SLQ Young Writers Award 2013

Congratulations to Kahli Scott, winner of the Young Writers Award 2013!

Kahli was presented with the prestigious award and $2000 for her short story Lingerie.

Judges were impressed by the strong characterisation and distinct narrator voice in Kahli’s story, as well as the clear and structured narrative arc. The assurity of story and strength of character made it a stand-out favourite.

The 2013 Runner up, and recipient of $500, was Nabila Ahmed for her story On the Mend.

The following authors were recognised as highly-commended entrants:

Renee Poole for Immortality
Luke Rutledge for Windows
Greg Mackenzie for The Green Dress
Grace Kirk for Chickenpox

The competition

The Young Writers Award is a short story competition (of 2,500 words or less), open to Queensland residents aged 18 to 25.

The 2013 judging panel comprised award-winning young adult author Sue Gough, The Courier-Mail Arts Editor Nathanael Cooper, author and past Young Writers Award winner Alasdair Duncan, and Queensland Writers Centre Program Manager Aimée Lindorff.

Prizes

The Young Writers Award winner, first runner-up and four highly commended entries each received a prize pack.

Prizes included:

$2,000 to the Young Writers Award winner
$500 to the first runner-up recipient
12 month youth membership to Queensland Writers Centre
12 month membership to Australian Writers Marketplace online
Admission to a Queensland Writers Centre workshop or industry seminar
Admission to a Brisbane Writers Festival workshop

Hints on writing a short story

Be confident in your writing.
Relax and don’t try too hard. Use language that comes naturally to you and when you’re writing, try to let it flow.
Judges are looking for stories with distinctive and interesting characters and plots – get to know who your characters are and where your plot’s going first, and the language will follow.
They’re all good ideas, but don’t try to cram them all into one piece. Think about your core themes and characters and stick by them - your loyalty will pay off in the end.
For more writing tips, visit Queensland Writers Centre or read up on some of the past winning stories.