Young writer Holly Kinane from Sunshine Bay Public School has won the Syd Hayes Creative Writing Award with her story Secrets of a Window.
The award was the top honour at this year’s Eurobodalla Mayor’s Writing Competition. Holly was joined by 15 other budding young writers, when finalists were announced at Council Chambers , announced on Thursday, July 27.
Competition judges commended the originality of the story, told from the perspective of a window about its view of the world and the characters it meets.
Holly received a beautiful pen handcrafted from local coastal wood by Richard Turley and her name features on the award’s perpetual trophy, which now moves to its new home at Sunshine Bay Public School.
All finalists received a professionally-bound anthology that includes their own story and illustrations. Each winner and runner-up received a certificate and book voucher. The shire’s three libraries all have copies of the anthology for general loan.
As she announced the finalists, Shire mayor Liz Innes said she was “looking forward to the competition continuing to grow and offering an opportunity for the children in the shire to exercise their creative literary talents”.
Mayor Innes thanked the competition judges Dianne Wiggins,Mavis Hayes, Marion Roubos-Bennett and Jess Camilleri.
“They had their work cut out for them with over 250 imaginative and thoughtful entries,” Cr Innes said.
“The judges felt the standard was so high this year they even issued a number of highly commended certificates to students across Eurobodalla.”
This year’s anthology was dedicated to competition stalwart Mavis Hayes, from the Fellowship of Australian Writers. Ms Hayes passed away shortly after judging this year’s competition.
Category winners
Age group 5-6: Winner Leila Elliott-Swallow, runner-up Xavier Elliott-Swallow, encouragement award Tara Padman.
Age group 7-9: Equal winners Lotus Turner and Kaeleigh Peard, runner-up Chelsea Wood, encouragement award Charlie Hough.
Age group 10-12: Winner Holly Kinnane, runner-up Isla Jeffery, encouragement award Ruby Efraemson.
Age group 13-15: Winner Lucy Jones, runner-up Matthew Tuckwell, encouragement award Shayla Ta.
Age group 16-18: Winner Sophie Brown, runner-up Matthew Klarica, encouragement award Briony Floreani.
