I have some good news: I am now a published author!

Last night (Wednesday 26 November 2014) I won 2nd place and my sister won 3rd place in the Lionel Bowen Young Writers Award 2014 held in Randwick City. This competition runs every second year and Eve won 1st prize in 2012.

I entered a short story that I called “The Disastrous Drought“.

Eve entered a beautiful heart-felt poem that I thought was really good named “Where the Land Meets the Sea“.

Last month it was so exciting when my sister Eve and I found out we had been shortlisted and we were to attend the award ceremony.

Here is me winning my award…

Here is big sister Eve winning her award…

Last night was great and I met many important people including the Councillor Tony Bowen (the award is named after his dad Lionel Bowen) and the judges:

• Associate Professor Cath Ellis
• Professor Christine Alexander

I entered the category for Years 5 and 6 short story and I did not expect to beat the older kids. My sister Eve had the same problem but worse as she is in year 7 and had to verse year 8 and 9 students. My friend Nicole Chong also won a highly commended (she now goes to St Catherine’s School). The judge told us that the number of entries for 2014 surpassed all prior years.

Here are the other successful young writers that won along with Eve and I.

School years 5 – 6: Poem

1st – Pia Michalandos – The Promise
2nd – Dong Duong Nguyen – Wild
3rd – Saxon Mendham – My Land
4th – Nicole Chong – My secret place
5th – Georgia York – This is our world

School years 5 – 6: Prose

1st – Logan Ingle – Sand between their Toes
2nd – Ruby Tuesday Cogan – The Disastrous Drought
Jenna Thompson – Lost in the Bush
Lola Hunt – Out in the Bush
Rachael Corban – Shadow of a Girl

School years 7 – 9: Poem

1st – Liam Wood – The Coast Is My Home
2nd – Cindy Mtitelu – Recital of the Waves
3rd – Eve Cogan – Where the Land Meets the Sea
Highly commended – Jacqueline Lim – Him
Patricia Awadalla – The Beauty of Nature

School years 7 – 9: Prose

1st – Jason Cleary-Gorton – The Way of the Bush
2nd – Jaysen Largent – Chernobyl
3rd – Shea Donohoe – Willow
4th – Delilah McArthur – Fallen Soldier
Erik Unger – There He Lay
Jennifer Hatfield – A Hot Day

Ruby