My Brother Jack Awards

The 2021 My Brother Jack Awards were wonderfully supported by the Glen Eira community this year, with nearly 600 entries submitted across eight short story and poetry categories.

Thank you to everyone who entered. We look forward to seeing you back again next year.

Short story awards

Open

3,000 word limit
No age restriction
First prize: $1,000
Second prize: $600
Third prize: $400

Senior Secondary School

1,000 word limit
Years 10 to 12
First prize: $500 shopping voucher

Junior Secondary School

500 word limit
Years 7 to 9
Prize: $400 shopping voucher

Primary School

500 word limit
Years 1 to 6
Prize: $300 shopping voucher

Poetry awards

Open

60 line limit
No age restriction
First prize: $1,000
Second prize: $600
Third prize: $400

Senior Secondary School

30 line limit
Years 10 to 12
Prize: $500 shopping voucher

Junior Secondary School

10 line limit
Years 7 to 9
Prize: $400 shopping voucher

Primary School

10 line limit
Years 1 to 6
Prize: $300 shopping voucher

Background to My Brother Jack

My Brother Jack is a novel written by George Johnston, published in 1964. Johnston grew up in Elsternwick, and his mother Minnie was a Voluntary Aid Detachment member during the war.

My Brother Jack is a semi-autobiographical novel that follows the character of David Meredith through his youth in inter-war Melbourne. David’s mother is a VAD at Caulfield Repatriation Hospital on Kooyong Road, and she often brings wounded soldiers into their house. His childhood is filled with injured and traumatised men, and his memories of the hospital are a powerful view of war’s impact through a child’s eyes.

An Australian classic, the novel brought Glen Eira’s post-war experience into the national consciousness. Johnston’s book won the Miles Franklin Award in 1964.

The My Brother Jack Awards, Glen Eira City Council’s annual literary competition, acknowledge the lasting impact of Johnston’s work.

_{Sources:
G Johnston, My Brother Jack, William Collins, Sons, 1964
VAD Register, Red Cross Australia (Victoria)}