Literary writing involves fiction, but often also an artistic processing of biographical experiences. Accordingly, the texts submitted to the 21st Over-70s Writing Competition (exclusively for those over 70) on the theme "By Hand" were diverse in both content and form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of the 414 participants from across the German-speaking world, the jury has awarded prizes to the following seven authors this year: Marlies Birkle (DE), Angelika B. Hirsch (DE), Karin Hopfe (CH), Michael Lichtwarck-Aschoff (DE), Thomas M. Mayr (DE), Lisetta Steiner (CH) and Peter Weingartner (CH)*<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The coveted prize of this long-established competition, which is supported by the magazine "Schweizer Familie," consists of a joint appearance by the winners at the prestigious "Z\u00fcrich liest" festival. Then it's off to the Engadine for a week, where, under the guidance of a professional (this year, novelist Heinz Helle), new texts are written \u2013 or existing projects are further developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The audience at the concluding workshop reading can look forward to brand-new stories, not only written in the Engadine but also set there, as well as excerpts from novel projects that their authors may have been working on for half a lifetime. Experience has shown that all the presented works share the common trait of being as exciting and diverse as the biographies of the people who wrote them. *Anstelle des leider aus gesundheitlichen Gr\u00fcnden verhinderten Michael Lichtwarck-Aschoff nimmt Marita H\u00e4p an der Schreibwoche wie auch an der Abschlusslesung teil. Frau H\u00e4p geh\u00f6rte 2025 zu den Pr\u00e4mierten mit ihrem Text zum Thema \u00abRausch\u00bb – konnte damals aber ihrerseits nicht teilnehmen, weil sie im G\u00e4rtnerinnenrausch von einer Leiter fiel\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n PS: The 22nd writing competition for those over 70, on the theme of "Homesickness," runs until December 31, 2026. The competition's principle is simple: Any writer born in 1956 or earlier (currently) can submit a text on the given theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Presented by: Richard Reich & Heinz Helle
Greetings: Vreni Bolt (Foundation Creative Age), Salom\u00e9 Schmid (Swiss Family), Beatrice Stoll (Jury)<\/p>\n\n\n\n