Brisbane students take top prizes in Literary Competition

Students from schools across Brisbane were honoured with awards last night at the Independent Education Union – Queensland and Northern Territory (IEU-QNT) annual Literary Competition presentation.

Over 900 submissions of poetry, short stories and non-fiction prose were entered into the 2023 IEU-QNT Literary Competition, which is run in conjunction with the English Teachers’ Association of Queensland (ETAQ).

Now in its 64^th year, the Literary Competition remains the longest continuing writing competition in Queensland and is open to students and staff in both state and non-government schools.

At last night’s presentation, held at the Kangaroo Point Multicultural Centre, award recipients were presented with certificates and a book prize before having the opportunity to read their winning piece to the audience.

IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the Literary Competition was a great opportunity for students to hone their writing skills and creativity.

“The competition was established by our antecedent union to encourage literary development and freedom of expression in young people,” Mr Burke said.

“The Literary Competition judges were impressed with the exceptional talent on display this year, with a diverse range of entries submitted from across the state.

“I congratulate those outstanding writers who were awarded prizes and thank all the recipients who entered the 2023 Literary Competition,” Mr Burke said.

Read the list of Brisbane-based winners below. Photographs of individual winners and specific judges’ comments on winning works are available on request.

List of Literary Competition Brisbane-based winners for 2023