From the Ormond Butler Bequest
**FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CURRENT YEAR’S PRIZE REQUIREMENTS PLEASE USE THE LINK ABOVE.
The Melbourne Dickens Fellowship is pleased to announce The Charles Dickens Prize from the Ormond Butler Bequest, a competition available to Victorian secondary school students.
Has your imagination ever been stirred by the tale of Oliver Twist, the madness of Miss Havisham or the journey of David Copperfield? If so, and if you are a Victorian student aged 15-17 years, you have the opportunity to enter a competition that rewards and celebrates the reading of this legendary author.
The Prize is sponsored by the Melbourne Dickens Fellowship and has been made possible by the generous bequest of Mr Ormond Butler, a long-standing and passionate member of the MDF until his death in 2012.
Information on the essay topics and final submission date (August) will be available on the website annually in March.
THE 2017 PRIZE
The prize is open to students aged 15 – 17 years as at 1 January for the current year.
Students may select from EITHER of the following options. A $500 prize will be awarded to the best entry received in each category.
- A 1000 word essay in response to the topic: Despite the hardship and grim settings present in Dickens’s writing, hope is always to be found. Discuss with reference to at least one work of fiction or non-fiction by Charles Dickens.
OR
- A creative piece (500 – 700 words) inspired by any work of Charles Dickens, fiction or non-fiction, accompanied by a 200 word statement explaining the inspiration that informs your piece. The creative piece may take the form of:
- a ‘new’ chapter or passage that might plausibly appear in an existing novel.
- A chapter or passage from a novel that might be rewritten in the voice of a different character or minor character in the novel.
- A short piece inspired by a character or characters in Dickens’s novel.
- An article inspired by one of the pieces in Sketches by Boz.
The winners of each category receive $500. The prize and a certificate are given at a meeting of the Melbourne Dickens Fellowship, time and date to be advised.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
The prize is open to students aged 15 – 17 years as at 1 January 2017.
Entries may be submitted between the 15th March and the 18th August 2017.
The MDF thanks VATE and VCAA for both organisations’ ready assistance, kindness and willingness to support and promote the Prize.
The MDF reserves the right to publish the prize-winning entries.
The MDF reserves the right not to award a prize if it is felt the submissions are not deserving.
Students who submitted an entry in 2016 are welcome to submit a new entry in 2017. However, students who submitted an essay in 2016 may enter ONLY the creative writing category this year.
HOW TO ENTER
All submissions should be typed in Times New Roman 12 point type (or a font of equivalent size) with 1.5 spacing between lines. Pages should be numbered.
How to submit: send three printed copies of your piece plus the entry form to The Secretary, Melbourne Dickens Fellowship, 207/85 Yarrbat Ave, Balwyn, Vic., 3103. Entries may be submitted between Wednesday 15th March and Friday 18th August.
Any enquiries can be directed to The Secretary at info@dickens.asn.au