Judith Rodriguez Prize
This is an annual prize awarded to a piece of work in fiction/poetry/creative non-fiction by a student submitting the work for completion of assessment in a level 3 coded unit, in Trimester 1 or 2.
Work is nominated by relevant staff, shortlisted and judged by the Professional and Creative Writing discipline area.
All short listed works are published in the Deakin University Professional and Creative Writing Writing Evolutions e-magazine, and the winner receives:
- $450 of mentoring from a professional writer (organised through Writers Victoria);
- Free membership of Writers Victoria for 2013; and
- Publication of the winning piece in Etchings (published by Ilura Press.)
2012
Long list
Baird, Josh ‘A silence in Stockholm’—creative nonfiction
Baird, Josh ‘In dreams’—fiction
Bell, Alysha ‘Death’—fiction
Berry, EJ ‘Button eyes’—fiction
Boyle, Timothy ‘The corrida’—creative nonfiction
Bruemmer, Lauren ‘Mashed potatoes’—fiction
Ferlazzo, Lisa ‘Shaken to the core’—creative nonfiction
Johnstone, Kallen ‘Fragments of Footscray’—creative nonfiction
Jones, Penelope ‘Uluru’—fiction
Komel, Lauren ‘My willy versus your willy’—creative nonfiction
Lawrence, Jonathon ‘Transit’—creative nonfiction
Maclean, Julie ‘Wandering dogs, broken hearts’—creative nonfiction
McEvoy, Penny ‘Equal rites’—fiction
McGibbon, Alistair ‘Peace in the madness’—creative nonfiction
Mobayad, Yasmin ‘Red ribbon’—fiction
Radcliffe-Smith, Georgia ‘“L” is for Lara’—fiction
Rafter, Christopher
Roberts, Andrew ‘On the high art of killing’—fiction
Short list
Baird, Josh ‘A silence in Stockholm’—creative nonfiction
Boyle, Timothy ‘The corrida’—creative nonfiction
Lawrence, Jonathon ‘Transit’—creative nonfiction
Radcliffe-Smith, Georgia ‘“L” is for Lara’—fiction
Roberts, Andrew ‘On the high art of killing’—fiction
The winner
Lawrence, Jonathon ‘Transit’—creative nonfiction
What the judges had to say: ‘With its mature and professional approach, “Transit” holds the reader's interest from first word to last, evokes a stirring style, and lays down a tangible and sometimes confronting sense of place.’
Jonathon Lawrence is a third year writing student at Deakin University, currently completing a double major in creative writing and literature. He is also a performer, a poet, a spoken word artist, a part-time pirate, and a contributing editor of Words@Deakin and Verandah 28. His creative non-fiction piece, Transit, shows a tourist’s-eye view of New York City. He enjoys the company of cats, owning two himself, and laments the death of 70’s style discotheques.
Winner for 2011: Daniel Lah
Lah, Daniel, ‘Boxes’- fiction
Daniel Lah recently completed a double major in Creative Writing and Politics, and is currently writing a short biographical note in the third person. His prize-winning short story, Boxes, recently won the Judith Rodriguez Prize and subsequently became a prize-winning short story. It is an absurd fable that was inspired partly by the GFC and partly by the GFA (the Global Financial Armageddon). The GFA is, of course, yet to come. But when it arrives it should prove even more entertaining than the GFC ever was and involve ever more imaginative and elaborate displays of creativity - a veritable cornucopia of delights, if you will. Daniel is also on the verge of cracking a complex literary algorithm that will soon allow him to construct the perfect novel.
Shortlisted Candidates 2011
Hogg, Aidan, ‘The red door’ - creative nonfiction
McGee, Nicholas, ‘Tin spectacular’ - poem
Meagher, Daniel, ‘Sunlit lies’ - creative nonfiction
Morris, Rachael, ‘Running out of road’ - creative nonfiction
Sparshott, Emily, ‘Considere al turista’ - creative nonfiction
Winner for 2010: Palila Opit
Palila Opit completed her Bachelor of Arts (Professional and Creative Writing) at Deakin University in 2010, and is currently undertaking her Honours year at Deakin. She was raised on the surf-coast and is the oldest of 6, 8, or ten siblings depending on how you count. Her story, ‘The Truth of Stories’, was inspired by her parents' insistence that they have had extraordinary lives. Fortunately that was true.Shortlisted Candidates 2010
Kieron Byatt, ‘No Atticus’ - fiction
Stuie Emmerson, ‘Great White’ - fiction
Palila Opit, ‘The Pig’- poetry
Casey L. Scott, ‘Jellyfish Mimic Lightening - poetry
Winner for 2009: Allyse Near
Allyse Near, with her short story 'Venus in the Twelfth House', won the Judith Rodriguez Prize for 2009. Allyse was inspired by a particularly incomprehensible daily horoscope (which she admits to reading religiously but rarely believing). Etchings No8, including Allyse's story, was launched on 11 March 2010. Allyse was presented with her prize at the launch.Short listed candidates - 2009
Charlotte Adams ‘ In the knickers of time’ from ALW350
Allyse Near ‘Venus in the Twelfth House’ from ALW326 (2009 winner)
Amber Beilharz ‘Giving Up’, ‘Migration’ from ALW326
Katherine Harland ‘The Splendiferous Adventures of Vale the wood pigeon’ from ALW326
Alexandra Burgess ‘Four very short stories’ from ALW326
Thomas Miller ‘ Darkness’, ‘Goodbye’ from ALW326
Carrick Tomlin ‘Redemption Rd’ from ALW326
