Calling Australian and New Zealand Christian Writers!

by Iola Goulton

Entries for the 2016 CALEB Prize are open

Omega Writers have announced that they will again be running the CALEB Prize in 2016. The CALEB awards were inaugurated under the leadership of Anne Hamilton, who said:

CALEB is an acronym: it stands for Christian Authors Lifting Each other’s Books. That’s why Omega Writers sponsor the CALEB Prize. It’s about giving all entrants a higher profile for their books, regardless of whether they win or not . . . Promoting excellence, for the glory of God, so that the highest quality books are given that little bit of extra ‘oomph’.

Simon Kennedy, current President of Omega Writers, says:

Omega Writers exists to educate, support and inspire Australasian Christian writers towards excellence, impacting society with grace and truth. We want our words to change the world.

There are three categories for the 2016 CALEB Prize for faith-inspired writing:

• Published Children’s Picture Book
• Published Fiction
• Unpublished Manuscript

It is hoped that more categories can be added in future years . . . but for that to happen, Omega Writers needs volunteers to organize and judge categories. I’d encourage you to prayerfully consider this—I’ve found judging competitions is a valuable help to my own writing and editing.

Who can enter?

Residents and citizens of Australia and New Zealand with books published during the 2014 or 2015 calendar years (so, yes, missionaries based overseas are eligible to enter).

Can self-published books enter?

Yes, as long as the book was produced as a paperback or hardcover. Digital-only ebooks aren’t eligible (but if you want to enter your self-published ebook, you do have time to publish paper copies via CreateSpace or IngramSpark).

Does my entry have to be Christian?

No, but it does have to be inspired by some aspect of your Christian faith, and it must reflect language, themes and a world view that honour Christ. The motto of Omega Writers is Words that change the world: that’s probably a clue as to what the judges will be looking for.

Will I get feedback on my entry?

All entrants to the Unpublished manuscript category will receive feedback on their entry.

When will I find out if I’ve won?

There will be two rounds of judging. A shortlist for each category will be published in September, and the winners of each category and the overall winner will be announced at a Gala dinner to be held at the Omega Writer’s Conference on 29 October 2016.

What are the prizes?

Category winners will each receive a cash prize of AUD 250, and an engraved trophy. The overall winner will receive an additional cash prize of AUD 500, an engraved trophy, plus AUD 300 towards the fees for any Omega Writers conference or workshop over the following 12 months.

If I win the Unpublished prize, will my book be published?

It’s a possibility—that decision isn’t up to Omega Writers! But at least two Australian publishers of faith-inspired fiction are expected to be present at the awards dinner, so who knows?

How much does it cost to enter the CALEB Prize?

AUD 50 for members of Omega Writers, and AUD 60 for non-members. You can join Omega Writers for AUD 52 per year.

When do entries close?

Monday 18 April 2016. Additional information and entry instructions are on the Omega Writers website: http://www.omegawriters.org/events/caleb-prize-submissions/

Omega Writers Conference

The conference will run from 28-30 October, and will be held at the Edmund Rice Retreat and Conference Centre in Sydney. Further details will be announced once program details have been finalized—applications to present a session, lead a workshop or participate as part of a panel are open until 16 April. An Expression of Interest form is available on the Omega Writer’s website, at http://www.omegawriters.org/conference-2016/.

For those organized types who are already on the lookout for cheap earlybird airfares, there will be a shuttle bus from Sydney Airport to the venue on Friday afternoon, departing at 1:30pm. A return shuttle will go on Sunday afternoon, leaving the venue at 1:30pm and Omega say “it is expected to take about an hour to reach the airport” (if Sydney traffic is anything like Auckland traffic, that should probably read “at least”. I look forward to being proven wrong).

Are you planning to enter the CALEB Awards, attend the conference or both?

Do you have any questions about the CALEB Awards? 

Simon Kennedy, President of Omega Writers, has promised to drop in later today and answer any questions, so now is your chance.

Picking up the pen again by Jo Wanmer

    A couple of weeks ago, interested parties gathered from across Australia and New Zealand. We came together at the Caleb Conference to celebrate writing . It was fun. It was helpful and inspiring. (Wombats are pictured on the left)
     I, however, felt like a fraud. Was I really a writer? Does one award-winning, published book qualify me as a real author? These feelings reminded me of the first time I walked into an Omega Writers meeting. Or tried to walk in. At the door I couldn't enter. I retraced my steps to the car. How could I even think of walking into an author's meeting? Yes I'd typed 80,000 words. Did that mean I could walk through that door? Surely I'd be looked at strangely. 
    However I needed help and lots of it, so I turned and crept in. That was the beginning of loads of encouragement, massive learning, shared expertise, and the birth of a passion for quality writing. 
    Three years later again I fought the same feelings. I haven't written for over a year, except for blogs and a few articles. And I stopped blogging in May. Surely I have disqualified myself. However, as I had prepaid for the conference months earlier, my husband insisted. 'Go! You know you want to write more. You must not give up.'
    Yes, my daughter's circumstances have been difficult and family always comes first. My creative brain was swamped in a sea of medical drama and overwhelming tiredness. I had laid down the pen and walked away.
    Somehow, whilst listening to speakers, sitting in workshops, and praying with friends, my thinking balanced.I have had quite a few articles published. I am more than a freak flash in the pan, more than one amazing God story. That story was the initial impetus, the beginning.
Listening and learning, I came away inspired to write, to get my novel out of mothballs, to push on. A few days later a friend sent me this poster.

     So I am writing. This blog may not be well crafted, but it is here! I must write, write a little every day.
    As soon as I made that decision I was hit from behind my the same medical monster.Two consecutive nights I spent in an emergency department, supporting my granddaughter. Tiredness swamped me. Even today, after 10 hours sleep, my armchair calls me.  As I type, my fingers hit the wrong keys and the page is covered with red lines, highlighting my ineptness.
    At Caleb conference I learnt to stay in the creative brain. Editing is for later. So resisting the urge to silence red squiggles, I continue to drop random letters on the page.
So I have begun. Next an article, maybe a poem and then - watch out book, here I come.

Jo Wanmer writes from an untidy desk in Kallangur, Qld. Her Book 'Though the Bud  be Bruised' won the Caleb unpublished manuscript award in 2011. There are other books, both fiction and non-fiction racing around her head, looking for a way past the brain fag!