Writing Competition Information
The E.M. Fletcher Writing Award is a great way to share your family history stories.
2023 competition now closed
The E.M. Fletcher Writing Award is an annual short story writing competition on a family history / genealogy theme. The competition is judged to select the best short story between 1,500 - 2,000 words. The genre of writing is not limited and the broad theme allows plenty of scope for creativity.
The competition opens on 15th February and closes on 15th July each year. Entrants are in the running to win a $1,000 cash prize, with an additional prize for Family History ACT members.
Each year the Family History ACT (FHACT) Writing Competition Committee convenes a panel of three judges. Two judges are customarily drawn from within the FHACT membership, and one is an external judge. Judges for previous years include Cora Num, Mary Lynn Mather, Professor Peter Stanley, Dr Erica Cervini and Craig Cormick.
The winning and short listed entries are published in the December edition of Family History ACT’s journal The Ancestral Searcher. Entries from the 2020 and 2021 competition are also published in a book series Every Family has a Story. If you’ve thought about writing your family story, these books could be the place to start for inspiration and motivation. Look out for the 2022 volume of Every Family has a Story coming this year. Copies of the journal are available to purchase through our bookshop. The 2020 and 2021 volumes of Every Family Tells a Story are presently out of stock. Please contact the Writing Competition (familyhistoryact.org.au) if you are interested in a copy.
Read an extract from previous winning entries:
2022 Winner: Beverley Richardson - I am Not In-Sane
2021 Winner: Denise Newton - The Bitterness of their Woe
2020 Winner: David Wintrip – A Lamb’s Tale
2019 Winner: Kathryn Coughran – All at Sea
The E.M. Fletcher Writing Award was established in 2019 and named in honour of FHACT Fellow Eunice Fletcher, a long-time member who had significant input into the formation of the Society over many years.
Enquiries about the E.M. Fletcher Writing Award should be directed to here.
