NEW Writers Group Inc is grateful for the interest and encouragement shown to Parramatta writers, and to our colleagues in Western Sydney, through the support of our project, Writing Parramatta 2021, by a City of Parramatta Council Creative Economy Grant. More details soon. Carol Amos, President NWG Inc.
Category Archives: ZineWest
ZineWest 2020 – Award List
Back Cover Image: Angela-Ana Pavlovic Front Cover Image: Michaela Simoni
Congratulations to all our contributors for putting together another memorable collection of writing and art from Western Sydney. The award winners are:
ART AWARDS – JUDGE, SOPHIA KOUYOUMDJIAN, Director of Parramatta Artists Studios
Best Image: $100 – Erin Macnaught
Runner-up: Giramondo title – Marina Robins
WRITING AWARDS – JUDGE, LUKE CARMAN, Author and lecturer WSU
1st Prize $400 – Arna Radovich for Last Breath
2nd Prize $300 – Louise Loomes for The Still Point
3rd Prize $200 – Matilda Hart for Magic Deck
Highly Commended: Awards – Giramondo titles
Peter Cartwright for Bi@19
Erin Middleton for My Body Stands in the Mirror
Dorian Stoilescu for The Insomnias of Summer
Editor’s Award: Giramondo Title – Raqiya Ahmed for Colour the Crescent
ZineWest Shop
Thanks to everyone who has used our NEW SHOP to purchase copies of ZineWest 2020. Please order very soon if you want a copy in time for the launch on Saturday 28th November. Any delivery issues please let us know. ZW2020 sells for $15 plus postage. Contributors’ first copy is free plus $5 for posting.
ZineWest 2020 Launch
Launch date for ZW2020, Saturday 28 November, 11 am on Zoom
Program: Writing and Art awards plus readings and Luke Carman’s report!
Launch will finish around 12:30 pm
Prizes – Writing: Judge Luke Carman
1st Prize is as previously stated $400
Due to a generous donor we now have cash prizes for 2nd: $300 and 3rd: $200
This means we can offer Giramondo titles to the highly commended writers
Best Prose and Best Poem – certificates
Editor’s award – Giramondo title
Prizes – Art: Judge Sophia Kouyoumdjian
Best Image: $100, runner-up: Book
NB We don’t advise awards ahead of the launch.
Obtaining your ZW2020 copies $15
Contributors’ first copy is free plus postage
For five or more copies ask for a postage quote:
ZINE Items available | PRICE | |
1 Free copy | $5 (postage) | |
1 Free copy + 1 bought $15 | $20 (includes $5 postage) | |
Two bought @$15 | $35 (includes $5 postage) | |


Cover images: Front: Michaela Simoni Back: Angela-Ana Pavlovic
ZineWest 2020 Publication List
We are delighted to advise that after the usual tussle the ZW team selected 29 works for ZW2020. We are always short on space and hope to hear more entries read at ZW WORD following the print zine launch. All the pieces below are seen by the judge, Dr. Luke Carman. His award decisions are announced at the launch. (Due to Covid we are waiting on a date.)
Congratulations to the writers listed:
Raqiya Ahmed – Colour the Crescent
Shobna Arumugam – King of Kings
C.A. Broadribb – Whoever’s Counting Has to be Loud
Katelyn Brunner – Eighteen
Peter Cartwright – Bi@19
Dianne Cikusa – An Ending and a Beginning
Neil Collis – Sanctuary
Danny Draper – Open Road
Marie Dustmann – Shape-shifting
Norm Fairbairn – To My Father’s House They Came
Matilda Hart – Magic Deck
Lisel Herrmann – A Day that Sparkled and Shone
Smaranda Kafka – The Perfect Candidate
Myra Koch – Bench on the Beach
Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan – Witch Sliver
Louise Loomes – The Still Point
Ana Rose – Two-Way Window
Erin Middleton – My Body Stands in the Mirror
Alison Miller – Drooping Rose
Jo Mularczyk – Behind the Veil
Denise Newton – In the Pool
May Ngo – Edouard Louis
Anastasia Pavlovic – In Search of Sanctuary
Arna Radovich – Last Breath
Christopher Sammut – Rats
Michaela Simoni – A New Canvas
Nathan Smith – The New Frontier of Literature
Dorian Stoilescu – The Insomnias of Summer
Dannielle Viera – The Ring
ZineWest 2020 Selection Team: S.E. Crawford, Mihaela Cristescu, Rob Dunn, Lyn Leerson (FAW), Jacqui de Staic, Ruth Wyer . Comp Secretary: Carol Amos
Art for ZineWest 2020
ArtEntryForm_ZW2020
ZineWest loves to include art from creatives (with a Western Sydney connection) in the print zine. Unlike the writing entries, art can be previously published or exhibited (but not won a prize). Created in the last 18 months and suitable for an A5 (Portrait) digitally printed zine. Free entry, offer up to 3 works, first prize: $100 Judge sees all entries.
Due Date: 5 July Our printer asks for 300 dpi please.
See below the winning image by Marina Robins in ZineWest 2019. Go to ZineWest Page for pdf of full zine
ZineWest – Our Judge
Our ZineWest judge is author and lecturer Dr Luke Carman. All the entries selected for publication by the NWG Inc panel are forwarded to Luke who nominates the following prizes: 1st $400; 2nd and 3rd Giramondo titles; Best poem, Best prose, Highly Commendeds. Read Luke’s commentary from last year in pdf format ZW19_Judge’sReview_LukeCarman
Co-Sponsor of writing prizes is the Writing and Society Research Centre, WSU.
ZineWest 2020 due 10 May
We hope your are enduring this tough period and that you have time to send us your wonderful short works – poetry prose cartoon/comic. Due date: 10th May See ENTRY FORM for eligibility, word limits and prize details! If you click on ZineWest in the menu you can find pdfs of earlier editions. Co-sponsored by Writing and Society Research Centre WSU
ZineWest 2020 – due 10 May
ZineWest 2020 is OPEN! ZineWest is an annual competition and journal for new writers, 16 years and over, with a strong Western Sydney connection. We welcome any word-based creative work we can reproduce. (NB but this year we are declining work written for the under 16’s.) Free entry, up to three pieces. Deadline is 10 May, 2020. WritingEntryForm_ZW2020
This is our fourteenth year. A good number of our past entrants have graduated to trade publication and we hope the same for all writers who entrust their work to us. We print publish around 30 writers and ten visual artists, plus a further ten writers are invited to present their work at an Open Mic comp. We welcome a range of styles and subjects. ZW is a good place for those shorter works not necessarily suited to a bigger competition. All works selected for print publication are forwarded to the judge, Luke Carman (An Elegant Young Man, Intimate Antipathies). Prizes include $400 (first place) and Giramondo Titles. We look forward to reading your work! NB The art entry form will be available in May.
ZineWest 2019 Comp results
Writing Awards from Left: Rob Field (Director UNE Sydney, Nic Lesley (HC), Danielle Catherine (HC), Peter Cartwright (Best Poem), Alexander Donoghue (3rd Place), Hamish Spark (2nd Place), Naima Ibrahim (Winner of ZW19), Luke Carman (Judge).
Co-sponsor Writing awards the Writing and Society Research Centre WSU ; Art: private sponsors; ZW Word: private sponsor and SWEATSHOP
For full pdf see ZineWest Page plus two winning artworks
Editor’s Award was won by Laila Nawsheen. The prize was Yumna Kassab’s story collection The House of Youssef, (Giramondo) and presented by the author on left.
.ZWWord – Open Mic awards: From Left Carol Amos (NWG Inc Pres), Sue Crawford (ed ZW), Michaela Simoni (joint runner-up) Chris Winspear (joint runner-up) Kathryn Yuen (winner) Judges Annie Zhang and Jason Gray. Private sponsor and SWEATSHOP
ZW19 Art Awards: From left – Art Contributors Erin Macnaught, C.A. Broadribb and Michaela Simoni stood in for winner of Best Image Marina Robins and runner-up Tom Blake both unavoidably absent. On the right is Parramatta author Felicity Castagna and Rob Field UNE Sydney who did the honours!