We are glad to announce that the book ”I have decided to remain vertical” –by Gayelene Carbis (Australia) won the writers choice award.
It was the first time ever we launched this award that is a distinction equal to the Grand Prize that’s why the winner gets the same prize (five days staying in Athens to attened the cerempny) or if she /he prefers to have the book translated into Greek.
It was the first time that Gayelene submitted a book into our contest.
The prize is very important also because prize winner writers vote for it! We thank and congratulate all of them!
I have decided to remain vertical was the prize winning book of the published/poetry category
Gayelene Carbis is an award-winning Australian/Irish/Chinese/Cornish writer of poetry, prose, short film, and plays. Gayelene’s first poetry collection, Anecdotal Evidence (Five Islands Press) was awarded Finalist, International Best Book Award, U.S. Her second book of poetry, I Have Decided to Remain Vertical (Puncher and Wattmann) has been Finalist /Distinguished Favourite in numerous international poetry book awards in 2023 and 2024 (U.K.; U.S.) and most recently awarded Highly Commended in the NSW Society of Women Writers’ Poetry Book Award 2024.
Gayelene’s work has been widely published, performed and won/been finalist in poetry, prose, short film and playwriting awards in Australia/overseas, including India, Malaysia, Nepal, Edinburgh, Oxford, New York, and Canada, where she was awarded a Banff Residency Scholarship in Poetry. She teaches Creative Writing in universities and at Sandy beach (Sandringham) and works as a writing mentor and manuscript assessor. She is currently working on two collections: prose poetry; and auto-fiction/memoir.
Gayelene lives and works on the unceded land of the Boonwurrung people.
Eyelands Book Awards 