2023
The competition this year was fierce, with the judge choosing to nominate Highly Commended entries in each category to allow him to acknowledge the quality of writing and the depth of the themes explored by the entrants.
With 158 entries, it took some time to complete the judging and conclude the winners for each category. Congratulations to the winners! We look forward to seeing your stories published as eBooks in SORA in term 4.
We encourage all our entrants to keep an eye on the website for next year's theme, which will be announced at the start of term 4.
Winners for competition categories 2023
K-2 category
Winner: Harriet Laurie
Year 2
St. Patrick's Walcha
Ideas about courage and faith: "The little girl is courageous. I am not sure what impact I am hoping for."
Harriet Laurie - Year 2 - St. Patrick's WalchaHighly Commended
Elsie Groves
Year 2
Sacred Heart, Boggabri
K-2 Elsie Groves - year 2 - Sacred Heart BoggabriHighly Commended
Frank Plevey
Year 1
Sacred Heart, Boggabri
K-2 Frank Plevey - year 1 - Sacred Heart Boggabri3-6 category
Winner: Mia Schumann-Gross
Year 6
St. Nicholas' Tamworth
Idea about courage and faith: "Faith is the main character and shows courage by standing up to those around her with inner strength and finding determination within herself. "
Mia Schumann-Gross - Year 6 - St. Nicholas' TamworthHighly Commended
Molly Gallagher
Year 5
St. Michael's, Narrabri
"A Teaspoon Of Gold shows courage because it is based on two kids on the streets, but they have the courage to stand up for themselves, and are now changing the lives of other people."
3-6 Molly Gallagher - year 5 - St. Michael's ManillaHighly Commended
Joshua Turner
Year 3
St. Joseph's, Uralla
"Finley is going on an adventure that takes a lot of bravery and courage. I hope the reader enjoys my story."
3-6 Joshua Turner - year 3 - St. Joseph's Uralla7-9 category
Winner: Patrick Waterford
Year 7
St. Mary's College, Gunnedah
Ideas about faith and courage: "My story explores the idea of faith and courage because it is about how no matter what adversity throws at you you should never let it stop you. This is shown by Jim who is given an opportunity to save his town after a few murders have taken place. He finds courage which is remarkable given his background and circumstances and uses that courage to overcome this disaster. What Jim faces is an opportunity disguised as adversity."
Patrick Waterford - year 8 - St. Mary's College GunnedahHighly Commended
Alyssa Meg Wise
Year 8
St. Mary's College, Gunnedah
"I think my story is important to the idea of courage because it shows she isn’t afraid of the unknown or challenging herself the most."
7-9 Alyssa Wise - year 8 - St. Marys Gunnedah10-12 category
Winners: Scarlett Coppola
Year 12
McCarthy Catholic College - Tamworth
Ideas about faith and courage: "This short story follows two sisters who live together and share an unpleasant past with their father. One of the sisters, Andi, had faith in her father’s ability to redeem himself as a dad and so she now has a healthy relationship with him. On the other hand, Cora doesn’t quite welcome their father into her new life with open arms. Through this story, Andi encourages Emersyn to have faith in their dad and give him another chance. This can impact the reader as the story explores issues of mental health, unhealthy father-daughter relationships, and the ability to have faith in tough times."
SCARLETT COPPOLA - year 12 - McCarthy Catholic CollegeHighly Commended
Emelia Dyer
Year 10
St. Philomena's, Moree
"My story is about a man whose wife suddenly dies in a car accident. He is overcome in grief and doesn't know how he can live on. He comes to terms with his loss by visiting a church, where the priest gives him advice. He has a dream about his wife, and is comforted by the knowledge that she is with God in Heaven."
10-12 Emelia Dyer - year 10 - St. Philomena's MoreeCompetition Winners Publishing Their Stories
Each category winner worked with illustrator, Trish Donald, across terms 3 and 4 to develop their story into an eBook. They learnt about the publishing process, and how illustrators interpret stories and use illustrations to add layers of meaning for the reader. You can check out each of the books in the SORA digital library using the link below. You can learn more about Trish Donald's work at www.trishdonald.com