Top RTE satirist to guest judge Boyne Writers' competition

RTE Radio 1 presenter John Murray is to be the guest judge of this year's international satirical writing competition run by the Boyne Writers' Group, Trim. "The Business at 10am on Saturday mornings is a hotbed of satire," said Boyne Writers chairman Paddy Smith, "and John Murray wallows in it - much to the enjoyment of all his regular listeners. He is probably the top satirist operating in the media today - which is why he is happy to be our guest judge." The satirical writing competition, which is in its third year, is sponsored by the Trim Swift Festival and includes both prose and poetry. It has a prize fund of €1,000 and attracts entries from the US, Canada and Britain as well as from all over Ireland. The subject for this year's competition is '2000-2010: The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times' and the closing date for entries is Tuesday 15th June. "We're looking for imaginative and humorous entries," added Paddy Smith. "Politics, economics, business and religion are all fair game when it comes to satire, as indeed they were in the time of Jonathan Swift, but you don't have to limit yourself to these approaches. We're very much open to persuasion as regards other genres, which is why we have specified such a broad subject." The Trim Swift Festival, which will take place from Thursday 1st July to Sunday 4th July, is held to commemorate Jonathan Swift, who administered his parish from the church at Laracor, less than two miles from Trim. The author of such works as 'Gulliver's Travels', 'A Tale of a Tub', and 'A Modest Proposal', Swift was a politically powerful figure - an early personification of what nowadays would be called a spin doctor - in the England of the late 1600s and early 1700s. His pen was said to be the mightiest sword in the land. Entries for the Boyne Writers' Group competition will be judged on the basis of satire, irony, absurd humour, acute political insight, grotesque imagination and lacerating wit - the hallmarks of Swift's best works. Prose entries should be a minimum of 600 words and not more than 800 words; poetry minimum 30 lines, maximum 100 lines. Extra explanatory material of not more than 100 words may be included with each entry to facilitate judging of entries because this type of material sometimes lends itself to allegorical references which may not be immediately clear. Entry fee is €7 (or £5 or $10) per entry. There is no limit to the number of entries, but each must be accompanied by the fee of €7 (or £5 or $10). Cash is acceptable. Entries are accepted by email or post. Prizes range from €500 for first to €200 for third. Entries should be sent to Boyne Writers' Group, c/o P Smith, 25 Saintjohns, Trim, County Meath, or emailed to swift@boynewriters.com (please put Boyne Writers Competition in the subject line of the email).