Winners announced in South Taranaki writing awards

1960s Ronald Hugh Morrieson (playing guitar) with friends. Photo / Supplied

A huge 237 entries kept this year's judges busy - but now the winners of South Taranaki's Ronald Hugh Morrieson writing Awards are known.

There were five categories including the Secondary School Poetry and Short Story categories, the Open section Poetry and Short Story categories and the Secondary School Research Article category.

Research judge, Matt Rilkoff, says this year's entries had shown how many fascinating people live in the area.

"It is a courageous thing to allow someone into your trust to tell such a personal story as that of your life. Just as it is a daunting responsibility for the writer to attempt to sum up a lifetime of experience and character in a handful of words," he said.

"You all deserve a round of applause."

Short Story judge, Rachel Stedman, said there was a lot of energy, and in general, action seemed to be central to many entrant's plots.

"I was really impressed at how the high school entrants managed to write from such diverse perspectives, and I really enjoyed the quirky plots of some of the school entries," she says. "In the open section, I enjoyed the vernacular used - very rural kiwi."

Poetry judge, Apirana Taylor, congratulated every entrant.

"Poetry reaches beyond the mere bread and butter of our existence. It casts the poignant light of insight onto the human condition."

Open Short Story Category
1st - Emma Collins, Union Street - Stratford
2nd - Bruce Finer, Harry Rust - Hawera
3rd - Elizabeth Bridgeman, The World's Best Mother - New Plymouth
Highly Commended
Maria Cunningham, The Sign - Hawera
Stuart Greenhill, Dust - Stratford
Pip Harrison, The Lily - Hawera

Open Poetry Category
1st - Stuart Greenhill, West Coast Writer - Stratford
2nd - Stuart Greenhill, Mokau River - Stratford
3rd - Anya Darling, Secret Little Paradise - Sacred Heart Girls' College
Highly Commended
Janet Hunt, Meditation in a Country Churchyard - Inglewood
Nell Brown, Forgotten Shortcut - Sacred Heart Girls' College

School category winners:
1st - Sasha Finer, In Memoriam - Hawera High School
2nd - Heather Phillips, The Game - Hawera High School
3rd - Maddison Cossey, The Great War of the Wattie's Brand - Hawera High School

Secondary School Poetry Category
1st - Sasha Finer, Uprising - Hawera High School
2nd - Megan Jackson, Embers - St Mary's Diocesan School
3rd - Megan Jackson, Do you Remember Me - St Mary's Diocesan School

Highly Commended
Denzal Adlam, A Cold Winter Morning - Patea Area School
Ashley Harrop, Light in the Dark - Opunake High School
Megan Jackson, Mountain Man - St Mary's Diocesan School
Courtney Hatcher, Pen hits Paper - St Mary's Diocesan
Megan Jackson, The Moment Seen - St Mary's Diocesan School
Noah Hunt, The Great Fire of Hawera - Hawera High School