Macquarie Uni announces new poetry prize for young writers

Macquarie University has announced the inaugural Sophia Nugent-Siegal Poetry Prize for writers aged 30 and under.

The prize is in honour of poet Sophia Nugent Siegal, who died in 2014 of a rare autoimmune condition at the age of 22. It was established through a gift to Macquarie University from Sophia’s mother, Robyn Nugent.

Macquarie University deputy vice-chancellor John Simons said the university hopes the prize ‘will become a prestigious feature of the Australian literary scene and a living memory of Sophia’s wonderful life’. ‘Sophie was a brilliant student and a gifted writer and this competition reflects the creative spirit that she brought to everything she did,’ said Simons.

Organisers said that as a writer and historian, ‘Sophia believed that we exist within the stream of time, [and] that artists and writers need to become part of the long conversation which is human culture’.

The judging panel will comprise a noted poet and Macquarie University academics.

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Category: Local news