This year 280 entries were received in the Banjo Paterson Writing Awards with 128 Prose or Short Story entries, 76 in the Open Poetry, 44 in the Bush Poetry and 32 in the Children's section. This is a huge increase on the number of entries received in recent years. Orange City Librarian Elizabeth Barry said human relationships featured in many entries as well as Mother Nature, rain, storms and animals across all the sections of the competition.

Ms Barry said the Awards recognise Orange's literary history and further encouraged writers to develop their craft. Ms Barry congratulated all the entrants and was pleased to announce the following winners:

Short Story: 1. The Magpie Lucky Dip by Brian Yatman, Erskineville, NSW (Prize $ 1,000) 2. The Snake by Jane Lawler, Prahran, VIC ($400) 3. Jack and the Jillaroo by Trudi Refshauge, Woodstock, NSW ($200)

Bush Poetry 1. The Ghost of Old Ted by Wendy Enchelmaier Whiteside, QLD ($500) 2. Lorraine Carew by Ellis Campbell, Dubbo, NSW ($200) 3. The Battler by Sandy Thorne, Lightning Ridge, NSW ($100)

Open Poetry 1. Orpheus in the Desert by Jo Mills, Greenmount, WA ($1,000) 2. Three Monologues by Ron Stevens, Dubbo, NSW ($400) 3. Saddle Dreaming by Vanessa Page, Rosewood , QLD ($200)

ABC Central West Radio Children's Writing Awards 1. Poem Black Temper by Adam Weitzer, Caulfield South, Melbourne, VIC ($200) 2. Story Traces of Tomorrow by Jesse Lyon, Orange, NSW ($100) 3. Story Annie and the Shed Mystery by Chloe Petersen, Portland, NSW ($100)

The Yvonne Zola Encouragement Award goes to Bec Hobden, Orange, NSW for her poem Falling to our Knees ...We're Proud Australians.

Entries in the Australian Book Review Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize, worth a total of $8000, are now invited. Entries should be single-authored stories of between 2000 and 5000 words. Results will be announced in October and the winning story will be published in the October 2011 (Fiction) issue. First Prize: $5000, three shortlisted stories: $1000 plus publication Closing date: 30 June 2011. Visit the ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize page for full details and an entry form: www.australianbookreview.com.au

About Elizabeth Jolley: Monica Elizabeth Jolley AO (4 June 1923 - 13 February 2007) was an English-born award-winning writer who settled in Western Australia in the late 1950s. She was 53 years old when her first book was published, and she went on to publish fifteen novels (including an autobiographical trilogy), four short story collections and three non-fiction books, publishing well into her 70s and achieving significant critical acclaim. She was also a pioneer of creative writing teaching in Australia counting many well known writers such as Tim Winton among her students.

Banjo Paterson was born on February 17, 1864 and to celebrate his birthday Central West Libraries in conjunction with the Central West Writers' Centre, The Central Western Daily, ABC Central West Radio announce the call for entries to the Banjo Paterson Writing Awards.

There are four categories: Short Story (Category 1) Open Poetry (Category 2) Bush Poetry (Category 3) and ABC Central West Children's Writing Awards. Your entry must have Australian content – be it theme or style. First prize is $1,000, 2nd $400 and 3rd $200 in each of categories 1 and 2. The third category is bush poetry with prizes of $500 for 1st, $200 for 2nd and $100 for third. Entry is $10.

The prizes for the ABC Central West Children's Writing Awards are 1st prize $200, 2nd and 3rd $100 each. Entry is $5 for these awards and entries must be the unaided work of the entrant to age 16 years on Friday 15 April 2011.

The competition closes on Friday 15 April 2011 and winners will be contacted by phone on Monday 20 June 2011. The winning short story entry will be published in The Central Western Daily and winning entries will also be published on the Central West Libraries website. Go to our Reading and Writing Page or the Central West Writers Centre website for an entry form or email library@orange.nsw.gov.au, or call 6393 8120.

Scribe will be publishing another anthology of short stories, New Australian Stories 2.0, again edited by fiction acquisitions editor, Aviva Tuffield. New Australian Stories 2.0 will be published in February 2011. The anthology will feature established stars of the short-story firmament alongside new and emerging ones. Scribe are collaborating with two partners: Varuna, the Writers' House, will be running the Varuna/NAS national short story competition, with the winners (judged by Peter Bishop, Cate Kennedy and Aviva Tuffield) to be published in New Australian Stories 2.0, and/or to be awarded a week-long residency at Varuna to work with Cate Kennedy, one of Australia's finest writers of short stories. Submissions to the Varuna/NAS competition open on 1 June and close on 30 June. Visit the Varuna website for more details: www.varuna.com.au. And they are teaming up with the Ned Kelly Awards to publish the winner of the S.D. Harvey Short Story Award in New Australian Stories 2.0. This award was established in 2009 in honour of Sandra Harvey, a respected journalist who worked both for the Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC's Four Corners program, and was fearless in her pursuit of the truth. The prize money for the S.D. Harvey Short Story Award will be in excess of $1000. Applications for the S.D. Harvey Award close on 31 May. For more information about entering the award, go to: www.nedkellyawards.com

Australian Book Review is reviving the Short Story Competition, with a first prize valued at $2000. There are two other prizes. All three place-getters will be published in the magazine. Stories in English of between 1000 and 3000 words are eligible, as long as they have not been published previously or are not on offer elsewhere. Multiple entries are acceptable. The closing date is May 10. For an entry form go to: http://www.australianbookreview.com.au/competitions/short-story-competition

or call (03) 9429 6700. ABR now publishes short fiction. They welcome submissions from authors.

Oberon Writers' Workshop, Friends of Oberon Library & Burraga Ag Bureau presents the 2nd Oberson Writers' Competition. There are 2 sections: NARRATIVE: 1st $100, 2nd $25 An original piece of narrative writing of 1500 to 2500 words, not previously published. Theme: Water. Fee: $5 per entry, limit of two entries per section. POETRY: 1st $100, 2nd $25

An original poem or suite of poems in any style, 120 lines or less in total, not previously published. Theme: Water Fee: $5 per entry, limit of two entries per section. Each entry must be accompanied by a separate cover sheet with title of entry, writer's name and contact details. Writer's name not to appear on item submitted. Forward entries and fees, cheque or money order, payable to Burraga Ag Bureau, to Ms A Russell, 1303 Isabella Rd, Isabella, NSW 2795. If items are to be returned, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Entries close 30th June, 2010. Winners will be announced at 51st Burraga Sheep Show & Country Fair on Saturday, 28th August, 2010. For further details phone Anne Russell, 02 6337 0363 or email everanne@activ8.net.au.

Prizes donated by Burraga Ag Bureau, Friends of Oberon Library & Oberon Writers' Workshop

Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson was born on February 17, 1864 and to celebrate his birthday Orange City Council, Central West Libraries, Central West Writers' Centre supported by The Central Western Daily and ABC Central West Radio announce the call for entries to the Banjo Paterson Writing Awards. It is important to note that entries into the Prose (Short Story), 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 are available from Central West Libraries branches, by phoning 6393 8120, email: writing@orange.nsw.gov.au or [download here]. Entry is $10 for adults and $5 for children per entry. The competition closes on Friday 16 April 2010 and winners will be contacted by phone on Monday 21 June 2010. There are cash prizes to be won and the winning Prose (Short Story) entry will be published in the Central Western Daily.

Crime writer, Four Corners producer and investigative journalist, Sandra Harvey is to be commemorated in an inaugural Ned Kelly Award for Australian crime writing. The award, entitled the SD Harvey Ned Kelly Award will be for short stories in the crime writing genre, either crime fiction or creative nonfiction (eg literary journalism). Sponsors for the award are ABC Four Corners, The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance and The Sydney Morning Herald. Lindsay Simpson and Sandra co-authored the continuing bestseller, Brothers in Arms (1989) about the Milperra bikie massacre, the acclaimed My Husband My Killer (1992) and The Killer Next Door (1994) about the Sydney Granny Killer. In 2000 Sandra went on to write The Ghost of Ludwig Gertsch and her last book, Done Like a Dinner with Jennifer Cooke was published in 2007. Lindsay is the Head of journalism and writing at James Cook University. "Crime writing was her first love especially telling the facts using literary techniques. Truman Capote was our mentor." Sandra and Lindsay were recognised in 2007 for their contribution to Australian crime writing by receiving the prestigious Ned Kelly award for Lifetime Achievement in Crime Writing. This was the last occasion Sandra appeared in public before her death in January 2008. The winning entry will be published in The Sydney Morning Herald. Open to all writers. Entries close May 31. See website www.nedkellyawards.com/SDHarvey_guide for entry guidelines and entry form and more about the life and work of Sandra Harvey. Each year we will have a particular word which must have significance to the story and the inaugural word is 'farewell'.

Entries are now open for the Alan Marshall Short Story Award. The 2009 judge for the Award is Sophie Cunningham (author of Geography and Bird and editor of Meanjin). There is the Open Section with $2000 first prize and $1000 second prize for stories up to 2500 words. In the Local Section the prize is $1000 for stories up to 2500 words by writers who live, work or study in the Shire of Nillumbik and the Young Section has a $400 prize for stories up to 1000 words by writers aged between 15 and 19 years. Entries are due 4pm Friday 20 February. Please go to www.nillumbik.vic.gov.au for details and entry form or phone (03) 9433 3359.

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.