Shetland Arts are calling for entries to the 2006 Shetland Writing Prize. This year entrants will be invited to submit poems featuring Shetland place names. The closing date is September 15 2006. The prize is a partnership between Shetland Arts, Bonhoga Gallery, The Scottish Poetry Library, The New Shetlander and Shetland Amenity Trust. The overall winner will also see their poem published on the website of the Scottish Poetry Library.

“This year we’re returning to poetry, which we covered with the prize in 2004” says Shetland Arts Literature Development Officer Alex Cluness, “and we’re going to tie in with the work Eileen Brooke Freeman has been doing on Shetland place names at Shetland Amenity Trust. We’re hoping for poetic entries that don’t necessarily only describe places, but also play on the magic of the place names around the isles. There has to be at least three place names used in each poem. The chance for a local poet to see their work on the Scottish Poetry Library is such an incentive to give it a go. Their website is a first stop for anyone interested in Scotland’s poetry.”

There will be a main prize of £150 and two £50 prizes for runner up and best poem in Shetland Dialect respectively. The best dialect entry will receive the Rhoda Bulter Trophy. Bonhoga Gallery will again put their support behind the competition by providing an art work prize for the overall winner. Winning entries will be published in The New Shetlander magazine. The prizes will be presented by the National Poetry Day visiting poet, Caitriona O’Reilly, whose debut The Nowhere Birds was described by The Irish Times as “The most startlingly accomplished debut collection by any Irish poet since Paul Muldoon's New Weather in 1973.”

Lilias Fraser, Audience Development Officer at the Scottish Poetry Library, is delighted that the library can publish the winning entry on www.spl.org.uk: 'I'm really looking forward to reading the winning poetry. Poems using Shetland's place-names will be a stunning way to help us celebrate this year's National Poetry Day theme of 'identity'. We have about 30,000 visits to our website a month and counting, so plenty of poetry readers here and abroad will have a chance to enjoy it too.'

Eileen Brooke-Freeman, Shetland Amenity Trust’s Place Names Project Officer, is particularly excited by this year’s competition. She says,” Through the Shetland Place Names Project we are promoting the collection, understanding and use of place names. I am delighted to be associated with Shetland Arts for this year’s writing prize. Place names can tell us a great deal about our history and geography and the folk who lived here. Some names are fascinating by their sound alone. The competition gives writers a fantastic opportunity to use our place names creatively, and I am looking forward to seeing the results. We may even see names that have only been known orally finding their way onto paper for the first time, or unusual names being interpreted. These could subsequently be incorporated in the Shetland Place Names database.”

Entries will be accepted from those born in Shetland, Shetland residents, and Shetlanders or ex-Shetland residents living outside Shetland, of any age. Poems must be typed, and bear the title of the poem although the poet’s name must not appear anywhere on the sheet. Two copies of each poem must be submitted with a separate covering letter stating the poet’s name, the title/s of the poems, address, phone number/s and if applicable, email. Writers are reminded not to send originals; material will not be returned. Poems contributed must not have been previously submitted to any competition, published, performed, or read on radio. The maximum length per poem is one page A4, and the minimum font size is 12pt. No poet may submit more than three poems and each poem must include at least three Shetland place names.

The winning writers will be invited to accept their award at a Shetland Arts National Poetry Day celebration on October 5 2006. Entries should be sent to Shetland Writing Prize Entry, Shetland Arts, Pitt Lane, Lerwick, Shetland, ZE1 0DW. The competition rules will be advertised this week, and thereafter are available on request from Shetland Arts, 01595 694001.


Further Information:

Alex Cluness
Literature Development Officer
Shetland Arts
Pitt Lane
Lerwick
ZE1 0DW
t. 01595 694001
alex.cluness@shetland-arts-trust.co.uk