Category of poetry for entrants under the age of 25

The jury in this category, consisting of Lucy Bracher from Cooma, Professor Robert Debski from Melbourne, Dr Maria Besemeres from Canberra and Dr Ernestyna Skurjat-Kozek (President of the Puls Polonii Cultural Foundation) from Sydney, decided to commend the following teenage poets:

1. Dannielle Kelley, aged 13, from Cooma, to be awarded a Prize of $100 for her poem about Immigrant Workers of the Snowy Hydro Scheme. The poem was entitled “It was 1949” and was illustrated with archival photographs.

2. Joanna Sroczynska, aged 17, from Konin in Poland, to be awarded a book about Mt Kosciuszko for her poem about Tadeusz Kosciuszko entitled "Passing days, and years flow by”. The book by Alan Andrews is called “Kosciuszko, The Mountain in History. Her teacher, Mrs Wydrzynska-Roszak, will also be sent a DVD about the construction of the power station of the Snowy Hydro Scheme entitled "Operation Adaminaby”. This facility is often called the 8 Wonder of the World.

Congratulations to all entrants!

Prize-winning entries will be published in the Commemorative Festival booklet “Mountain Whispers – Anthology”. Prize-winners and jurors will receive a complimentary copy of the Festival booklet.

Lucy Bracher, Robert Debski, Maria Besemeres, Ernestyna Skurjat-Kozek

Sydney, 31 March 2008