Idiom 23 Magazine Board member Dr Lynda Hawryluk announced the winners of this year's Bauhinia Literary Awards at the 'Arts Reloaded' event last week.

Judges remarked on the high quality of entries this year in both story and poetry sections. Well known Sydney writer Sascha Morell, from Petersham NSW, won the Open Story Award with a powerful piece called ‘The Statues'. Morell also had two highly commended stories, ‘The Judge' and ‘Fishskins'. Judges called her a ‘versatile and imaginative writer who made wonderful use of both complex literary and cultural allusions in her stories together with carefully nuanced character interactions and symbolism'.

The Open Poetry awards went to popular national poets Stuart Barnes (Victoria) Andrew Slattery (NSW)  Roger Callen (Qld) and John Stokes (ACT).

More than five hundred short story and poetry entries in open, regional and student categories came from all states representing many writers groups across the country.

Regional writers from CQUniversity

Dr Hawryluk was impressed with the numbers of regional and tertiary student writers who were studying through the CQUniversity's literary studies' program and who attended Idiom23's writing workshops at North Keppel Island's Environmental Education Centre.

Regional Poetry first prize and Highly Commended award went to well known local writer Patricia Rayner of Kinka Beach Yeppoon for ‘Without Rain" and ‘Telling me the Impulse'.

Di Loughnan (Roma), took Regional Story first prize with ‘Fish out of Water'.

While Highly Commended awards went to Margaret Finger (Clermont), L.L. Hill (Innes Park) and Davina Taylor (Rockhampton).

Tertiary Student Story first prize went to Anthony Greenwood (Mooloolaba) with ‘Sandcastles' while the International Tertiary Student poetry award (sponsored by Australearn) went to Keith Westwater New Zealand. Westwater, a constant subscriber to Idiom23 Magazine, also received HC in the Tertiary Student Poetry section, won by well known writer and Brisbane student, Jena Woodhouse.

Secondary and Primary School winners and Highly Commended awards went to Caroline McAlister, (Buderim), Larissa and Isabel Zeil-Rolfe and Sara West (Rockhampton), Sheyanne Frisby (Yeppoon), Jack Burnham (Currimundi), Abraham and Joseph Pearson (Capalaba), Tess Van Der Veen (Mackay and Adam Wettzter,(Caulfield Victoria).

Bauhinia Awards coordinators said it was encouraging to see so many young people coming back constantly to enter the competition each year.

Rockhampton sponsors of the competition are CQUniversity and CQUniversity Bookshop, AustraLearn, Anderson Consulting Engineers, The Criterion Hotel Motel, PRD Nationwide, Yellow Door Books and Music, and The Waterline at Keppel Bay Marina.

Sponsors provided $2000 prize money for the competition.  All winning and highly commended work will be published in Idiom23 Magazine, 2010.