

Chantal Lyons (story): Flower Key

Arthur Sparrow (story): Chalk Walk Bloke Talk

Damaris West (poem): Sharing

Damaris West (poem): Thyme

Leanne Wicks (poem): I Stroll on Wiradjuri Country

Matthew Wignall (story): Walking to Independence

Come and meet them, and them read their poems and stories at the online Write about Walking Together showcase at 5.30pm on Saturday 28th September. At the showcase we will learn who are the shortlisters who have won the poetry and story categories, becoming our online poet- and writer-in-residence for 2025.

Shortly you will be able to read the shortlisted poems and stories in our limited edition, illustrated chapbook anthology WALKING, that is edited by Ann de Forest and illustrated by Alban Low, and published by Sampson Low Publishers.