Finalist and winners in the Northern Beaches Young Writers Competition, which has been held for the past 12 years, were announced recently, and, according to Mayor of the Northern Beaches Michael Regan, illustrated the amazing amount of passion and talent of the area's young writers.
Regan described them as literary bright sparks and said this year's competition, which was open to kindergarten students through to Grade 12, attracted almost 500 stories. He added:
“Our young writers found inspiration in sparks of joy, the sparkle of diamonds and fireworks, as well as sparks of embers, reflecting the terror of bushfires.”
Flyer printing campaigns targeting school students have often been mounted to spread the word about opportunities to enter popular competitions such as this.
Mayor Regan said he was heartened to see such a fabulous array of creative and uplifting interpretations submitted on the theme. He said the judges had a difficult task in having to select only 24 entries from such a strong field, and he thanked the many parents, school librarians and teachers for inspiring young people with a love for literacy.
The hundreds of entries, the mayor said, represented an amazing selection of touching, funny and thought-provoking stories, of which all students could be proud.
All 24 of the winning stories have been collated into an eBook accessible via the Council Libraries’ website.