On Monday, August 17th, at the Abbey Theatre, John B. Keane will be awarded a Gradam, a National Theatre Society award to "extraordinary individuals", in recognition of his contribution to theatre. Previous recipients include Brian Friel, Thomas Mac Anna, Tom Murphy, Hugh Hunt and Eamon Kelly . . . . The Waterstone's "Writing About Art" competition, established last year to promote new writing on contemporary art, is open to art-lovers of any age, in Britain and Ireland. Entrants are invited to submit a 300-word piece of critical writing in response to the work of any artist ever short-listed for the Turner Prize. Entry forms are available from Waterstone's bookshops. Closing date: October 1st . . .