Randa Abdel Fattah’s book Coming of Age in the War on Terror brings together first hand accounts from young people, Muslim and non-Muslim, who have been deeply affected by the ramifications of 9/11. It also charts the spread of divisive political discussion in Australia over the last 20 years.
Writing Competition
Student Writing Prizes

Susie Warrick Young Writers Award
In memory of Susie Warrick, this award celebrates the art of the short story and supports emerging young writers in furthering their career with a $500 cash prize for first place per category.
The Brief: Write an original short story up to 1000 words on any theme.
Prize Category 1: Year 10 to 12 students
Prize Category 2: Year 7 to 9 students
The Jesse Blackadder Prize
In memory of Jesse Blackadder, this prize celebrates creativity and imagination in Stage 3 writers with a $300 cash prize for first place.
The Brief: Write an original short story from 500 to 1000 words on any theme.
Prize Category: Year 5 to 6 students
Eligibility & Key Dates
Entrants of both competitions must live within the Byron Writers Festival footprint, from Taree in the south, Kyogle in the west and Tweed Heads in the north.
Key Dates
- Submissions open: Wednesday 1 June, 2022
- Applications Close: Wednesday 29 June, 2022 – 11.59pm
- Winners notified: Wednesday 27 July, 2022. Please note all other entrants will be notified of the outcome at this time.
Prizes include:
- Susie Warrick Young Writers Award: a $500 cash prize per category.
- The Jesse Blackadder Prize: a $300 cash prize.
- A Festival Day Pass for Sunday 28 August, 2022
- Publication of each winning story in the Byron Writers Festival’s quarterly magazine, Northerly.
- A runner up from each category will have their stories published online at the Byron Writers Festival’s blog.
Submission Guidelines
- Write and polish an original short story.
- Include the title in the header of your story.
- Submit your story as a Word Document – Arial 12-point font preferred.
- Submissions are judged anonymously. Your name should not be included anywhere on your story – it should only be entered on the submission form.
- Entries are limited to one submission per person. A list of all Terms & Conditions can be found here.
- Click on the online Application link to submit your story by Wednesday 29 June, 2022
About the Awards
Susie Warrick was a much loved staff member at the Northern Rivers Writers Centre (now Byron Writers Festival). The Susie Warrick Young Writers Award was established to honour her memory, celebrate the art of the short story, and to support emerging young writers in furthering their career.
The Jesse Blackadder Prize was created in 2020 in memory of Jesse Blackadder, much loved Board member, author and founder of Byron Writers Festival’s StoryBoard program.
Prizes are generously sponsored by the Warrick Family, Hilarie Dunn and the Byron Writers Festival Jesse Blackadder Memorial Fund.
Read the 2021 winning stories here.
For some valuable tips on entering Writing Competitions click here: https://www.melindatognini.com.au/writing-competitions-what-you-need-to-know-before-entering/
If you have any enquires, please email [email protected]