Mahy To Judge Landfall Essay Competition

In 1997, Landfall celebrated its 50th anniversary. To mark the occasion, editor Chris Price launched the Landfall essay competition, sponsored by University of Otago Press. In 2002, the prize will be awarded for the third time with Margaret Mahy as judge. Internationally renowned as a writer for children, Mahy is the author of an acclaimed recent collection of essays, A Dissolving Ghost (Victoria University Press, 2000).

Entries are now open for the competition, and the winner will be announced in May 2002, with the winning entry published in Landfall 203. This, with the best of the short-listed essays, will form a special New Zealand non-fiction feature in the same issue.

The new editor of Landfall, Justin Paton, says: "The purpose of the competition remains as it was at the outset: to encourage New Zealand writers to think aloud about New Zealand culture, and to revive and sustain the tradition of vivid, contentious and creative essay writing in this country - as embodied in the non-fiction of early Landfall contributors such as Bill Pearson, in the essays of past winners of this competition, and in the essays the journal continues to publish."

Entries must be received by 5pm, December 21, 2001. The prize will be $2500 for the winning entry, sponsored by Landfall publisher, University of Otago Press. Essays should be fully developed, independent works on subjects of general interest and no longer than 6000 words. The competition is open to writers resident in New Zealand. For entry details, write to: Landfall Essay Competition, University of Otago Press, PO Box 56, Dunedin.

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CONTACT Philippa Jamieson, Publicist, University of Otago Press, tel 03 479 9094, fax 03 479 8385, email philippa.jamieson@stonebow.otago.ac.nz

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