The young writer program panellists are as we speak are marking the 2020 young writers for the 2020 annual Basil Sellers Awards for the annual young writer conference on Saturday 12 Sept on the Gold Coast.
So who might be in the running for this year in each group. There are seven different groups for which there are 5 separate Panellists for each. This is a total of 35 people.
Australian 18-30s
The five panellists marking these young writers are not in any way influenced by whether an article has been in the Christian Today Most Popular list. The issue with looking at such articles as a selection of any young writer’s Best Article sent in for marking – an article selected by the young writer may not be the one that happened to make that Christian Today Most Popular list.
Another issue may be that a young writer may have greatly immersed themselves into an article and rejoiced in that article and selected that article as their Best article. The reality is had another person selected their Best article, it may have been a very different selection.
Kiwi’s 18-30 years
The Kiwis on the whole, now over the past 11 years, have displayed a better grounding in English and syntax. This has been noted on many occasions and therefore each group is singularly separated from each other.
There are Kiwi young writers from
Christchurch
Dunedin
Wellington
Taranaki
Auckland
In past years they have also come from Invercargil, Hamilton and a number of smaller communities.
Internationals 18-30 years
We find here an amazing phenomena that regardless of the nation these international young writers come from - there is a singular understanding of the Salvation of Jesus Christ.
They may have very different backgrounds and heritages, but once soundly converted as followers of Jesus there is a common theme that Jesus Saves.
The internationals come from
South Africa
Nigeria
China
West Indies
USA
Canada
Pakistan
India
In previous years the international young writers have come from
Malaysia
The Philippines
England
France
Afghanistan
Papua New Guinea
These are an astonishing group of young people and the Panellists find them all very engaging.
Well rounded
There are 4 other panellist groups not mentioned here – but all fall into these great themes.
Australian Over 31s
Internationals Over 31s
Sport writers
Senior writers – Post Over 31
Who will be the young writer winners - there are 109 of them – I think I’ll wait to the Panellists’ decisions. Much safer.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand. Dr Mark Tronson’s Press Service International in 2019 was awarded the Australasian Religious Press Association’s premier award, The Gutenberg. In September 2020 Summer Moore presented her commission portrait of Dr Mark Tronson holding the Gutenberg plaque. The above photo is the upper part from this portrait.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at: http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
