Local residents with a flair for the written word as well as budding bards from further afield are once again being called upon to enter their best literary creations in this year's Sutherland Shire Literary Competition.
The nationally recognised competition has drawn some outstanding submissions from both emerging literary talent as well as more established writers in previous years, with organisers once again expecting to field a diverse range of entries from across the country.
A host of prizes are on offer to recognise excellence in short story and poetry writing, with additional prizes on offer for the best submissions from local writers.
Entrants will be vying for prizes of $1,000 and $500 for those submissions selected by judges as the top pick across competition categories such as 'Rhyming Poetry', 'Free Verse Poetry' and 'Short Stories'.
Sutherland Shire Mayor, Councillor Carmelo Pesce said he was pleased to see the competition return this year, saying that it continued to grow in profile and popularity among aspiring writers across the country.
"This is a competition which continues to go from strength to strength, and has provided an amazing creative outlet for local writers to put their creative talents to the test against top short story writers and poets from all around Australia," Mayor Pesce said.
"Council is committed to fostering a creative community that celebrates culture and diversity, and we know that this competition provides a fantastic outlet to not only uncover some wonderful local wordsmiths, but also to inspire a greater appreciation for literature and reading across the wider community."
Prospective entrants are being given a creative kick-start this year, with writers urged to engage with the theme 'Emerging' in crafting their work.
"Each year, judges are blown away by standard of entries they receive and I can't wait to see what amazing talents are uncovered as part of this year's competition and how they tackle this year's theme in creating a variety of verse and short story submissions," Mayor Pesce said.
With judges already fielding submissions, those with a passion for prose and poetry are encouraged to put their best work forward, with the competition open until 11.59pm (AEST) on Monday, 31 July, 2023.
The 2023 Sutherland Shire Literary Competition is open to all Australian residents aged 18 years and above.
Those looking to find out more about this year's competition or to make a submission for judging, are encouraged to visit https://cms.ssc.nsw.gov.au/Community/Library/Sutherland-Shire-Literary-Competition for more details.
