South Perth Young Writers Award

The South Perth Young Writers Award (SPYWA) encourages excellence in creative writing and is open to all students from Year one through to Year 10 who live in or attend school within the City of South Perth.

Each year the entries are judged by a panel of librarians, writers and children’s literature enthusiasts. Shortlisted entrants are invited to attend a writing workshop with a published author to receive personalised feedback on their story. They then have the opportunity to refine their story before resubmitting it for the final placement by the judging panel. 

Categories

There are five age categories for prose with the Christobel Mattingley Bronze Medallion awarded to the entry judged to be the most outstanding.

Entries will be judged in the following categories:

• Lower Primary Years 1-2
• Middle Primary Years 3-4
• Upper Primary Years 5-6
• Lower Secondary Years 7-8
• Upper Secondary Years 9-10

Why should you enter?

• Shortlisted entrants are invited to attend a one-on-one workshop with a published local author, who will provide tailored feedback on their stories.
• All finalists are awarded prizes up to the value of $150.
• All finalist entries will be published in a SPYWA Anthology. A copy of the Anthology will be gifted to each finalist and to their school library, and another copy is held in the City of South Perth Libraries collection.
  

How to enter

The 2025 South Perth Young Writers Award is now open and will close Monday 19 May 2025. 

To enter your story:

1. Check that it complies with the conditions of entry listed below.
2. Download and fill in the SPYWA entry form (available from 10 February).
3. Send your story and your completed entry form to SPYWA@southperth.wa.gov.au by midnight on Monday 19 May 2025. Shortlisted entrants will be contacted by 18 June 2025.
   

Conditions of entry

• Entrants must be of school age and live or go to school in the City of South Perth.
• Entries may be any length up to 1500 words.
• Entries must be prose (stories). Poetry will not be accepted.
• Entries must be accompanied by a completed entry form.
• Each entrant may submit only one entry.
• Entries cannot be co-authored. Each entry must have only one author.
• Entries should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents if possible. PDFs are also accepted.
• Please do NOT include the author’s name on the story itself.
  

For more information contact the South Perth Library on 9474 0800.

SPYWA Anthologies

View the 2024 SPYWA Anthology.

View a gallery of photographs from the Awards ceremony on Flickr.