Young Writers' Competition

Celebrating 15 years of the Young Writers' Competition, the 2024 theme word was 'Crystal'. 

2024 Winners and finalists

Category 1: Kindergarten - Year 2, judged by Author Ellie Laing

• Winner: Jude Custodio for The Heist of the Crystal
• Runner Up: Francesca Mumby for Sunny Sunshine and the Magic Witch
• Highly Commended: Sadie Keep for Georgia and the Missing Horses
• Highly Commended : Lucia Madden for The Dragon Story

Category 2: Years 3 - 4, judged by Author Samera Kamaleddine

• Winner: Holly Boulter for Comes and Goes
• Runner Up: Katerina Bennedick for Redfern Station
• Highly Commended: Huxley Geersen for The Wrath of Plutonium
• Highly Commended : Caoimhe Bulcraig for Felicity and the Crystal Maze

Category 3: Years 5 - 6, judged by Author Carla Fitzgerald

• Winner: Carina Guo for My Bizarre Odyssey; From Petri Dish to Prankster’s Paradise
• Runner Up: Jeana Shen for Cosmic Echoes Unveiled
• Highly Commended: Maya Gaffney for Nour’s Dream
• Highly Commended: Addison Watson for Crystal Rink Academy

Category 4: Years 7 - 8, judged by Author Mike Barry

• Winner: Claire Feng for Crystal Kingdom
• Runner Up: Eve Overend for Fire
• Highly Commended: Zoelle Rayan for Imperfect Perfection
• Highly Commended: Ava Dembiany for How Lucky I Am

Category 5: Years 9 - 10, judged by Author Maiya Ibrahim

• Winner: Lucas Toms for The Stars
• Runner Up: Oscar Youman for      Conclusive Psychoanalysis of Ms. Lena Kamińska
• Highly Commended : Eamon Cooper for Deceptive Perfection
• Highly Commended : Amelia Way for Spark, Candle, Flame

Category 6: Years 11 - 12, judged by Author Helena Fox

• Winner: Lillian Hamilton for Chamomile
• Runner Up: Skye Smale for Stealthy Frankie
• Highly Commended : Lexie McCoy for Liberté
• Highly Commended : Kate Coxon for The Birds Fall in Vesuvius

2024 Young Writers' Finalist eBook

Finalists have their name and story published on our library website and in an eBook included in the Northern Beaches Library collection.

About the Young Writers' Competition

2024 marks the fifteenth year of this competition. 

Open to students from Kindergarten to Year 12 who live or go to school on the Northern Beaches, the competition invites students to write an original work of creative writing using a special hero word. 

Entries are judged according to characterisation, plot, originality, and use of language and arranged into six different age group categories with four finalists in each category.