What's Your Story? Writing Competition

WYS 2024 event.jpg

Event takes place from 1 June to  31 July 2024.

Entries to the 2024 What’s Your Story? Writing competition have now closed.

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition and all the best with your submissions. 

What happens next? 

  • Entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges made up of Stonnington Library staff
  • Category winners will be contacted in writing by 1 November
  • Category winners will be announced in November

About the competition

‘What’s Your Story?’ is an annual writing competition presented by Stonnington Libraries.  The competition celebrates creative writing and storytelling within our community.

Prizes are awarded for Short Story and Poetry in the adult categories, and Creating Writing in the youth categories. Works can be fiction or non-fiction, based on any theme, but must be original and previously unpublished.

To enter the short story and poetry categories you need to be 18 years and older and living in Victoria, while young people aged 5 to 17 years, who live, go to school or work in Stonnington, are invited to enter one of three creative writing categories. You can enter more than one category, however there is a maximum of one entry per category.

Please read the full What's Your Story? Writing Competition Terms and Conditions(PDF, 369KB) before entering.

Categories and prizes

  • Theme: Open
  • Entry fee: Free

Short story - Adult

  • For: Anyone over the age of 18 years
  • Guidelines: 1000 word limit.
  • Prize: $500

Poetry – Adult

  • For: Anyone over the age of 18 years
  • 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 2022 and 2023 What’s Your Story? Writing competition.

Short story - Adult

2023: Poppy Wfor A Void(PDF, 110KB)
2022: Emily M for The Visitor(PDF, 69KB)

Poetry – Adult

2023: Jessica Sfor Hustle(PDF, 74KB)
2022: Tiffany K for Vili Mai(PDF, 56KB)

Creative writing - 5 to 8 years old

2023: Grace Mfor Moonstone: The last piece(PDF, 144KB) 
2022: Francesca for The Bad Strawberry(PDF, 220KB)

Creative writing -  9 to 12 years old

2023: Awit Rfor The Flower(PDF, 7MB)
2022: Maddie for The glowing red eyes(PDF, 53KB)

Creative writing - 13 to 17 years old

2023: Poppy H for The Bad Place(PDF, 83KB)
2022: Rakshan for Beneath the mask(PDF, 56KB)