2025 Randolph Stow Young Writers Awards: Literary talent among Mid West youth recognised at 37th annual awards

The wild and wondrous imaginations and creativity of Mid West youth was rewarded at the 37th annual Randolph Stow Young Writers Awards last month. This year’s awards, which were held on August 20 at Queens Park Theatre and hosted by Geraldton Regional Library, attracted 677 entries from 20 schools across the region, including Geraldton, Northampton, Dongara, Walkaway and Meekatharra as well as from young people who are home educated. On the night, 77 awards were presented in five prose and five poetry categories for primary and secondary students, as well as two separately judged categories with three awards. WA author and creative entrepreneur Kristy Nita Brown was a special guest, presenting a video talk to the audience sharing her passion for storytelling and education. The awards were named in honour of Geraldton-born, internationally acclaimed writer Randolph Stow. The Sandra Carr MLC Emerging Writers Scholarship allows two secondary students to attend the Literature Centre’s Young Writers program, while the Pat Gallaher Encouragement Award goes to a secondary school entrant who was highly commended. That award is named after the former Geraldton librarian who initiated the awards scheme in 1989. Judges praised the quality and creativity of entries, which blew them away and made it hard to pick winners. Lower primary prose judge Tanya Moffat said the stories offered up a “wonderful kaleidoscope of imaginary worlds, many of which were futuristic, and many others accessed via keys or magic stones or portals”. Lower secondary poetry judge Tony Turner said his first pick out of 90 entries made him “laugh out loud”. Another judge Malcolm Smith, who decided the lower secondary prose category, praised the winning stories which were “intriguing, entertaining, well written and indicate future talent, serious commitment to language, imagination and vocabulary”. “I suspect the real heroes behind all these entries are their teachers who inspire, guide and with great patience educate these ambitious and talented students,” he said. As well as placegetters, there were 44 other entries that were highly commended. WINNERS & FINALISTS Lower primary poetry 1st: Sophie Gibson, Year 4 St Francis Xavier PS, School for Achoo! 2nd: Safiyah Elias, Year 4 at Geraldton PS, The Blooming Tulip 3rd: Hunter Prins, Year 4 Leaning Tree Steiner School, Loki Steals the Moon Lower primary prose 1st: Annika Beckett, Year 4 Mt Tarcoola PS, The Mystery World 2nd: William Anh Tran, Year 4 St Francis Xavier PS, The Lost Puzzle Piece 3rd: Chase Teakle, Year 4 St Francis Xavier PS, The Midnight Intruder Upper primary poetry 1st: Imogen Clarke, Year 6 St Francis Xavier PS, Trip Around Australia 2nd: Scout Bailey, Year 5 Geraldton Grammar School, A Diary of a Lonely Dog 3rd: Demi Spencer, Year 5 Dongara District High School, The Adventures of Reading Upper primary prose 1st: Wen Rui Wong, Year 5 Geraldton Grammar School, Penny the Pencil 2nd: Sienna Crudeli, Year 5 St Francis Xavier PS, The Wanderer 3rd: Eva Thurkle, Year 6 Walkaway PS, Jack’s Days Lower secondary poetry 1st: Nate O’Brien, Year 8 Nagle Catholic College, Not-a-Ballad 2nd: Coden Spencer, Year 7 Geraldton Grammar School, The Battle of Cake 3rd: Emily Myers, Year 7 Geraldton Senior High School, My First Year Lower secondary prose 1st: Millie-Ann Garraway, Year 7 Geraldton Senior High School, The Window 2nd: Mac Harrington, Year 8 Nagle Catholic College, I’m Too Tired Though 3rd: Rawley Duperouzel, Year 8 Geraldton Grammar School, The Dog that became a Hero Middle secondary poetry 1st: Wynand Blignault, Year 9 Geraldton Senior High School, When Crows Take Flight 2nd: Aimy Jayesh, Year 9 Nagle Catholic College, Ode to Mi Goreng Noodles 3rd: Kodey Haynes, Year 9 Nagle Catholic College, Ode to Gnaraloo Middle secondary prose 1st: Pippa Lin, Year 10 Geraldton Grammar School, Sunscreen, Sentiments and Sausages 2nd: Kent Bristow, Year 10 Geraldton Grammar School, Tim and Tam 3rd: Molly Shelton, Year 10, home school, I Hate Purple Upper secondary poetry 1st: Regielyn Alap-Ap, Year 11 Nagle Catholic College, The Empty Seat 2nd: Ava Darby, Year 12 Champion Bay Senior High School, Roots and All 3rd: Ash Thirumurugan, Year 12 Champion Bay Senior High School, The Fairest of Them All Upper secondary prose 1st: Glenn De Vera Jr, Year 12 Nagle Catholic College, The Split Currents 2nd: Sienna Norman, Year 12 Nagle Catholic College, Whispers of Belonging 3rd: Declan Argent, Year 12 Geraldton Grammar School, War for Nothing Hon Sandra Carr MLC Emerging Young Writer Scholarship Lower secondary: Harper Bowtell-Hasleby, Year 6 Walkaway PS, The Races Upper secondary: Jada Johansen, Year 10 Nagle Catholic College, Addicted Today, Addicted Tomorrow, but Maybe Not Forever Pat Gallaher Encouragement Award Ella Williams, Year 12 Nagle Catholic College, The Dunny Problem