2021 Omega Writers Retreat
Unfortunately, the latest lockdowns have meant the Omega Writers Committee have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Omega Writers Retreat. Instead, the Committee have put together an online event.
Hold your diaries for the evening of Friday 8 October, and all day on Saturday 9 October from 9am.
Yes, we’ll miss meeting in person, but an online event is a good alternative.
- Friday night will start with the Omega Writers Annual General Meeting at 7pm, and there will be a fun activity for everyone at 8:30pm.
- Saturday will include a welcome from our President, Penny Reeve, genre discussions, presentations from Psychologist Collett Smart and author Nicole Partridge, and panels on publishing and marketing.
All times are Sydney/NSW time.
The CALEB Awards will begin at 7pm on Saturday. Attendance is free, but you will need to register to receive the Zoom link. Click here to register.
The programme will cost AUD 50 for members of Omega Writers, and AUD 70 for nonmembers. Click here to reserve your place via TryBooking.
Omega Writer’s Retreat Scholarships
There will be five scholarships available for the online event. Click here to apply.
Encouragement Award
Nominations are still open for the Caleb Encouragement Award.
If you’re a current paid member of Omega Writers, we would like to invite you to nominate a fellow Christian writer for an Encouragement Award.
This could be:
- A writer who has gone out of their way to support other writers (this will be a NEW CALEB award launched at this year’s Online Retreat)
- A writer who you believe needs encouragement.
We have three simple guidelines for the writers you nominate for either type of award:
- Nominees must be Christian writers currently living in Australia, New Zealand, or the South Pacific.
- Nominees can be published or unpublished writers in any genre.
- Nominees do not have to be members of Omega Writers.
Please email caleb @ omegawriters.org and tell us:
- The type of Encouragement Award you would like to nominate a writer for
- Your name and email address
- Up to 200 words explaining why you believe this writer should receive this prize.
- The name and email/website address of the author you’d like to nominate (so we can contact them if they win)
Nominations close on 31 August 2021.
Omega Writers Book Fair
The 2021 Omega Writers Book Fair went ahead almost as planned. A snap lockdown for South-East Queensland was announced as the sixteen authors set up their tables. The day went ahead anyway, although the turnout was (unsurprisingly) lower than anticipated and the event finished early to allow people to get home.
Visitors enjoyed readings from the attending authors, as well as a workshop by Anne Hamilton and a panel on Marketing and Promotion for Authors.
The winners of the Book Fair writing competition were also announced, with entrants writing a poem or short story with the theme of Hope.
The winners of the four categories, as announced at the Book Fair on 31 July 2021 are:
Unpublished Writer
- Poetry by an unpublished writer – Helen Bishop with her poem Hope
- Shorty Story by an unpublished writer – Warren Brooks with his short story Christmas Hope
Published Writer
- Poetry by published writer – Joy Mal with her poem Waiting
- Short Story by published writer – Hazel Barker with her short story Hope Springs Eternal
Click here for more information, and photographs.
