Year 7 & 8 Writers

The writers in the Years 7/8 category have only just entered their teenage years and yet they have chosen to write about some serious subject matter such as the fallout of war and revolution, death and dying, labelling others, growing up in colourless worlds, and horror. It seemed that these students were responding to the challenges of growing up and thinking seriously about the reality of their world.

We could clearly see the good teaching of writing that went into many of these pieces such as use of quotations as prompts, linking to or contemporising classic stories, or using description and humour with confidence.

• Winner: Finding Peace by Giorgia Dixon, Radford College
• Highly Commended: Wolf by Brianna Udovisi, Mount Stromlo High School
• Judges’ Choice: Pepel Van Winkel by Remington Darling, Burgmann Anglican School
• Speculative Fiction Award: The Outsider by Michael McKellar, Melrose High School

• I’eisha Barker, Calwell High School – Sweet-Heart
• Siena Bilski, Melrose High School – A World in Chaos
• Riley Boyle, Lyneham High School – Changing Times
• Mina Buerger, Harrison School – Untitled
• Harper Burton, Lyneham High School – The Killer on the Edge of the Cliff
• Ryan Dow, Radford College – Outcast
• Hayley Gemmell, Harrison School – The Magical Library
• Lachlan Gilchrist, Mount Stromlo High School – Apocalypse
• Charlotte Hammond, Amaroo School – Untitled
• Charlotte Hermes, Namadgi School – Dear Violet
• Ami Herron, Namadgi School – Behind the Waterfall
• Nathanael How, Canberra High School – Near Death
• Rachel Huxley, Canberra High School – The Fallen and the Free
• Flynn Katsoolis, Mount Stromlo High School – Untitled
• Tahlia King, Canberra High School – Crash Landing
• Kane Lawson, Namadgi School – Untitled
• Yujing Li, Alfred Deakin High School – Black and White
• Sophia Long, Radford College – Mirror – through Journal
• Ellie Magee, Canberra High School – Untitled
• Alexandra Makepease, Namadgi School – Love
• Sian Martin, Mount Stromlo High School – Android Meets Human
• Quinn McGlashan, Mount Stromlo High School – Greyham
• Milo Nguyen, Daramalan College – Untitled
• Charlotte Orman, Namadgi School – Maladaptive
• Mel Riches, St Francis Xavier College – A Strange Mind
• Ava Rooney, Canberra High School – Sad, Depressed Trees
• Astrid Rosario, Daramalan College – Untitled
• Ellie Sanders, Melba Copland Secondary School – Into the Grey
• Leah Santi, St Francis Xavier College – The Siren of Coral Cove
• Klara Steinhauser, Melba Copland Secondary School – Truth
• Olivia Wang, Radford College – In Dreams
• Mirabel Wilson, Amaroo School – Beep, Cough, Squeak
• Terry Yang, Radford College – To Hunt a Deer

ACTATE thanks the years 7 and 8 category judges, Christina Cochrane and Sandra Lambert, for their time and expertise. Both are English teachers who also worked as educational consultants in the USA. Christina is a former ACTATE executive member and Sandra was a principal of an ACT college.