Inaugural Schools Writing Competition Winners Announced

Newcastle Writers Festival was thrilled to announce the winners of the inaugural Story Hunter Schools Writing Competition at a special event in Newcastle City Library on Saturday 29 August. The competition attracted over 150 entries from 49 schools across the Hunter region, with winners and highly commended writers from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, Cessnock and Maitland.

Entries were judged by a panel of Story Hunter Guides across three age categories and cash prizes were awarded to the winners thanks to the generous support of The MacDougall Foundation. First place received $200 and a free Story Hunter workshop for their class, the runner-ups received $100, and third place received $50.

Congratulations to the winners and commended writers. CLICK HERE to read their submissions, or through the link at the bottom of the page.

Under 10s Category

The judges for the Under 10s category were Karen Eastwood and Malini Stephen. They shared the comment:

“We were fortunate enough to read stories told by our youngest writers, all under 10 years old. Curiosity is the word that comes to mind when I think about these stories. Students brought an active sense of ‘What if…?’ And for us – as judges and avid readers – our curiosity was also sparked. I kept wondering what will I read next? What adventure will I be taking this time? Which character is going to captivate me?”

First Place: Samyo M, Journey to the Lost World

Samyo goes to St Phillips Christian College. His submission was a science fiction story about two brothers inspired by their father and HG Wells to travel back in time 100 million years to the Jurassic era. They witness dinosaurs in all their glory just before the asteroid comes to wipe them out. The judges said Samyo’s descriptions of the dinosaur world were vivid and detailed, and he brought a maturity to the way he approached time in his narrative.

Second Place: Blake E, The Lost Lolly Planet

Blake is a student at Valentine Public School. His story tells of the adventures of three friends hurtling around outer space in search of a lost planet. They must dodge lolly snakes and find the secret deposit of candy to refuel their rocket ship and get home safely. The judges enjoyed Blake’s use of voice to differentiate characters as well as his use of humour in the midst of action.

Third Place: Brönte E, The Gem Quest

Brontë attends New Lambton Public School. Her submission was the story of a fairy and a pixie who help their queen recover a gem stolen by the goblins. Without the gem the animals of Fairyland make the wrong sounds, elephants are roaring and birds are squeaking. The judges said Brontë managed a large cast of characters and engaging dialogue.

Highly Commended: Eliza T, The Story of Hibiscus

Eliza goes to Barnsley Public School. Her story was a fairytale about princess Hibiscus who is poisoned by an evil queen and turns into a plant. A white wizard can’t reverse the magic, instead he conjures beautiful flowers like the princesses’ dresses which draws the people of the kingdom from far and wide. The judges said Eliza showed a strong grasp of narrative structure and beautiful examples of figurative language.

10-12 years Category

The 10-12s category received the largest number of submissions and was judged by a panel of four Story Hunter guides, who longlisted thirteen entries before meeting to discuss the merits of each and determine the winners. One of the judges, Jess Black said:

“It was an extremely hard decision to make, and one sentiment that we all shared was how eye-opening (and a little reassuring) this process was for us, as writers who submit to competitions ourselves, to see how many great works that didn’t make the final four still had an effect on us or stayed in our memories. We received an impressive variety of entries, with different strengths, so when choosing our winners, we looked for original ideas, told well. Good writing isn’t a formula, but rather a collection of elements – structure, language, character, description and theme. These finalists all produced stories that combined those elements to create something that impressed us.”

First Place: Milada M, On The Second-Lowest Branch

Milada is a student at Belair Public School. She shared an uplifting story, with moments of finding joy in the everyday. The judges noted the originality of the idea, and the exceptional command of a circular structure to bring about a satisfying ending for the reader. The writing is mature and poised, with excellent descriptions, and the final piece was very polished

Second Place: Arielle K, The Tea Set

Arielle attends Wallsend South Public School. Her story was a beautiful exploration of grief and acceptance after loss. The judges thought it was a mature piece of writing that they could all relate to. It demonstrated an excellent command of language to create emotion, and several of the sensory details stood out to them.

Third Place: Phoebe S, Lights Out!

Phoebe goes to Waratah West Public School. She submitted an action story with an interesting sibling dynamic. The judges enjoyed the twist, the characters’ relationship, and how the opening scene put the reader in the action right away. They thought it was an impressive example of writing within a genre, and use of word choices and actions to convey the characters’ mood.

Highly Commended: Aiden G, The Last Seed

Aiden is a student at Redhead Public School. His submission was a story of hope in an ailing world. The judges noted its rich, descriptive language and strong characterisation. They said the story has a clear narrative arc with a goal for the character to overcome, and they liked the overarching theme of hope.

12-14 years Category

The 12-14s category had three judges, including Catherine Owen, who said:

“We were very impressed with the quality of the submissions and we found it a lot more challenging than we expected to choose the winner. There was a wide variety of stories covering every genre you can think of. We had crime, sci-fi, fantasy, family drama and contemporary realism. Some were very funny and some were deeply moving. This variety made them an absolute pleasure to read but very hard to judge because how do you compare a funny space opera to a thoughtful piece of literary fiction? The answer is: with great difficulty.”

First Place: Tilly D, Running from the Gods

Tilly is in year 7 at Tomaree High School. She submitted a lovely piece of historical fiction set in Pompeii during Mt Vesuvius’s eruption. The judges felt for the starving thief and said the descriptions are vivid and detailed (e.g. “the air was thick with ash and flavour”, “the people of Pompeii surge with purpose”). Tilly did a masterful job of transporting the reader into the setting and building tension by using multiple senses, figurative language and varying sentence length.

Second Place: Zarleena M, The Aftertone

Zarleena attends Merewether High School. Her story was a detective fiction which opened with the striking image of a ringing red telephone in an antique shop. The judges thought the story showed great command of the narrative rules of detective fiction and enjoyed the dark turn at the end. They were impressed with the nuanced description of the emotional and psychological impact of deception by a trusted friend.

Second Place: Alizetta D, Between the Lines

Alizetta is also a student at Merewether High School. She submitted a deceptively simple story about a girl waiting to catch a bus. The judges loved the precise, almost painterly observations – the complete immersion in the nuances of the scene. Her story was a great example of how a powerful narrative arc can be driven by internal conflict/character change rather than by noisy plot devices.

Highly Commended: Joy G, Blast Off!

Joy goes to Rathmines Public School. She tells the story of twins about to achieve their lifelong dream of heading into space. The judges found the language delightful – our protagonist is woken early by a “smug” alarm clock, and then his sister bursts into his room like a tiny purple hurricane. They said the twist at the end was a genuine surprise.

Highly Commended: Violet M, The Memoir Section

Violet is in year 6 at Nulkaba Public School. Her story was a rollicking fantasy adventure in which the protagonists are sucked through a computer screen at Maitland Library. The judges loved the authentic narrative voice, the banter between the lead characters and the sense of playfulness.

The winning and commended submissions are available to read on the Story Hunter website. Story Hunter is a free, year-round creative writing program for primary and secondary students across the Hunter region. The program pairs trained local writers and educators with students in schools throughout the Hunter to build confidence, literacy and a love of storytelling.

The Schools Writing Competition is made possible thanks to the generous support of The MacDougall Foundation, the Catfish Foundation, the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.