Four Bermudian writers walked away with more than $12,000 while a call for the establishment of a Bermuda publishing house was made Saturday night.

The cash prizes were awarded at the first Bermuda Literary Awards held on Saturday night at the Elbow Beach Hotel.

Author Brian Burland won top honours as he was presented cheques totalling $4,500. Mr. Burland has received critical acclaim both in Britain and the US and was presented with the Founders Award at Saturday's event.

Mr. Burland's children's book `St. Nicholas and the Tub' also won him the prize in the category of children's writing.

Patrice Frith Hayward's first novel won her the prize in the adult fiction category with `Island Sistas', but her more familiar role as a playwright also won the favour of the judges and she picked up the prize in the drama category for `That was Then'. Ms Frith Hayward won $4,000 on Saturday night.

In the adult non-fiction category, author Llwellyn Emery won $2,000 for his 1996 book -- `Nothin' But A Pond Dog'.

Former educator and writer Cecile Musson Smith won $2,000 for her poetry book `Zephyr'.

The Ministry of Community Affairs, in a bid to encourage Bermudian writers, sponsored the contest. Only published material was eligible.

Former head of the Bermuda Junior Library, Florenz Maxwell explained in an address to the ceremony the importance of having work professionally edited.

"Many Bermudians don't realise writers get paid, that a publisher will pay them to write a book and that they should not be paying printers to have their work produced,'' she said.

She explained the benefits of having a manuscript professionally edited and urged that someone assume the responsibility of becoming a local publisher: "We need a publishing house here,'' she said and added that it would have to be international.

Acknowledging the efforts of the late Kevin Stephenson who began the Bermudian Publishing Company Ltd., Mrs. Maxwell singled out Education Minister Sen.

Milton Scott and Meredith Ebbin, editor of the Bermudian magazine who were both in the audience, in her plea for the establishment of a local publishing house.