2009 Banjo Paterson Writing Award winners

Congratulations to all the winners in the 2009 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards. The judges had a difficult time with the high standard of entries in all sections this year. The judges' comment for the Prose/Short Story section was that "as a collective they encapsulate the richness and diversity of Australian life, exploring characters as diverse as rodeo cowboys, sponge cake judges and reflecting on timeless themes of love, friendship and betrayal." The Awards recognise Orange's literary history and further encouraged writers to develop their craft. The winners are: Prose/Short Story: Peter W. Bishop, of Scone, NSW for "Lukey"; Panagiotis Papathanasiou, of Hackett, ACT, for "The Lure"; Sarah Michell from Lithgow, NSW for "Going Without".

Open Poetry: Judy Johnson, Cardiff, NSW for "The Bushranger's Bible"; Mark Miller, of Shoalhaven Heads, NSW for "Small-Town Journal"; Jo Mills, of Darlington, WA for "Ledge Beach".

Bush Poetry: Ron Stevens, of Dubbo for "The Shame of Staying Put"; Ellis Campbell, of Dubbo, NSW, for "Eulogy of Crows"; Kristen Martin, of West Beach SA, for "Memories by the Murray".

Children's Writing Awards: Isaac Bath, of Duramana NSW for his poem "Bushfire"; Samuel Bath, of Duramana, NSW for his poem "Ducks of the Wild"; Rebekah Ritchie, of Forest Reefs, NSW for her story "The Climbing Experts".

The Yvonne Zola Encouragement Award goes to Lachlan Fenemor, Orange for his story "Doggie Adventure".