Woollahra Young Writers' Award

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The Woollahra Young Writers' Award is a local community award celebrating and encouraging the voices of young people. Secondary students aged 12–18 years who live or study in Woollahra or neighbouring areas are welcome to submit their piece of writing.

2026 Winners announced

Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Woollahra Young Writers' Award.

In its inaugural year, the Award received 139 entries from students across 40 schools, with 16 entries shortlisted across the Junior and Senior Short Story and Poetry categories.

Discover the winning entries and shorlisted works. 

On this page:

2026 Winners

Congratulations to the four category winners of the inaugural Woollahra Young Writers’ Award.

Short Story Junior

Ana F., Randwick High School – A Girl, an Unfortunate Coincidence and a Talking Pigeon(PDF, 113KB)

“The premise of this story is so unique and quirky, featuring a great interaction between two unexpected characters which had me laughing in a spot or two. I love the out-of-the-box and imaginative concept, written in such an engaging way from the short and sharp opening line to the sassy dialogue throughout. I definitely wanted to keep reading!”

– Samera Kamaleddine, Short Story Judge

Short Story Senior

Amelia C., Kambala – Flight(PDF, 60KB)

“This explores an interesting dystopian concept with great and well-thought-out detail that really places the reader in the scene and able to embody the mood of the protagonist. The twisty ending left me wanting to find out more about this world - the why, what, where and when - which is a perfect example of good storytelling.”

– Samera Kamaleddine, Short Story Judge

Poetry Junior

Filbert H., Marcellin College Randwick – That One Pencil(PDF, 34KB)

“That One Pencil is a creative, original and skilful piece of poetic wisdom couched in the inspiring potential of the mundane. Rather than depict a clean and pleasant ending to a love story between stationary objects, the poet wisely thrusts the reader into the garbage, where all unused and discarded things go to rot and die. As well as a witty and skilfully written poem, this is a real story of waste production and the circulation of commodities in our society.

– Dakota Feirer, Poetry Judge

Poetry Senior

Feiyang Z., Sydney Girls High School – A Shadow’s Elegy(PDF, 47KB)

“A Shadow's Elegy is an intimate, mournful and deeply moving reflection on loss, migration and place. The poet elegantly walks hand in hand with the ghost of a mother's decisions which lead all the way back through a colourful homeland, across a vast ocean and onto the shores of a new world. This poem leaves the reader feeling the pressing weight of the grief of mourning a mother and everything they carried.”

– Dakota Feirer, Poetry Judge

2026 Shortlist

Congratulations to our 2026 shortlisted young writers and their outstanding entries. From talking pigeons to persimmon trees and an ode to home, the shortlisted entries from our inaugural Woollahra Young Writers’ Award brim with imagination, originality and the unique voices of young writers from across our community.

Content warning: Some shortlisted works explore mature or potentially distressing themes, including sexual abuse, grief and self-harm. Reader discretion is advised.

Short Story Junior

Short Story Senior

“These shortlisted writers should be very proud of their work. Although varied and diverse, what these works share is intrigue, articulate prose that delivers on emotion, and clever use of imagination. There are so many interesting ideas and executions in this body of entries, in particular the exploration of moody dystopia. Overall, very polished and impressive writing from these young writers.”

– Samera Kamaleddine, Short Story Judge

Poetry Junior

Poetry Senior

“Poetry is often an invitation into personal worlds and is always shaped by its places of origin. Sometimes those worlds are distant from our own, and those places experienced in a multitude of ways. Each poetry submission to the 2026 WYWA prize was an invitation and a map to a world filtered through the hearts and minds of youth navigating deeply personal matters of identity, home, connection, harm, love and family. It was a delight to have spent some time visiting and learning from these worlds and their poets.”

– Dakota Feirer, Poetry Judge

Categories

  • Short Story Junior (Years 7–9): up to 1,500 words
  • Short Story Senior (Years 10–12): up to 1,500 words
  • Poetry Junior (Years 7–9): up to 30 lines
  • Poetry Senior (Years 10–12): up to 30 lines

Prizes

Winners of each category will receive a cash prize of $300 and a one-hour mentoring session with the judge of their category. Shortlisted entrants will receive a literary prize pack.

Book donations for prizes provided by:

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Conditions of Entry

  1. Entries must be submitted by 11.59pm on Sunday 19 July 2026.
  2. Entries may be submitted online via the webform as a PDF or Word document.
  3. All entries must be the original work of the student and not generated using, or assisted by, Artificial Intelligence. Submissions will be screened using plagiarism and AI detection software. Any works found to contain plagiarism or AI-generated content will be disqualified.
  4. Entries will be judged to select, in the opinion of the judges, the best entry in the following categories:
    1. Short Story (up to 1,500 words). Junior: Years 7–9 and Senior: Years 10–12.
    2. Poetry (up to 30 lines). Junior: Years 7–9 and Senior: Years 10–12.
  5. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence or individual feedback will be provided. Due to the volume of submissions, only winning or shortlisted entrants may be contacted.
  6. Entries containing content of a distressing nature (for example violence or sexual abuse) must include a trigger warning at the beginning of the work.
  7. Please consider your audience when writing your work. Cultural appropriation, racism, sexism or derogatory language will not be tolerated.
  8. Entrants must be students in Years 7–12, or aged between 12–18 years.
  9. Entrants must live or attend school in the Woollahra Municipality or neighbouring areas (Waverley, Randwick or City of Sydney LGAs).
  10. Entrants may submit multiple entries, provided each entry has a separate entry form. Only one entry per person will be eligible to be shortlisted or win in each category.
  11. Entrants must provide parent, guardian or teacher consent. If there is content in your entry which causes concern for your welfare, your parent, guardian or teacher may be contacted.
  12. Schools may be notified of students who are shortlisted or winners in their category.
  13. By entering, entrants grant Woollahra Libraries permission to display, publish or reproduce their work in print or digital formats, including eBook collections, the Library website or social media. Copyright remains with the entrant.

Judges

Samera Kamaleddine, Short Story

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Samera Kamaleddine has considered herself a writer since she got her first creative writing certificate in Kindergarten. She went on to become a journalist, writing about everything from friendship to body confidence for young women’s magazines. Now, she’s the author of Half My Luck, The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart and the Clueless series.

Dakota Feirer, Poetry

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Dakota Feirer is a Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr storyteller whose work has appeared in Kill Your Darlings, Overland, Australian Poetry and more. His collection Arsenic Flower engages with Indigenous resurgence, manhood, Country and cultural repair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question about entering the Woollahra Young Writers’ Award? We've compiled answers to some of the most common queries below to help guide you through the submission process.

Who can enter the competition?

Young people currently attending secondary school or aged between 12–18 years who live or attend school in the Woollahra or neighbouring (Waverley, Randwick or City of Sydney) local government areas.

How do I enter?

Entries are submitted via our online entry form between Monday 20 April and Sunday 19 July 2026. Entries must be uploaded as either a PDF or Word document. When completing the form, you will be asked to provide your details, upload your work, agree to the conditions of entry and include parent, guardian or teacher consent.

Is there a cost to enter?

No, the competition is free to enter.

What can I write about?

You can write about any topic you like, as long as your work is completely original and suitable for a general audience. We encourage you to think about your audience when crafting your work. Please include a trigger warning at the beginning of your piece if there is any distressing content, and be mindful of the point of view you choose to take, particularly if it does not come from lived experience. We encourage creativity, imagination and personal voice.

Can I submit more than one entry?

Yes, provided each submission has a separate entry form. Please note only one entry per person will be eligible to be shortlisted or win in each category.

What file formats do you accept?

Please upload your entry as a PDF or Word document.

Do I keep the copyright to my work?

Yes, you keep full copyright. By entering, you grant the Library permission to publish your work if it is shortlisted or selected as a winner.

What are the prizes?

Winners of each category receive a cash prize of $300 and a one-hour mentoring session with the judge of their category. Shortlisted entrants will receive a literary prize pack.

Can teachers submit entries on behalf of students?

We encourage students to submit their own entries. Part of the award’s purpose is to help young writers build confidence in managing their own creative work from drafting to submission.

Teachers are very welcome to incorporate the award into their lesson plans to support students’ creative writing. If helpful, the submission process itself can be framed as a digital literacy activity, giving students practice in preparing and submitting work independently.

What if I need help submitting my entry?

We’re happy to help. Contact us at libraryevents@woollahra.nsw.gov.au if you have any questions.

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