Have you made a promise? Kept a promise? Broken a promise? We’re looking for the next promising young creative writers on the Northern Beaches.

Write an original story using this year's theme word 'promise' for a chance to win prizes, meet an author judge and receive personalised feedback on your entry. Finalists will be celebrated in an awards event and their stories published in a library eBook.

The competition is open to students up to and including year 12 who live or go to school on the Northern Beaches and are members of the Northern Beaches Library Service. 

We are thrilled to announce the talented authors and illustrators that will be judging the Young Writers’ Competition this year, click here for their bios.

How to Enter

Entries are now closed.

If you had any enquiries please email: writers.comp@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au

Important Dates

• Entries close midnight Wednesday 31 May 2023.
• Finalists will be contacted by phone by Friday 21 July with an invitation to the presentation event on Saturday 19 August.
• Winners announcement published online Monday 21 August. 

Last year we asked the finalists to pass on tips for 2023 students:

Advice for students entering...

“If you write a story, make it come from your heart and be confident in yourself” – Ashley, Year 2.

“Write about something you’re interested in. If you’re interested in it, it is going to be a better story than if it’s something you’re choosing to fit the theme. Make the theme fit it” – Lillian, Year 9.

How do you get in the writing zone?

“I think you’ve just got to start. If you’ve got a little idea, use some personal experiences, emphasise some points and I went off that” - Ruby, Year 11.  

“I like to visualise the characters and name them and imagine what they are like” -  Rommi, Year 11. 

About the competition

The Young Writers' Competition is an annual competition open to students up to and including year 12 who live or go to school on the Northern Beaches and are members of the Northern Beaches Council Library Service. Students are invited to write an original story using the featured theme word for a chance to be published as an author in an eBook.

Entries are judged according to characterisation, originality, plot and use of language and arranged into six different age group categories.

Four finalists are chosen in each age category and invited to a presentation event where a winner, runner-up and two highly commended prizes are awarded. Finalists from each category will have their stories published in an eBook that will be added to our collection. 

2023 marks the fourteenth year of this competition. 

Past winning stories

Want some inspiration? Check out the winning entries from previous competitions.