Creative Writing Opportunities

This term we have been delighted to see students compose fabulous creative and analytical work; from evocative discursive and imaginative writing in Year 11 to Year 7’s vignettes about curiosity and the discovery of the unknown. Our teachers loved reading some the compelling biographical writing of Year 8 and were impressed by the ability of Years 9 and 10 students to write effective analytical responses.

We are always keen to encourage our students to submit their work into external competitions. As we move towards the holidays, we wanted to share some of the links below. Many of these websites also have incredible resources for passionate poets and writers. The English Department wishes everyone all the best for the Easter break – what a wonderful time to read a book and get back to writing for pleasure!

The What Matters Writing Competition is open to students in Years 5 – 12. This competition asks students to write personally on a topic which they are passionate about. Entries are due by Friday 16 May. More information can be found here.

The Mosman Youth Awards in Literature invites writers in Years 7 – 12 to submit poetry or creative fiction pieces. Entries for this competition close on 31 May 2025 and more information on these award can be found here.

The Dorothea Mackellar Writing Competition is one of Australia’s most prestigious poetry awards for young people. This year’s theme is “All the beautiful things.” The school has registered an account for this competition and your daughter will be able to check with her teacher about entering before the due date of Friday 30 June. More information can be found at the website here.

The Insight Writing Competition is open to students in Years 7 – 12. Students are invited to compose creative pieces (short story, poem, script) of up to 1,400 words. The theme for this year is “Soulmates” and this competition is open until 1 September. More information can be found here.

Red Room’s Poetry Forest Competition encourages students to compose poems which have a positive message on climate change. This competition is not yet open, however, there are a wealth of resources on the Red Room website and the competition regularly closes in September. More information can be found here.

The Hachette Australia prizes are yet to open for 2025, however include prizes for Creative Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction and Poetry. There are wonderful resources that can be found on their website here.

Jenny Bean
Head of English