What's Your Story? Writing Competition
1 June – 31 July 2025
We’re delighted to announce the winners of this year’s What’s Your Story? Writing Competition. And the winners are…
Rebecca H, winner of the Short Story (Adult) category, for the story The Nesting Season(PDF, 185KB)
Rebecca H, winner of the Poetry (Adult) category, for the poem The colour I remember(PDF, 139KB)
Yuki M, winner of the Creative Writing 13 to 17 years category, for the story Last Stop(PDF, 140KB)
Madeline S, winner of the Creative Writing 9 to 12 years category, for the story Grit to Glory(PDF, 240KB)
Olivia T, winner of the Creative Writing 5 to 8 years category, for the story Mr Tooth Explores Australia(PDF, 19KB)
The competition attracted close to 200 entries, proving the competition’s popularity and enthusiasm among our community’s bright and up-and-coming writers.
Well done to all our competition entrants and congratulations to this year’s winners.
We look forward to bringing you this competition again in 2026. Entries will open on 1 July 2026. More information to come.
About the competition
Now in its 14th year, the annual competition celebrates creative writing and storytelling in our community and is a great opportunity for writers and storytellers to showcase their talent.
Prizes are awarded for the best Short Story and Poetry in the adult categories and Creative Writing in the youth categories, as chosen by our panel of judges. Works can be fiction or non-fiction, based on any theme, but must be original and previously unpublished. You can enter more than one category, however there is a maximum of one entry per category.
To enter the adult categories you need to be 18+ years and living in Victoria, while young people aged 5 to 17 years, who live, go to school or work in Stonnington can enter one of three youth categories.
Categories and prizes:
Theme: Open
Entry fee: Free
Short story - Adult
For: Victorian residents 18 years and over.
Guidelines: 1000 word limit.
Prize: $500
Poetry – Adult
For: Victorian residents 18 years and over.
Guidelines: Maximum 40 lines.
Prize: $500.
Creative writing – 5 to 8 years old
For: Young people aged 5 to 8 years who live or go to school in Stonnington.
Guidelines: 300 to 500 word limit. The entry can be fiction or inspired by real events experienced by the author.
Prize: $100 book voucher
Creative writing – 9 to 12 years old
For: Young people aged 9 to 12 years who live or go to school in Stonnington.
Guidelines: 500 to 750 word limit. The entry can be fiction or inspired by real events experienced by the author.
Prize: $200 book voucher
Creative writing – 13 to 17 years old
For: Young people aged 13 to 17 years who live, work or go to school in Stonnington.
Guidelines: 750 to 900 word limit. The entry can be fiction or inspired by real events experienced by the author.
Prize: $300 book voucher
Previous Winners
Meet the winners of the 2023 and 2024 What’s Your Story? Writing competition.
Short story - Adult
2024: Gayle B for The Road to Grey(PDF, 143KB)
Poetry – Adult
2024: Sarah M for Carlton Baths(PDF, 21KB)
Creative writing - 5 to 8 years old
2024: Evie S for Dream Changer(PDF, 101KB)
Creative writing - 9 to 12 years old
2024: Rebecca K for Fear(PDF, 51KB)
Creative writing - 13 to 17 years old
2024: Celeste M for Clockwork(PDF, 48KB)