Reflective crystals

Reflective crystals

The 2024 Young Writers' Competition is open!

Are you gazing into a crystal ball or standing under a sparkling crystal chandelier? Swimming through crystal blue waters or hunting for a magical crystal guarded by a monstrous beast? Is your story becoming crystal clear?

Celebrating 15 years of the Young Writers' Competition, the 2024 theme word is 'crystal'. We’re looking for the next sparkling young creative writers on the Northern Beaches.

Write an original creative piece of work using this year's theme word 'crystal' for a chance to win prizes, meet our author judges and receive personalised feedback on your entry. Finalists will be celebrated in an awards event and their creative works 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.

Entries open from Monday 25 March until midnight Wednesday 15 May 2024.

How to Enter

Check out the conditions of entry.

Follow the links below to submit your online entry.

Entries can also be submitted in person with a physical entry which can be picked up at your local library. See Library opening hours.

Important Dates

  • Entries close midnight Wednesday 15 May 2024.
  • Finalists will be contacted by phone by Friday 5 July with an invitation to the presentation event on Sunday 28 July 2024.
  • Winners announcement published online Monday 29 July.

About the Competition

2024 marks the fifteenth year of this 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 work of creative writing using the featured theme word for a chance to be published as an author in an eBook.

Entries are judged according to characterisation, plot, originality, 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.

All finalists receive a prize bag. Top prizes per category:

  • Years K-2 - $70 voucher
  • Years 3-4 - $85 voucher
  • Years 5-6 - $100 voucher
  • Years 7-8 - $125 voucher
  • Years 9-10 - $150 voucher
  • Years 11-12 - $175 voucher

Enquiries: writers.comp@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au

Past winning stories

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

Read the twenty four stories in the 2023 eBook 'Promise'.

 

Entry Form - Young Writers’ Competition

Enter the Young Writers’ Competition using this form.

Teacher Bulk Submission - Young Writers’ Competition

Use this for to submit multiple entries to the competition for your class

Conditions of Entry - Young Writers' Competition 2024

Conditions of Entry for the Young Writers' Competition 2024, closing Wednesday 15 May.