The SBS Diversity in Food Media Australia Competition is a chance for budding food creatives to share their unique story and creative work and be in the running to win a cash prize pool of up to $9,000.
Along with the prize pool, there is an opportunity for your story or original work to appear on SBS Food.
The competition theme is ‘Journey through food’, which allows plenty of scope to write a non-fiction memoir piece, tell an original audio story or provide a piece of visual artwork on the theme.
So if you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident currently living in Australia; aged 18 and over, and who is not a published author of a book (written) or a regular food media contributor, employed as a radio presenter or prominent podcaster (audio) or previously managed by an agency or gallery (visual) then please read on.
The competition intends to raise the profile of aspiring writers who have had no previous exposure to the book publishing industry, paid food journalism or regularly published and paid work within the food media industry.
Entries need to be submitted between 9 am (AEDT) on February 21 and 6 pm (AEDT) on March 21, 2022.
Brewing ideas
The theme this year is ‘Journey through food’. You are free to interpret this any way you choose.
Your 'journey' may be material or spiritual. It may be cultural or social, or psychological.
For example, you could explore your experiences living or travelling through rural or urban Australia, or your experiences overseas. You may be inspired to explore stories from different countries you have lived in, and their impact on you.
What does '‘Journey through food’ mean to you? We'd like to hear your unique stories.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers are encouraged to enter
SBS wants to hear particularly from Indigenous voices.
“No matter where I've been in life, food has been an anchor," says Wiradjuri journalist and competition judge Rae Johnston. “Be it trying out new techniques, or recreating a family recipe, cooking is an outlet for creativity, focus, nurturing and joy. Plus, it's fun!”
SBS Food Managing Editor Farah Celjo says, “I have always wanted to create a safe and comfortable avenue to come together over food - it’s how I was raised. It might feel hard to convey what you want to say, but food is many things to many people and that is what makes this competition so exciting. We get to hear you and your story.”
Tell your food story
Tell the food story that only you can tell. So if you have an idea brewing, just get writing, taping or drawing.
For written stories, make your entry rich in anecdotes, quotes, descriptions and dialogue. For some examples of memoir stories about a diverse Australia check out the SBS Food website for some first-person story inspiration.
For audio entries, think about what you can convey strongly through audio within 2-3 minutes. the genre is non-fiction podcast or audio storytelling and please submit an MP4 file that speaks to the theme.
For visual entries, the genre is an illustration or visual depiction and expression of this competition’s theme. This could be a still image, illustration, photo, artwork or mixed media), uploaded as a JPEG, TIFF, PNG or PDF file.
Here are a few examples to get you thinking
Audio inspiration
Check out the food episode featuring Tyree Barnette on the SBS Voices podcast, The New Writer's Room.
Some other audio ideas that come to mind: ‘The Ugly Duckings of Italian Cuisine’, Highly Enthused, Home Cooking, Shoes Off Podcast, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry, The Kitchen Table, Dirty Linen with Dani Valent and Eat Eat Eat are a few to pique those audio senses.
Visual inspiration
Some ideas and visual inspiration that come to mind: @moreofsomethinggood, @nungalacreative, @luisabrimble, @alanadimou, @blakdouglas, @goodfoodcrapdrawing, @yellymonsta, @yanyancandyng, @ayshazak and @billiejusticethomson to name a few.
Tips for writing
A good starting point can be a story with a description of an image, dialogue from a conversation or simply an experience that is yours to share.
You may wish to use fiction-writing techniques such as setting a scene, and building suspense to a climax to keep readers engaged (rather than a straight recount of ‘this happened, then that happened…”).
You can also be playful and fun in the way you approach this as long as it speaks to the theme in your voice.
Using detailed descriptions also helps bring your story to life.
The word count is 1,000 words maximum, so make sure your entry fits within that range and ideally get a trusted friend to read it over and suggest any improvements or edits.
Some examples include:
Once you’re happy - send it in! Go to sbscreates.awardsplatform.com, register and follow the directions to submit your entry.
Entries need to be submitted between 9 am (AEDT) on February 21 and 6 pm (AEDT) on March 21, 2022.
You can only submit one entry per person. All entries must be submitted in English.
What happens next?
Food writer and cookbook author Hetty McKinnon, Wiradjuri journalist and presenter Rae Johnston, Audiocraft Managing Director Kate Montague, award-winning multi-disciplinary designer Evi O and SBS Food Managing Editor Farah Celjo, will be part of our judging panel.
The winning submission in the written category will be awarded a $3,000 prize to further their storytelling future, as well as having their story published on SBS Food.
The winning submission in the audio category will receive a $1,500 cash prize as well as one mentorship session with Audiocraft.
The winning submission in the visual category will receive a $1,500 cash prize as well as a chance for their work to be profiled on SBS Food.
There will also be a $1,500 prize awarded for two highly commended prizes for the written category.
Any questions?
Contact queries.food@sbs.com.au
