AAWP/UWRF EMERGING WRITERS’ PRIZE 2017

It is our very great pleasure to announce the winner of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs / Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Emerging Writers’ Prize. The winner is Andrew Drummond for ‘Song of Shadows’.

AAWP/UWRF would like to thank all authors who submitted to the prize. The judges were overwhelmed by the nuanced responses to the theme and the quality and diversity of entries. We are proud to support emerging writers in offering this opportunity for emerging writers.

The prize manager would like to express gratitude to all authors: the announcement of the winner was delayed due to technical difficulties outside of our control. We understand that delays are difficult for authors and we appreciate your understanding and support.

The winning story will be published by Meniscus journal.

Judges’ appraisal:

‘Song of Shadows’ is a quietly graceful and perceptive text that straddles genres and cultures. It explores the fragility of our connection to where we have come from and to where we will eventually return, a theme encapsulated in the Hindu philosophy ‘Sangkan Paraning Dumadi’. A  lyric story interspersed with traditional verses, ‘Song of Shadows’ offers the spiritual assuagement its title promises and shows Andrew Drummond emerging as a major talent. Each section of ‘Song of Shadows’ attunes us to a different aspect of ‘origin’ and gestures to what strange connections might be revealed when we properly attend to the ambiguous and ambivalent connotations lurking behind the word in its plural form.

About Andrew Drummond:

I work in education and community mental health, and write as often as possible. I lived in Bali for a while when I was younger, and met many wonderful people. I have been fascinated by Balinese culture ever since. In particular, I am drawn to traditional dance and gamelan music. This fascination inspired my story.