Stringybark Open Short Story Award 2024

CLOSED

The Stringybark Times Past Award 2020

Competition Closed: 27 September 2020

127 entries.  $1020 in prizes.

Judges: Brett Jones, Stephen Senise, and David Vernon

Editor: David Vernon

Cover designer: Jonathan Vernon

Layout: Stringybark Publishing

Australian printer: Prinstant, Canberra

Australian history is replete with drama, yet for many, Australia’s national history consists only of indigenous dispossession, convicts, gold-rushes, bushrangers and ANZACs. This book proves this view wrong — sure, we do showcase the old favourites – but there are many other tales to intrigue you. There’s the custom official with the ingenious way of detecting illegal immigrants, the escapee who enjoys the taste of homo-sapiens, a colonial governor with a penchant for practical jokes, an evil military secret and an insider’s view of a female mental asylum. Showcased here are thirty-three award-winning stories from Australian history, all based on real events, that shine a light on some of the lesser known corners of our past.

“Drop your breeches. There’s a good lad.” The ship’s medical officer barely looks at me. He has his back to me while he waits for me to oblige. A small mallet twirls in his fingers. I dunno what he thinks he’s going to do with that. “Strip, lad. That’s an order. What’s your name?”

“It’s…”

I can’t answer. Of all the ridiculous things I’ve failed at, forgetting to have a name is by far the most stupid.

— From “The Stowaway” by Catherine McGraffin

My eardrums shudder. The door erupts. A bag of flour flies across the room filling it with white fog. Noise reverberates around my skull, shatters the window. After the blast there is silence. For a few seconds I think I’m deaf. Then a thin wail pierces the paralysis; screams, thudding footsteps, shocked voices and the high-pitched terror of horses overwhelm the settlement.

— From “Never Again” by Rosemary Stride

33 published stories. One e-book and printed anthology, Golah Sing.

Edited by David Vernon, e-book and paperback, Stringybark Publishing,

ISBN: 978-0-6488888-3-3

A$15.95 includes postage within Australia.  Discounts for multiple purchases.  Please enquire for international orders.

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THIRD PRIZE

Diminished Responsibility

by

Emily Paull

FIRST PRIZE

Golah Sing

by

Declan Melia

SECOND PRIZE

The Female Side

by

Aimée Scott

HIGHLY COMMENDED

A Letter from Maria — Carolyn Eldridge-Alfonzetti

Potions, Bay Leaves and a Red Ribbon — Rosemary Argue

The Scorched Earth — Greg Bartlett

Blood on the Wheat — Helen Bensley

The Shearer's Wife — Juliet Blair

A Beam of Light — Pauline Cleary

Chosen by Lottery — Lilian Cohen

Like Soft Dark Wings — Craig Cormick

Everything that Remains Unsaid — A.Z. Pascoe

For Whom the Bell Tolls — Rod Flanagan

The Malefactor Alexander Pearce — Everald Garner

Once a Jolly Swagman — Jane Hall

Ends and Beginnings — Alan Hargreaves

Pandemic 1919 — Katrina Hasthorpe

Their Day — Nicole Kelly

Manna — Anika Kim

Par Avion — Stephen Knox

Worgan’s Piano — Peter Long

The Last Tram Home — Sherry Mackay

The Stowaway — Catherine McGraffin

Charlie Cake — Shannon Meyerkort

The Silence After — Andrew Mickelson

Transported — Victoria Mizen

Kurpany — Dave Slade

Your Friend, Joe — Kay Spencer

Never Again — Rosemary Stride

Torres Strait at War — Bob Topping

Truth Stick, Townsville, 1902 — Roger Vickery

Nashe’s Air — Roger Vickery

Knowing the Trail — Hayley Young

A big thank you to all who entered the 2020 ‘Times Past’ writing award, and to the other judges, Brett and David; and to Stringybark Publishing for providing such a showcase.

There was a lot of eminently enjoyable writing to read, often of an exceptionally high standard. There were even a few stories that struck me as having captured key elements of classic, Australian fiction, making a lightning-like impression.

Writing well, is not easy. It can be a lifelong pursuit; refining technique every step of the way. In that sense, we're all still at school. I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to judge the 'Times Past' competition because reading is, ultimately, a form of (passive) learning.

What distinguishes the more successful stories from the rest of the pack?

For this judge, it may have come down to a writer having had something to say; something to add to life's appreciation. And avoidance of cliché. A novel or imaginative break from narratives, hashed and rehashed. Reality, bursting through.

I am also reminded of that quote by Mark Twain: “when you see an adjective, kill it”. Indeed, there was an abundance of flowery descriptions weighing down the also-rans; superlatives, bridling. But in the dash to the post, the main chances were those where good writing was given free rein. Unencumbered and easy striding.

You'll see what I mean. Here are some of the best. Welcome to the winner’s circle.

Stephen Senise

Judge

I’ve always found history fascinating but not dates, nor kings, nor political leaders. High-level descriptions of wars don’t particularly excite me. I’m a person who likes to get down among the weeds of history and discover a long-forgotten event. I am never more thrilled than when I read about some occurrence of which I am ignorant. In such cases I immediately reach for Wikipedia to obtain an overview of the event. If I get really excited, I log into Trove and delve amongst the newspaper and article archives to check on the details.

But if I can’t have some unusual event to chew over, then I want a new perspective on a common event. The stories the judges have chosen in this marvellous anthology all provide new or different perspectives on Australian history. And it is that which I am looking for first and foremost in a piece of writing submitted to a Stringybark competition.  Where authors write about well-known subjects, I favour writers who tell the tale from an unusual point of view.

Once my interest is grabbed then I want the story to be well told, with a consistent and appropriate style. While grammar and punctuation are less important in the scoring of stories, poor construction can really trip me up when I am reading. If the flow of the story is interrupted, then I mark a story down. There is little excuse not to know how to punctuate a story when there are so many resources available for free on the internet.

Finally, there were five or six stories entered in this competition that failed to meet the theme of the competition. In a history award I expect to read history stories. When the requirement is for a story of 1500 words or fewer, I expect to read 1500 words or fewer. When there is a requirement to provide a short historical overview at the end of the story, I expect to read one. Writers do not do themselves a favour when they fail to follow the instructions.

Having now stated what I like and don’t like in judging stories I have to say that the quality of this year’s entrants was wonderfully high, and I was thrilled to have difficulty in helping to choose the highly commended stories. Thank you to everyone who entered. It’s only through your efforts that we judges have something to judge!

Finally, a big thank you to my fellow judges. Brett Jones and Stephen Senise — you were terrific.

David Vernon

Judge and Editor

Stringybark Stories

Judges Comments