While the Oscars, the BAFTAs and even the Nobel Prize for Literature might be mired in controversy, the club’s Annual Awards Dinner for 2018 stood proud and unblemished.
A groaning table of trophies
The Savoy Park Hotel fed a clutch of local writers all hungry to share and celebrate their successes. With certificates a-plenty awarded to those whose writing merited commendations, third and second prizes, let the photographs of grins, smiles and handshakes tell the story of the evening as each first prize-winner received something to put on the mantelpiece from club President Alison Craig.
Nigel Ward – for the Bioforce Vogel Book Review competition
Dorothy Gallagher – Burns Shield for the Jenny Cadas Poetry competition
Linda Brown – for the J R & C H Mair Quaich Scottish Article competition
Suzy Kelly – for the Novel writing trophy
And Suzy again – for the Leigh Trophy Flash Fiction competition
Carolyn O’Hara and Chris Palmer – joint winners of the SAW Women’s Short Story competition
Maggie Bolton – for the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce Drama competition
And Maggie again – for the Scotland’s Artists’ Children’s Fiction competition
Linda Brown – for the Ishbel Robertson Trophy as the overall prize-winner
Chris Palmer – for the Archie Quigley Best Novice Writer
As ever, not everybody could make this illustrious evening and there were rounds of applause for the winners of trophies that remained on the table for delivery or collection at a later date:
- Anna Collard-Scruby – for the Elsie Miller Trophy Non-Fiction Article competition
- Pat Young – for the Ellie Hamilton Trophy General Short Story competition and the Dorrith Sim Trophy as published writer of the year
And then there was the raffle. After a rush of late purchases, and blue tickets confused with green tickets, we watched the inevitable lucky, very lucky and extremely lucky staggering from the hotel under the weight of multiple bags thanks to the generosity of all those involved, whether buying tickets or donating prizes.
The raffle team poised for action
As the evening drew to a close, Alison extended her thanks to all involved in supporting her custodianship of the club during 2017/18, and congratulated everyone who had entered a competition during the year. They too, she reminded us, were winners in their own right, by summoning up the confidence to enter, having the courage to open their writing to the scrutiny of adjudicators and having received positive and constructive feedback upon which their future work can build.
Finally, the club gavel was passed to safe hands for the forthcoming year, with Linda Brown and Gill Sherry assuming the role of Joint Presidents for 2018/19.
Alison hands the gavel to Linda Brown and Gill Sherry
Now, start drafting those entries for next year’s competitions.
Nigel Ward