After Creative Nation concludes, in early August the Crocodile Prize Organising Committee, COG, through PNG Attitude, will announce the winners of this year’s Crocodile Prize awards.

We will do this at the rate of one writer each day according to the following schedule:

Sunday 3 August – Buk bilong Pikini Award for Writing for Children

Monday 4 August – Cleland Family Award for Heritage Writing

Tuesday 5 August – People’s Award for Short Stories

Wednesday 6 August – PNG Chamber of Mines & Petroleum award for Essays & Journalism

Thursday 7 August – Kina Securities Award for Poetry

Friday 8 August – Ok Tedi Mining Award for Book of the Year

So hang on to your seats, we’ve got some big news coming up in PNG Attitude.

THE WRITERS & THEIR WORKS

Agnes Are is an English teacher at Kundiawa Lutheran Day High School.

Creation: Re-introduce corporal punishment to the PNG education system.

Agnes Rita Maineke, 57, who was born in Monoitu, Bougainville, completed her secondary education in 1975 at O’Connor Catholic High School in Armidale, NSW. She later graduated from Balob Teachers College as a primary school teacher and that remains her profession. During the 1989-99 Bougainville crisis, she was one of the many mothers who survived terrible disaese due to the lack of medication and life in internment camp. She says her daughter encouraged to get over her experienecs through writing. Agnes now teaches at Turiboiru Primary School in Buin, South Bougainville.

Creation: While war raged in Bougainville, there was a miracle at Haisi

Akilino Powesiu, 34, is from Port Moresby and is deeply passionate about writing, especially murder mysteries. He spends much time reading novels and watching movies to learn from the scripts.

Creation: The odd tumbler

Albert K Tobe, 32, is from Min j ion Jiwaka Province. He is a lecturer at Divine Word University specialising in project management training especially to adult distance and flexible learning students.

Creation: Hypocrite!

Alfred Kawo, 33, from Kundiawa, Simbu Province, has a Diploma in Theology and is engaged in church activities as a layman.

Creation: Addressing the behavioural crisis among PNG’s youth

Arnold Mundua, 49, from Gembogl, Simbu Province, and is a forester employed by the PNG Forest Authority as Simbu provincial forest officer. He is the author of two novels, A Bride’s Price and Elap Returns, and is currently working on a third, They Call Me Yaetep. He is a founding member of the Simbu Writers Association.

Creation: The everlasting pain

Axel Lynton Rice, 17, from Lae is completing his final year of high school in Ipswich, Australia. He is interested in reading and writing and intends to go to university and pursue a career with technology.

Creation: Fireworks on a black canvas

Baka Barakove Bina, 52, is from Kotiyufa village near Iufi Iufa in the Eastern Highlands. He has four adult children and has worked in the registry of the National Court in Port Moresby since 1993. Baka has published his first book, Zymur, with Oxford University Press in 2003 and has recently published two new works through Create Space.

Creation: I was born a person

Benjamin Saimbel Barcson, 33, was born in Dreikikir in East Sepik Province and is currently a second year doctoral student in the Graduate School of International Development at Nagoya University in Japan.

Creation: The scandal of the manipulation of development funds in PNG

Benny Geteng from Lae is a secondary school teacher turned journalist working with EMTV in Port Moresby as a researcher for the Resource PNG program. He has a passion for feature writing.

Creation: Shaidrach: RaitAPP whizz kid puts PNG on world stage

Bernard Singu Yegiora, 30, is from Kundiawa, Simbu Province, and lectures in the Department of PNG Studies and International Relations at Divine Word University. He is a political science and history graduate of the University of PNG and holds a master’s degree in international politics from Jilin University in China. Bernard has published many articles in the Sunday Chronicle newspaper and PNG Attitude. He is a member of the Crocodile prize Organising Group.

Creation: Dependency syndrome drove PNG to let Australia off refugee hook

Betty Isikiel, 25, grew up in Port Moresby and graduated with a BA in Social & Religious Studies from Divine Word University. She is employed by DWU as executive officer at the Postgraduate & Research Centre. Betty loves sketching, design, singing and, most of all, literature.

Creation: Prophecy: The future of the past

Betty Gabriel Wakia, 27, is from Hela Province and is currently studying education and technology at Tianjin University of Education and Technology in China under a Chinese government scholarship.

Creation: Comparing the education systems of China & Papua New Guinea

Biangke R Sinebare is in Grade 7 at Prenorkwa Lutheran Primary School in Kundiawa, Simbu Province.

Creation: Wara Simbu

Bomai Dick Witne, 37, was born in Neragaima in the Kerowagi District of Simbu. He is a senior tutor in the Division of Social Sciences at the University of Goroka.

Creation: For the good of the family – Nembare, an unsung builder of PNG

Boniface Tony, 17, comes from Mingende in Simbu Province. He says he is concerned about the future of families in PNG and this prompted him to write the short story, Does it always have to end like this.

Creation: Does it always have to end like this?