Writers Contest & Cup 2022

On Thursday 16 June the Sydney Road Brunswick Association (SRBA) held the 2022 Sydney Road Brunswick Writers Contest & Cup, after a 2-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

The Association received an overwhelming number of entries, and on the night, was pleased to hear from 25 people as they recited, performed, and entertained, across poetry and short story. The night saw a combination of new and emerging talent, along with Writers Cup regulars, as they all took to the stage and shared their creative and expressive talents with the audience.

Host for the evening was Michael Reynolds, a well-respected and admired individual, who himself runs the highly successful Passionate Tongues. The Writers Cup & Contest was pleased to have Libby Charlton, Hamish Danks Brown and Gavin Sanderson as Judges for the evening, scoring participants against Audience Engagement, Writing, and Performance.

At the end of the evening, and after much deliberation, the Judges were pleased to award the following:

Encouragement Award: Lane Milburn
As the recipient of the Encouragement Award for their piece in Poetry, Lane was awarded $250 from SRBA and gifted a certificate
Poetry First Prize: Ria Kealey
As the winner of first prize for their poetry, Ria was awarded $500 from SRBA and gifted a certificate
Short Story First Prize: Scott Pederick
As the winner of first prize for their Short Story, Scott was awarded $500 from SRBA and gifted a certificate
Overall 2022 Sydney Road Brunswick Writers Contest & Cup Winner: Ria Kealey
As the overall contest winner, Ria not only received $500 for her first prize in Poetry, but she was also awarded the perpetual Cup – an infamous trophy amongst the writing scene of Melbourne, inscribed with all the Cup winners since the contest’s inception in 2011.

2019 – The Penny Black

In 2019, twenty-seven poets and storytellers took to the stage to share their creative talents with an enthralled audience. The jam-packed event included touching biographical performances, fantastical recitals, and absurdly funny routines. Newcomers to spoken word had the chance to mingle with some of the community’s veteran performers, and take their first shot at the special cup alongside yearly competitors, all within a cheerful environment.

CONGRATULATIONS to all of the performers, particularly: