The deadline is fast looming for pitches to the Gavin Mooney Memorial Essay Competition, which is a joint project of the University of Wollongong, Croakey.org, and the online magazine Inside Story.
The competition honours the work and memory of the late Professor Gavin Mooney, a health economist who was a tireless advocate for social justice in local, national and international arenas. He was also a prolific contributor to Croakey.
Rather than awarding a prize for a completed essay (as was the case with the competition in 2013-2015), applicants are asked to submit a 500-word pitch for an essay or work of reportage on the topic of inequality and health. From these, an applicant will be commissioned to expand their proposal into a full-length article for a fee of $5000.
Keywords to consider include: power, community, voice, solutions, justice.
The essay may take a local, national or global focus. Entry is open to anyone, in Australia or overseas, whether academics, writers, journalists or citizens.
The $5,000 grant is donated by the University of Wollongong.
Applications should be sent to info@Croakey.org by midnight on 27 October.
As well as their pitch, applicants are asked to provide:
• A short biography and CV, indicating their capacity to undertake the project
• Two relevant samples of previous work
• Details of two referees who have previously published the applicant’s work or who know their work well
• A work plan indicating how the applicant would have the essay ready for publication within four months of being awarded the $5,000 grant.
This is not intended to be an academic publication. Please pitch your essay for a general audience (although you are welcome to provide references).
Entries must not have been previously published. A decision will be made by mid-November.
The winning entry will be published by Inside Story and Croakey, and editorial processes will be jointly managed by Peter Browne and Melissa Sweet. The aim is to publish the winning entry in the first half of 2018.
Judging processes
Judging criteria include:
- The work will be disruptive i.e. challenging or prompting change in status quo
- The work will incorporate novel ideas or approaches or thinking or style
- The work will tell stories that matter
- The quality of the writing.
Professor Glenn Salkeld, Peter Browne and Dr Ruth Armstrong will jointly develop a short list of five applications with a final decision to be made by these judges:
Professor Simon Eckerman, health economist, UoW
Professor Paul Chandler, Pro Vice Chancellor, UoW
Ms Kelly Briggs, writer and author
Professor Glenn Salkeld, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, UoW
Mr Peter Browne, Editor, Inside Story
Dr Ruth Armstrong, Editor, Croakey
(Please note that Melissa Sweet withdrew from the judging processes due to conflicts of interest).
More information can be found here.
