ASCCA Creative Writing & Photography Competition 2015 

This is an invitation to all members to use their superior writing and photography talents to win honour and glory (sorry, no money) for themselves and AUSOM.  The 2015 ASCCA (Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association) Competitions are on again. This is the ninth time the competitions have been run, and at least the sixth time that AUSOM members have participated. AUSOM did very well in 2014!

Writers

In the Writers competitions with Chris McQuillen taking a First and Second place in the Prose sections, Peter Mackinlay (me) taking two First places in the poetry and our club being awarded Second place Champion Club in Creative Writing overall.

However many of you are much better writers than Chris and Peter, so here is your chance to prove it! All financial members of AUSOM except professional writers are eligible to enter.

Themes and Details

The Competition Organisers set the themes, but you can tailor your story or poem so it fits. Use your imagination. Prose – You can enter one story only for each of the three topics (ie, three entries total), with each no more than 1,000 words. Poetry – You can enter one poem only, in any style, for each of the three topics (ie, three entries total), using 300 words or less. This year there are the same three topics for both prose and poetry.

They are:

I. Open topic:	Write about whatever you like: beer, a past romance, the day you shot down Baron Manfred von Richtofen, winning Tatts, anything.
2. I remember ... :	An opportunity to submit a memoir. A past achievement perhaps? Maybe the story of some childhood escapade that shocked and horrified your parents and brought shame to your school? Write it down, or make it up.
3. The day the rain came:	Did it save your crops and your farm from poverty and heartbreak? Or just leave spots all over your newly-washed car? Maybe it wet all your washing minutes before you were going to take it off the line. Rain can be a force for good or evil. Tell us about it.

This is a Club event and all entries count for the Club Championship, so the more entries the better. You can either email me with your intentions and I will send you the Entry Form and Conditions, or go directly to the ASCCA site competition page http://www.ascca.org.au/index.php/conferences-competitions-events/2015-ascca-competitions and download them yourself. Either way, although you can enter independently, we ask that entries be sent to me by Wednesday 12 August 2015 to give me time to check entries for typos and compliance with entry conditions, consolidate them with our other entries and submit by the closing time of 4.00 pm Monday 31 August. Email petermac@ncable.net.au with ASCCA as the Subject. Good luck!

1. Photo Journalism – This category is for “on the spot” photos which tell a story – such as might be seen in the news media.   The judge will weigh the story-telling value as well as the quality of the photos in this category. Cropping and techniques that enhance the presentation of the image, without changing the photo journalism content, are permitted. Major manipulations which alter the “truth” of the documentary record would be against the spirit of this category.
2. Photo Travel – This category will look for a photograph that captures the real essence and culture of a place and portrays the interest and joy of travel as an experience.  It may be taken anywhere in the world, including Australia
3. People/Portrait – The photographs in this category will be of one or more people and may be a formal or informal portrait or a photo of a person or people in a natural or contrived setting.
4. Landscape/Seascape – These photographs will be of predominantly natural scenery – either land, coastal or water.  Although they may include animals, people, boats or buildings these must be incidental to the overall view.
5. Landscape, Structural/Manmade – This category allows photographs that are predominately of manmade objects, including cityscapes and building(s) and parts thereof, although they may include natural features, people or animals.
6. Animal (s) – This category will also include Birds, Fish and other living creatures either wild or domestic.
7. Open – In response to many requests for an OPEN Category which allows our members to enter subjects not necessarily covered in the other six categories we have replaced the least popular of the categories from the last few years.  We trust you will enjoy this new challenge and look forward to many interesting and varied entries.

• All photographs submitted must be taken by the entrant on a digital camera since 30th August, 2014 and should include the date on the file.  
•  Entrants can submit only one digital image in each category. Composite photographs e.g. panorama count as one.
• Each photograph is to be given a unique title
• Photographs must be submitted in jpeg format. 
• Each entrant to have their photographs (including head and shoulders photo of the entrant) in a separate folder.
• An official INDIVIDUAL entry form AND a CLUB entry form must be included with each entry. 
  ASCCA reserves the right to use photographs submitted for promotional purposes and winning entries may be placed on the ASCCA Website or in ASCCA publications. The photographer retains the copyright of the photograph.