The Footpath Library is delighted to announce the longlists of its 2015 Epic! Short Story Competition for Australian school children.
Over 380 entries were received from children aged 5 to 18 years old, from every State and Territory; from schools in Darwin in the Northern Territory to Tanunda in South Australia, rural Tasmania, Rockhampton on the Queensland coast to Denmark in Western Australia.
Addressing this year’s theme Home Is…, students demonstrated a profound understanding of the importance of a place to call home. Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, The Footpath Library Ambassador and chair of judges, author Emily Maguire, says of the longlists,
“The calibre of the entries is thrilling; the diversity of genres and approaches to the theme, exhilarating. Home, according to these young writers, could be where you’re born or where you end up, a place to search out or a place to flee, a state-of-mind that can manifest anywhere or an all too real disintegrating planet. It’s found, lost and rediscovered in cities and country towns, on coastal roads and in living rooms, in wolf packs and friendships and books, in memories and touches and scents and sounds.”
The unenviable task of narrowing the entries from some hundreds down to two longlists of 25, fell to authors Michael Adams, Aleesah Darlinson, Kaz Delaney, Pip Harry and Susanna Freymark whom we thank for shining a light on the best of our youngest writers fiction.
The judging panel is comprised of The Footpath Library Ambassadors Emily Maguire, chair, and authors Nick Earls, P.M. Newton, Ken Spillman and David Whish-Wilson. Their job is to find a shortlist of ten of the best stories in both the primary and secondary school categories.
The shortlists will be announced on Friday 29th May 2015.
The winning entries and Honour Roll will be announced on Friday 12th June 2015.
To view the Primary and Secondary longlists click here. Media inquiries should be directed to Shane McLachlan [email protected]
