2024 E.M. Fletcher Writing Competition

Every family has a story – write yours now!

The 2024 writing competition is open from 15 February 2024 and closes on 15 July 2024. For general information about the E.M. Fletcher writing competition and to see extracts from previous winning entries, please click here.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS  CHECKLIST  SUBMIT ENTRY  PAY FOR ENTRY

 

 

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Entries for the best short story of 1500 – 2000 words on a family history or genealogy theme will be in contention to win:

The entry fee is $20.00 for FHACT members and $30.00 for non-members.

Please read the competition Terms and conditions.

The entrants checklist is an aid to inclusion of commonly missed requirements.   Download entrants checklist

Please direct any enquiries and requests to the Writing Competition Committee.

Download the 2024 E.M. Fletcher writing competition poster and share it with your friends and networks. Download Poster


Judges for the 2024 competition

The judges for the competition are as follows.

Associate Professor Emmett Stinson

Hesther Garnsey

Emmett Stinson is Head of the School of Humanities in the College of Arts, Law, and Education at the University of Tasmania. He has previously held positions as a Lecturer in Publishing at the University of Melbourne, a Senior Lecturer in English and Writing at University of Newcastle, and a Senior Lecturer in Writing and Literature at Deakin University.

He is a literary scholar, a creative writer, and an expert on the global publishing industry. He co-founded and was President of the Small Press Network (the Australian advocacy body for independent publishers), and co-founded the Independent Publishing Conference.

He won the Melbourne Age Short Story Award, and his book of short stories, Known Unknowns, was shortlisted for the Steele Rudd Award in the Queensland Literary Awards. His most recent monograph is about the late novels of Gerald Murnane (Melbourne University Press, 2023).

 


Therese Lynch

Jenny Higgins

Therese grew up in a multi-generational household listening to stories from her grandparents and other family members of their generation.  Many years later, actively researching her family history was a natural progression. After completing a Diploma in Family History at the University of Tasmania, she started Your Family Genealogist, a boutique genealogy business serving national and international clients.  Before retiring, Therese was a professional senior public servant with extensive work experience in Australia and overseas.

Therese joined the Association of Professional Genealogists in 2018.  She plays an active role in the Association’s Australia/New Zealand Chapter as its Education Officer.  A former Findmypast Ambassador and guest blogger, Therese contributes to a collaborative spirit within the genealogy community, including through her membership of FHACT.  Her journey reflects a commitment to genealogy research, enthusiastically sharing information while also preserving family history with a blend of curiosity and passion.

 

 


Beverley Richardson

Bernadette Thakur

Beverley’s love of writing commenced at an early age, winning her first writing competition at the age of 17 in the Hunter Valley Research Foundation Poetry Prize. In her former career as a secondary English teacher, Beverley specialised in the area of writing. She entered her students in the Newcastle Morning Herald’s Student Newspaper Competition in which they achieved considerable success. Beverley’s later postgraduate study included a Creative Writing component.

Beverley’s interest in her family history grew after she retired, and she contributes stories and articles to family history society publications. She is a member of FHACT, the Newcastle Family History Society, and the Society of Australian Genealogists, for which she wrote a story called On Meeting the Ghost of Margaret Duncan as part of the Colonial Women of Australia project. Beverley was short listed in the 2021 E.M. Fletcher Writing Competition, and took out the award in 2022.