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Grills, Wright and Rawson win 2018 Woollahra Digital Literary Awards

Eloise Grills, Stephen Wright and Jane Rawson have won the 2018 Woollahra Digital Literary Awards for writing that was first published online or electronically.

Grills won in the nonfiction category for ‘Diary of a Post-Teenage Girl‘, her series of graphic journal entries published by Scum Magazine. The judges said Grills’ journal entries, which span a period of 12 months, ‘thrive on digital intimacies expressed through a combination of comic art and social media screen shots’. ‘Grills is a master of both the visual form and narrative memoir … [she] effectively explores demanding contemporary medical practices, alongside the comfort and complexity to be found in relationships. Her diarised contemplations—pushing the personal essay form to its limits—are equally internal and outward looking, engaging with how to live and develop as an individual in a busy, chaotic time.’

Wright won in the fiction category for A Second Life (Brio ebook). The judges said: ‘The landscapes of this novella are familiar but disjointed, jumbled, and heavy with surplus associative meaning’. ‘Wright explores the liminal space between sleeping and waking; fiction writing, memory and dreaming … A Second Life offers a challenging but rewarding reading experience; rich with philosophical insight and magical lyrical turns,’ said the judges.

Rawson’s work ‘Lake‘ (Review of Australian Fiction) won in a new category for flash and short fiction. The judges said: ‘In this seamless and masterfully concise horror story, a woman finds herself living at the bottom of a lake. Cleverly playing with the device of the double, Rawson takes a bold premise to satisfying extremes.’

Grills and Wright both receive a $3000 prize, while Rawson receives $1000. The three winners were chosen from shortlists announced in May.

As previously reported by Books+Publishing, Vanessa Berry and Melissa Bruce were the winners of the inaugural prize last year.

For more information about the award, and to read the judges comments in full, see the website.

 

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Category: Awards Local news