Volume 196 - Issue 6
Splendid isolation: the winners of our creative writing competition
Author: Ruth M Armstrong
Med J Aust 2012; 196 (6): 412. || doi: 10.5694/mja12.10492
Published online: 2 April 2012
Published online: 2 April 2012
The winners of the MJA Dr Eric Dark Creative Writing Prize were announced at the inaugural Dr Eric Dark Memorial Dinner, held at the Fairmont Resort in Leura, New South Wales, on Saturday 10 March 2012. The prize is sponsored by Varuna, the Writers’ House and “Doctors Who ...”, a Varuna initiative to nurture creativity, innovation and advocacy in the medical profession.
Named in memory of Dr Eric Dark (1889–1987), Australian general practitioner and public health activist, the MJA’s new writing competition obviously inspired many of our readers: there were 110 entries based on the theme of “splendid isolation”, with a very high overall standard. We needed all the help we could get from the creative writing experts at Varuna and our new literary editor, Dr Leah Kaminsky, to come to a final decision!
The winners were Dr Susan Fox, a GP from Daylesford, Victoria, in the medical practitioners category, and Australian National University medical student Paulina Wojciechowska in the medical students category.
Both winners attended a 2-day writing workshop at Varuna, led by Dr Hilton Koppe and Dr Kaminsky, on the same weekend as the dinner. The medical practitioners prize also includes a 1-week residential writing retreat at Varuna.
We thank our external judges and, of course, those of you who shared your stories and insights with us. Keep writing and watch out for the announcement of next year’s competition.
