AFL Record short story competition

The AFL Record has teamed up with Virgin Australia, the official airline of the AFL, to encourage aspiring writers to try their hand at short story writing with an AFL theme.

The AFL Record 2011 Short Story Competition, which will run for eight weeks through the AFL Record, asks writers to submit a previously unpublished story of no more than 2,000 words focusing on the AFL in 2022. The goals of the competition are:

• to promote fine short story fiction about Australian football,
• to fantasise about the future of Australian football.

The brief (available via aflrecord.com.au/shortstory) explains that the game has gone International, with professional teams playing in zones across Asia, Europe, America, South America, the Pacific and Australia. Every four years, the world unites to play for the AFL World Rules, the first of which was played four years before in 2018.

Entrants are encouraged to let their imagination take over. They can concentrate on one zone if they wish, focusing on the impact of the game on the local culture or they can write their story from a team or an individual perspective. However, all entries must include a reference to how football became an international game.

“The possibilities of what can occur on the field in any AFL game are basically limitless,” AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said. “We want to see our fans let their imaginations run to their limits, on where our game can be in a decade from now.

“Our game continues to grow, as people love the excitement, the skills and the courage of the players, and we want to reward the best writer who can encapsulate the next step for Australian football.”

Judges for the competition include: AFL Record Managing Editor and Chief Executive of The Slattery Media Group, Geoff Slattery; AFL Record Editor, Peter Di Sisto; AFL General Manager of Corporate Affairs & Communications, Brian Walsh; AFL Media Relations Manager, Patrick Keane and media commentator and author Dwayne Russell.

The winner will have their entry published in the 2011 Toyota AFL Grand Final Record, on sale from September 26, and will receive two (V Australia) return, premium economy, international flights to Los Angeles.

Competition closes Sunday, August 7, 2011 at midnight. For full terms and conditions visit www.aflrecord.com.au/shortstory