One night in the winter of June 1876, Woods read about the competition in the "Saturday Advertiser". According to tradition, he usually met the coach that delivered the news in the main street of Lawrence to pick up his paper. It was already 9 pm, but he went straight to his piano and in that one sitting composed the tune for what later became the national anthem. In a later letter to A.H. Reed, he explained that the words inspired him so much he had to write music for them. He entered his composition under the pen name of "Orpheus". The "Advertiser" sent it off with the eleven other submissions to Melbourne, where it was judged. In October 1876, it was announced that the three judges all agreed that Woods' composition was the clear winner. The prize was ten guineas.