Well-known Queensland poet and story teller Jena Woodhouse has won the Open Story section of the Bauhinia Literary Awards for 2006 with her story ‘Billy Hunter’.

The Bauhinia Literary Awards have been coordinated by CQU’s Idiom 23 magazine for many years. They are sponsored by: Central Queensland University Bookshop, CQU's Regional Centre of the Arts, Anderson Consulting Engineers and the Commonwealth Bank, as well as 2 new sponsors this year: the Byte Centre and PRD Nationwide Real Estate, Yeppoon.

Jena also received highly commended in the Tertiary Student Stories for ‘The Wall’ and commended for her poem ‘Here be Lions’ in the Tertiary Students’ Poetry – each section assessed by a different judge.

Bruce Honeywill and Rita Diplock of Rockhampton took first and highly commended awards in the Regional Story section, while Mark Lord, also of Rockhampton was first in Secondary Student Stories and commended in the Secondary Student Poetry. Primary student Samantha Blanchard of Rockhampton was highly commended for her story ‘Journey’.

In the Regional Poetry section, Bruce Honeywill took out first prize with ‘Island without Language’ while well-known poets Pat Raynor, Yeppoon, Muriel Courtenay, Bundaberg, and Bronwyn Fredericks, Keppel Sands, were highly commended, together with R.J. Anderson of Tannum Sands and Patricia Bidgood of Baralabah.

Prizes worth $2000 are awarded for the Best Open Regional and Student Short Stories and Poetry received by this Rockhampton-based magazine from all over Australia.

At least 500 entries were received this year, and judges have remarked again on the quality – and the variety of themes - expressed by writers today.

Awards went to story tellers and poets in New South Wales, Victoria, ACT, South Australia, Western Australia, as well as Queensland.

Winners were announced at the CQU Multicultural Fair on Sunday (August 13) . Co-editor of Idiom 23 Liz Huf hopes that many of the local prize winners will be able to take part in a special ‘Poets in the Pub’ event presented at the Criterion Hotel, by Queensland Writers Centre and Idiom 23 on September 6.

Brisbane poet Ross Clark, together with female champion bush poet Laree Chapman and our Capricornia poets will join in an Open Mic session starting at 7pm at this famous old hotel’, Liz Huf said this week.

"We hope to fill the old dining room and invite our local winners to present their award winning poems on the night".

BAUHINIA LITERARY AWARDS – AUGUST 2006.

Open Stories.

First: Jena Woodhouse (Q), BILLY HUNTER.

HC: Jane Downing (NSW), A DAY IN THE LIFE.

HC: David Campbell (VIC), THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW.

HC: David Campbell (VIC), WHAT IF?.

HC: Irma Gold (ACT) THE WAITING GAME.

C: Margaret Hughes (Qld) CHRISTMAS SOCKS.

C: David Gibb (SA), THE CHEAP SHIRT.

C: Neville Fletcher (ACT) THE DARKNESS.

C: Robert Henry (QLD), CARVED IN MARBLE.

Regional Stories.

First: Bruce Honeywill Rockhampton (Q) MAIL PLANE.

HC: Bruce Honeywill Rockhampton (Q) A CHRISTMAS STORY.

HC: L.L. Hill, Innes Park (North Qld) THE ARTIST AND THE GOAT.

HC: Brooke McReynolds, Mackay (N.Q) THE MANGO, THE MOON AND THE BIG HAIRY BAT.

HC: Rita Diplock, Rockhampton (CQ) HONEY-SWEET REVENGE.

Tertiary Student Stories.

First: Clare Fletcher, Red Hill (Q) THE WREATH.

HC: Clare Fletcher SUMMER STORY.

HC: Jena Woodhouse, St Lucia (Q) THE WALL.

HC: Margaret Hughes, (Q) MATESHIP, CUSTARD KISSES AND RUM.

Secondary Student Stories.

First: Mark Lord, Rockhampton (Q) TOO MUCH SPARKLE.

HC: Alice Vannini, Shoalhaven Heads (NSW) THE ENEMY.

HC: Alice Vannini GOODBYE PAULA.

HC: Matthew Savage Holland Park (Q) THE SACRED MARK.

Primary Student Stories.

First: Riley Adair, Eton (Q) THE VAMPIRE OF FOSTERS MANNER.

HC: Samantha Blanchard, Rockhampton (Q) JOURNEY.

HC: Freya Surma-Litchfield, Perth (WA) A DAY IN HEAVEN.

Open Poetry.

First: Shane McCauley (WA) DUENDE.

HC: Rosanna Licari Annerley (Q) LINES WRITTEN AFTER LUNCH.

HC: Catherine Stewart, Lismore (NSW) AMIDST ‘EDDYSTONE WHITE’.

C: Andrew Slattery, Caves Beach (NSW) BRIM.

C: Mark Miller, Shoalhaven Heads (NSW) POSTCARDS FROM THE COAST.

Regional Poetry.

First: Bruce Honeywill, Rockhampton (Q) ISLAND WITHOUT LANGUAGE.

HC: Bruce Honeywill HOMESTEAD.

HC: Patricia Raynor, Yeppoon, (Q) MINDFUL OF WORDSIGHT.

C: Muriel Courtenay , Bundaberg (Q) MEMORIES AND MAGPIES.

C: Bronwyn Fredericks, Keppel Sands (Q) MANGO MADNESS.

C: R.J. Anderson, Tannum Sands (Q) DOWN BY THE BEACH.

C: Patricia Bidgood, Baralabah (Q) GHOSTS OF THE DREAMING.

Tertiary Student Poetry.

First: Ashley Capes Bairnsdale, (VIC) MANTLE.

HC: Clare Fletcher , Red Hill (Q) TO THE FOOT FROM ITS CHILD:2006.

C: Jena Woodhouse, St Lucia (Q) HERE BE LIONS.

Secondary Student Poetry.

First: Alice Vannini , Shoalhaven Heads (NSW) OUR LITTER.

HC: Suzannah Ward, Chapel Hill (Q) PATCHWORK REALITY.

C: Mark Lord, Rockhampton (Q) THE INNER WISDOM.