2011 Cultural Icons & Vernacular Lounge Non-fiction Writing Competition

Judged by: Graham Beattie, Federico Monsalve, Linda Blincko
Prizes include:  Creative Hub Writing Course, Random House book package, publication in MORPH magazine, recorded on Jam Radio.

Iconic Encounters of a Vernacular Kind

“Vernacular:  Belonging in place, knowing your own stories, realising your own potential. Being yourself rather than trying to be someone else”
Tony Watkins

“In the imported soil of language and tradition, but in new sunshine, wind, and rain, we must grow our own prose and poetry”
Alan Mulgan 

“What is ‘New Zealand identity’? How do we express ourselves through these particular cultural activities which are after all, universal?” 

Ian Wedde

Cultural Icons & the Vernacular Lounge are accepting entries for ‘Iconic Encounters of a Vernacular Kind’ a non-fiction narrative competition on the topic of New Zealand’s distinctive local culture through its everyday icons.

Whether you write from Ponsonby, Mt Victoria, Lyttleton or the Bluff there are entities and phenomena unique to your community.  The focus of your entry could be an iconic person, building, event, activity, object or feature of the landscape or built environment, which embodies or elicits a sense of place or identity.

The aims are to gain an insight into the characteristics that contribute to a local vernacular^* and to unearth some of its many tales.

The winning entries will be judged on quality and originality of the writing, clarity of expression, uniqueness of the subject, and most of all, on how your subject depicts identity or community.

For more information please visit:  www.culturalicons.co.nz or www.depotartspace.co.nz

Deadline: 4pm 1^st of September 2011