November 2020 (Pamela Miller Prize) Winners

Congratulations to the two winners Polly Musgrove and Kirily McKellor!

And well done everyone else for entering this month and throughout the year as well. We’ll be having a break for December but will be back in the new year.

October 2020 Winner

The winner for this month’s Ballarat Flash was Karen Abramovich with her entry “Battleground”.

Congratulations once again Karen, you must be getting a nice little pen collection by now!

Stay tuned for November’s parameters. We are always open to your theme, prompts or word limit suggestions. Please feel free to email Megan at ballaratwriterscompetitions @ gmail.com or message via our facebook page.

September 2020 Winner

The winner for this month’s Ballarat Flash was Richenda Rudman with her poetic entry “Sky”.

Congratulations once again Richenda, a BW pen is on it’s way to you!

October’s parameters are already live, but as always, we are open to your theme, prompts or word limit suggestions. Please feel free to email Megan at ballaratwriterscompetitions @ gmail.com or message via our facebook page.

August 2020 Winner

The winner for month’s Ballarat Flash Karen Abramovich, with her fashion-themed piece with a nice twist ending, entitled “Heavily Reduced”.

It was admittedly a bit of an obscure theme, so it was great to see it be taken in so many different directions.

At Ballarat Flash, we love seeing those interesting forms coming through, including but not limited to fiction, poetry, non-fiction and creative non-fiction. We’ve even had some recipes of late. As long as it fits in the given parameters for the month, we’re happy!

Watch this space for next month’s parameters. Any suggestions for prompts or word limits, please feel free to email Megan at competitions @ ballaratwriters.com or via our facebook page.

July 2020 Winner

Congratulations to Karen Abramovich for taking out this month’s Ballarat Flash with her recipe for “My Perfect Sunday”. Karen wins a slick and shiny Ballarat Writers pen.

It was so great to see some writers taking on challenging forms such as recipes this month. At Ballarat Flash, we now welcome any form of writing including but not limited to fiction, poetry, non-fiction and creative non-fiction. We’re looking forward to more interesting little pieces of text in August. As long as it fits in the given parameters for the month, we’re happy!

Watch this space for next month’s parameters. Any suggestions for prompts or word limits, please feel free to email Megan at competitions @ ballaratwriters.com

June 2020 Winner

Congratulations to Neville Hiatt for taking out the June 2020 Ballarat Flash, adding another win (and silver BW pen) to his collection. Neville once again delivered a wonderful piece, entitled ‘2021’, with the prompt “my troublesome neighbours”

Ballarat Flash is no longer just a short fiction competition, we now welcome any form of writing including but not limited to fiction, poetry, non-fiction and creative non-fiction. Why not surprise us and give us a recipe, a book report or some song lyrics? Anything goes, as long as it fits in the given parameters for the month

Watch this space for next month’s parameters. Any suggestions for prompts or word limits, please feel free to email Megan at competitions @ ballaratwriters.com

May 2020 Winner

Congratulations to Richenda Rudman, whose beautiful poem ‘Departure’ was voted the winner of Ballarat Flash for May 2020. Richenda receives all the glory and a super lush BW pen (to add to her growing collection!) .

Looking forward to seeing more entries for June. Remember to please read the parameters carefully to ensure your entry is valid. And we welcome any form of writing including but not limited to fiction, poetry, non-fiction and creative non-fiction.

Watch this space for next month’s parameters. Any suggestions for prompts or word limits, please feel free to email Megan at competitions @ ballaratwriters.com.

April 2020 Winner

Congratulations to Fiona D’Silva, whose Covid-19 inspired piece put a smile on our faces. ‘Cause and Infect’ was voted the winner of Ballarat Flash for April 2020. Fiona receives all the glory and a super lush BW pen.

We were so pleased to see so many submissions in April. Don’t forget that you can submit any form of writing including but not limited to fiction, poetry, non-fiction and creative non-fiction.

Watch this space for May’s parameters. Stay home and stay writing!

March 2020 Winner

Congratulations to Richenda Rudman, whose beautiful poem ‘Evolution’ was voted the winner of Ballarat Flash for March 2020. Richenda receives all the glory and a super lush BW pen.

Thanks to all of those who submitted a piece in March, we loved seeing the variety of pieces with out new format. Watch this space for April’s parameters.

Keep writing and keep yourself safe and sane!

Pamela Miller Prize Winner

Congratulations to Meg Ross who won the Inaugural Pamela Miller Memorial Prize with her story Song of Complaint.

We will return next year with more Flash Fiction competitions. Until then, here is Meg’s story for your reading pleasure.

ENTRY 13: Song of Complaint | 386 words

Singing my song of woe and affliction. Singing my song of complaint. Broadcasting it to the skies. Gathering the birds to sing it with me. Flying on their backs across the world. Telling the people and the trees. Telling people who are interested, and people who aren’t. Telling all the different people. Not sure it will make any difference. Not sure at all. Going to do it anyway. Too long quiet with this load. Going to put the load down and sing out. Or maybe drop it on someone’s head from a great height. Tired of it. Tired of carrying it quietly.
Going to write a book about it.
Going to give it away for free on street corners.
Going to donate it to the library, make an audio book as well. Want to dedicate myself to the task. My dedication will be complete. People are going to listen to my book on long drives. People are going to hear my story on their way to the coast. Or driving to the doctor. Or picking up something for tea.
They will recognise themselves in my tale of woe.
They will say ‘yes, know what you mean’ in my song of complaint.
They will sing their own song. The world will be bathed in the sounds of sorrow. The music of affliction. The tuneless notes of grief.
We’re going to sing it out all over the world. We’re going to type it and publish it and read it. There will be public gatherings of singing and wailing. Our tears will form puddles beneath us. All together we say, this is too much. This is too hard. This is too long.
Everyone will know how we feel.
Everyone will join with their own song.
Then we’ll make choirs and print music and have concerts.
Then someone says, do you see that bird, that one you flew in on?
Do you hear that song of that bird?
And I say, yes I can it’s a song. Different. Got another sort of tune. What are the words to that one.
And the bird says, you can put down your music and books now. You can stop.
There’s another one, another song in the world.
There is.
Listen to this. This is a good one.
Learn to sing this beautiful song.