The 2021 KYD School Writing Prize invited entries from secondary school students responding to a current social or political issue. Students from across the country ambitiously wrote on climate change, the refugee crisis, artificial intelligence and the impact of social media, among other pressing issues.
We’re thrilled to announce Zifa Tanner-Kamal (Year 10, University High School, VIC) as the winner of this year’s prize. Zifa receives a $500 cash prize and publication in KYD.
Zifa’s essay The Despair of Growing Up in the Climate Crisis is an urgent exploration of what it means to be a teenager living through climate change, grappling with conflicting senses of privilege and impending doom.
The judges of this year’s School Writing Prize were Alice Pung and KYD editor Alan Vaarwerk. Read their full report here.
We’d also like to make special mention of five highly commended entries in the prize. These writers, in alphabetical order, are:
- The Prophet by Tess Cummins (Year 12, All Saints Anglican School, QLD)
- Record Breakers by Briana Dorroughs (Year 12, All Saints Anglican School, QLD)
- Three Weeks Later It Happened Again by Anton Fallo (Year 9, Saint Ignatius College, SA)
- She Was Good Enough by Euna Oh (Year 8, PLC Croydon, NSW)
- Choices by Richa Tota (Year 8, Perth Modern School, WA)
KYD and the judges congratulate all the students who submitted their work, and thank the teachers who supported their students in entering. Teachers can download a certificate of entry for their students here.
The KYD School Writing Prize will return in 2022 — stay tuned for more details!
