The fellowship of Australian Writers North Shore Regional have organised a Super Short Story Competition with an open theme and maximum 700 words. Prizes are: 1st - $100; 2nd - $50, with Highly Commended and Commended certificates. Entry fee is $5 with cheques to be made payable to Fellowship of Australian Writers North Shore Regional. Stamps or coins will not be accepted as payment for entry. Please enclose a business-size envelope SSAE for results. No entry form required. Story text, title and page numbers only to appear on entry, which must have a cover sheet attached containing writer's contact details, title of entry and word count. No clip art or decoration of any kind. Submissions must be the original unpublished work of the author, not having won a cash prize at close of competition and not submitted concurrently elsewhere, typed on single-sided A4 paper, double-spaced. Send entries to: Competition Secretary, 1 / 2 Rogal Place, North Ryde, 2113 or for further information; please phone (02) 9887 1257 or email fawnorthshore@gmail.com Competition closes Friday 31 October.

The winning short story in the 2008 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards "Exposure" by Margaret Betts of VIC, has been published in today's Central Western Daily (CWD) on page 9 and you can also read it, along with other winning entries, on the Central West Libraries website Reading and Writing page. This story stayed with the judges for a long time afterwards - its evocation of a boy running away to sea and the tragic death of the boy's father following his return. This story is beautifully written, building up the atmosphere of the piece with a skilled control of language and metaphor. The descriptions of the natural world are original and enchanting, emotionally charging the landscape with a sense of dread and foreboding. From details of seaweed, clouds, damaged crabs and wind, to the domestic descriptions of a bed stripped bare – exposing its naked base – an 'iron black skeleton' – this is first class writing. Catch up with the winners of the Children's Writing Section featured in the CWD today too on page 5: http://orange.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/banjo-would-notice-stories-made-of-the-write-stuff/793522.aspx

There is still time and this weekend to get your entries in for the 2008 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards. Entries close on Friday 18 April, 2008. The Awards aim to honour Banjo Paterson, a great Australian writer and favourite son of Orange, with a competition promoting all forms of writing with Australian content. There are four categories: Prose; Open Poetry; Bush Poetry and Childrens' Writing Awards. Entry is $10 and $5 for Childrens' Writing Awards entries. The winning prose entry will be published in The Central Western Daily. Click on our events link for an entry form and conditions or phone (02) 6393 8120.

Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, most famous for penning Waltzing Matilda and The Man From Snowy River was born on February 17, 1864 near Orange. To celebrate his birthday Orange City Council, Central West Libraries, Central West Writers' Centre and The Central Western Daily announce the call for entries to the Banjo Paterson Writing Awards. It is important to note that entries into the Prose, Open Poetry and Children's Writing Awards categories of the competition do not have to be in the style of Banjo's writing.

Entry forms can be downloaded from this website and are available from Orange City Library and also from The Central Western Daily at 132 Kite Street, Orange. The competition closes on Friday 18 April 2008 and winners will be contacted by phone on Monday 16 June 2008. Read more about in today's Central Western Daily: http://www.orange.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/writers-asked-to-find-their-inner-banjo/1184621.html