WHAT do you see when you look at these four images?
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From pelicans to the paddock, they could be scenes from innumerable tales of the region.
For someone, they see the inspiration for a story that will win them the Newcastle Herald's ninth annual summer short story competition.
Last year it was Maree Gallop who took top honours, exploring the murky world of workplace bullying from the perspective of an on-site nurse after chasing a spark of inspiration from one of the four images that guide writers toward the final prize.
This year, it could be you.
Open for entries for a few more weeks, the competition is all about urging Hunter writers to take a picture and turn it into 1000 words.
This is your chance to let your inner author off the leash and allow your imagination to run wild into fiction. Stories can be of any genre but must be your own work. The plot must draw inspiration in some way from one of these four images by Newcastle Herald photographers Simone De Peak, Marina Neil, Jonathan Carroll and Max Mason-Hubers.
Entries should specify which image inspired their tale. Stories submitted for the competition must be between 900 and 1000 words to be considered.
Judges for this year's competition include Miles Franklin shortlisted author and Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction winner Dr Ryan O'Neill, Hunter Writers Centre's director Karen Crofts, Australian Community Media head of dailies Chad Watson and Herald deputy editor Matt Carr.
The Hunter Writers Centre is a not-for-profit organisation devoted to engaging, employing and educating aspiring and established writers from the region. The centre helps develop authors through workshops and writing groups and seminars (hunterwriterscentre.org).
Short-listed stories in the Newcastle Herald competition will run in the paper between December 26 and January 21. The stories will also be published and collated at newcastleherald.com.au.
An overall winner, a highly commended entrant and the people's choice winner will be announced on Saturday, January 22, 2022.
The winner will receive a a studio space residency at Lighthouse Arts from Hunter Writers Centre valued at $200 and a $200 voucher at Hamilton's MacLean's Booksellers.
The highly commended entrant will receive a $100 MacLean's voucher and the people's choice winner will get $50 to spend at the Beaumont Street book shop.
All three will also receive a 12-week digital subscription to the Newcastle Herald and a Kindle courtesy of Domayne @ Harvey Norman Kotara.
They will also receive double passes to the Newcastle Writers Festival 2022, which will run from April 1 to April 3. The judges' decision on winners is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Entry is open to Hunter residents aged 18 and over, and limited to one story per person.
By submitting an entry, the author warrants the story is original and has not been published elsewhere and that they own the copyright.
Stories must be sent to mcarr@newcastleherald.com.au. They must be emailed as an attachment, with a cover sheet listing author's name, address, email address and phone contacts. Submissions close at midnight on December 23 2021.
Stories must be sent to mcarr@newcastleherald.com.au. They must be emailed as an attachment, with a cover sheet listing author's name, address, email address and phone contacts. Submissions close at midnight on December 23 2021.
