Beyond Blue is pleased to be the beneficiary of the next Hope Prize, an international writers’ prize which seeks to discover new writing talent.
The Hope Prize, presented in partnership with Simon & Schuster and Readings, has selected Beyond Blue as its 2024 not-for-profit beneficiary.
Beyond Blue CEO, Georgie Harman thanked The Hope Prize for their support.
“I am delighted that Beyond Blue has been chosen as the beneficiary of this year’s Hope Prize,” said Ms Harman.
“The theme of the competition is hope, courage and resilience which resonates with us at Beyond Blue. We recognise it takes strength and courage to take that first step and reach out for support, and we know that when it comes to managing our mental health, hope is fundamental to recovery.”
“As well, we know that storytelling and creative expression can be effective ways to protect and enhance our mental health. Stories can inspire, break down barriers and bring people closer together.
An anthology comprised of submissions to The Hope Prize will be published and royalties donated to Beyond Blue.
“The donation gifted to Beyond Blue will go towards our support services, which receives on average 900 contacts a day, from people right around Australia,” said Ms Harman.
Former Governor General Dame Quentin Bryce said she is proud to be supporting Beyond Blue in her role as founding judge of The Hope Prize.
“For more than 20 years, Australians have put their trust in Beyond Blue as a source of free, 24/7 mental health information, advice and support. This respected and admired national organisation gives hope and support to any person in our community who is living through anxiety and depression.
“Beyond Blue deepens our understanding of the causes of and the treatments for mental health. Importantly it enables people with lived experience to share their stories of inspiration and courage.
“This prize reminds us to focus on the power of hope and resilience. No matter what, we can look to hope to get us through the hard times, the tough gullies. Hope is the constant reassurance, the light in the darkest of days,” said Dame Bryce.
In addition to monetary prizes of $10,000, $2,000 and $1,000 for first, second and third places, respectively – an anthology of the winning and highly commended works will be published in 2024.
Submissions for fiction and non-fiction stories of between 2,000-5,000 words are open until Friday 22 March 2024.
