POETRY COMPETITION OPENS TO SOUND OF MUSIC

 

Entries for this year’s Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards, Australia’s largest and oldest poetry writing competition for school students, are now open.

 

The 2010 theme is “I Hear Music”, a concept that organisers believe will inspire both primary and secondary students.

 

The awards, which began in the north west NSW town of Gunnedah almost 30 years ago, attract up to 10,000 entries from around the country.

 

The competition in designed to encourage creative writing and a love of poetry among school students, as well as an appreciation of all things Australian.

 

Dorothea Mackellar’s association with Gunnedah stretches back to the time when her family owned several farming properties in the area. Many people have identified with the landscape and climate she writes about in her iconic poem “My Country.”

 

Entries in the secondary section this year are all online while primary school poems are still able to be submitted in writing. Entry forms, however, can only be downloaded from the awards website www.dorothea.com.au

 

Awards President Phlippa Murray is hopeful the online entry format will be more appealing to teachers and students this year.

 

“Entries were down slightly last year with the online entry requirement but I feel schools are more familiar with the procedure now. We have also worked hard to iron out any technical difficulties reported by schools in the last few months.”

 

The 2009 theme on astronomy was a great success with guest speaker Professor Fred Watson from the Siding Springs Observatory and the committee believes this year’s musical theme will also be hugely popular.

 

The awards are one of the signature events in the federal government’s National Literacy and Numeracy Week in September when the presentation ceremony takes place.

 

Prize winning author Joanne Horniman will be judging the secondary school section this year while Dr Bob Kimber will continue as the primary school entries’ judge. Entries close in early July

 

Inquiries: Philippa Murray (0427) 426722 or project officer Mila Stone (02) 6742 1200 dorothea@bigpond.com