The Changing Mechanics of Literary Competitions
Article by Carolyn Alfonzetti, Eastwood/Hills Fellowship of Australian Writers
For over thirty-five years, the Eastwood/Hills branch of the FAW NSW has held an annual literary competition as a way of encouraging writers Australia-wide.
During my first stint as competition secretary, I sent entry forms to those who posted a stamped self-address envelope for one. Frequent trips to our post office were needed to collect entries flooding our PO box. A letter opener and scissors were essential to extract the poems, stories, memoirs and entry fees paid by cheque or money order, and to snip from the envelopes the used stamps I sent to a charity. Submission details were written into a large ledger.
After the entries were judged, shortlisted entrants were posted an invitation to our prize presentation (with supper to follow) held with the fitting backdrop of the bookshelves of the Baulkham Hills Library. It was rare for us to be joined by entrants from further afield than the outskirts of Sydney, and substitutes read aloud the work of many first and second placed entrants. Prize-money cheques and hand-written certificates were posted to those unable to attend.
How things have changed. Entry forms are now downloaded from our website, the link to which is shared via social media. ‘Snail mail’ entries are rare, with most submitted via email with entry fees paid by Electronic Funds Transfer. Submission details are logged in a spreadsheet, short-listed entrants are emailed downloadable certificates, and prizemoney is sent by EFT.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we held the first of our ongoing Zoom prize presentations. Almost all shortlisted entrants were present, and it was wonderful to hear so many from far-flung locations read their work. Another significant change occurred in 2025 when a stipulation was added to our entry conditions that submissions cannot be composed with the help of artificial intelligence, something few (bar the writers of science fiction perhaps) would have predicted when our competitions began.
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