Family sponsors writing award

 BUSINESSMAN Ken Harvey and his daughter Sarah are behind the soon-to-be-launched Tapa Prize for PNG Writing – a writing competition to discover and promote writing talent in PNG. 

The competition, which is open to writers of all ages, will be launched at this week’s National Book Week. 

A total of K20,000 in prize money has been provided.

The Tapa prize is financed by the Harvey Family Trust and runs in conjunction with Tapa Pacific Publishing Ltd, a newly-established PNG publishing house which will focus on local writers. 

The company has been formed as a partnership with PNG publisher and book distributor Bob McTaggart.

The competition will be run between August and November and will provide an opportunity for local people to write about PNG and get their stories published both here and overseas.

A board has been formed to run the writing award and includes Harvey, McTaggart and Sarah who are directors of Tapa Pacific Publishing, Port Moresby, and Jacob Hevelawa, the director-general of the Office of Libraries and Archives. 

Sarah, who is based in the Netherlands, will judge the winners and travel to PNG in November for the prize-giving. 

The K20,000 prize is to be held in trust at Blake Dawson Lawyers until prizes are handed out in November.

Harvey, who is managing director of Remington, said he and his daughter were keen to foster local talent in PNG through awards and competitions like this.

He said there was a lack of reading material available on the history and stories of PNG. 

“The Harvey Family Trust is keen to foster and encourage local talent right through to publishing stage,” he said.

He said the Tapa Prize for PNG Writing would offer prizes in three award categories: 

.Junior writers – primary school students aged 8-13; 

.Young writers – high school and secondary students aged 14-18; and 

.Adult writers – all PNG citizens and permanent residents aged 18 and over.

Junior writers should write up to 500 words and compete for the K500 in prize money plus a K500 donation to their school. 

Young writers are invited to write a short story of no more than 2,500 words and compete for the K1,500 prize plus a K1,000 donation to their learning institution.

Adults may write up to 5,000 words – a short story or personal essay on any topic or theme related to PNG and its culture – and will compete for K5,000.

The winning story will be featured in a book published by the Founders.  

Shortlisted finalists in the adult section may be awarded runner-up prizes at the judges’ discretion.

Harvey said further details and posters on the competition would be distributed to schools and universities shortly. 

For more information you can go to www.tapapacificpublishing.com or you can email [email protected]