Record numbers showcase outstanding writing abilities in WriteOn 2026

Almost 1,000 government, independent and Catholic schools put forward their most talented writers, selected from entries created in Year 1 to Year 6 classrooms and supported by the NSW English curriculum.

Students were asked to respond to the stimulus: “It was a small thing, but it made a difference,” and crafted stories around themes illustrating a broad range of personal experience and insightful awareness.

The calibre of the 1,027 works submitted, from students throughout NSW, made the task of selecting 55 gold, silver and bronze winners challenging for the judges, who were recognised at an event held at the State Library of NSW today.

Nine-year-old Felicity Luttrell, from Engadine Public School, wrote about the role that insulin plays in her ability to live with type 1 diabetes, while Stage 1 student Imogen Priest, from Cudgegong Valley Public School, spoke about the impact of a simple smile.

Another winner, Zoe Wang from St Francis Xavier's Catholic Primary School, Lurnea, wrote about a universal experience that ties us all together, recognising that children throughout the world gaze up at the same moon no matter where or how they live.

The competition, now in its 17th year, is run by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Students submit their entries to teachers, who pick just one school representative from Stage 1 (Years 1-2), Stage 2 (Years 3-4) and Stage 3 (Years 5-6) to progress to the competition.

To support teachers to incorporate WriteOn into their teaching and learning in the classroom, NESA provided schools with advice aligned to the updated NSW curriculum in which all learning areas have a strong focus on writing.

This year, resources included syllabus-aligned approaches to developing student writing, using the WriteOn competition as inspiration. These included student guides to writing and editing imaginative texts, age-appropriate self-reflection materials, and a guide for schools to host a WriteOn event, including in-school judging guidelines.

The annual WriteOn competition gives students the opportunity to become published authors, developing their skills and fostering a love of writing.

The award-winning students, selected from the primary school Stage 1 to Stage 3, have their work published in The Best of WriteOn 2026, a prestigious recognition of their writing skills.

It will be included in the NSW State Library’s permanent collection and made available to all schools free of charge via the NESA website.

A full list of winners in the Gold, Silver and Bronze categories can be found in ‘The Best of WriteOn’ anthology on the NESA website.

Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Education Standards Authority Paul Martin said:

“I’m delighted that more schools and more individual students than ever before have stepped up to enter WriteOn in 2026, using their writing skills and imaginations to create such wonderful stories about things that have made a difference.

“It is fantastic to see the calibre of work being produced by primary school students under the guidance of their teachers.

"Writing is fundamental to learning. Strong writing skills support comprehension and communication and will benefit students far into the future.

“Congratulations to all of the students who participated this year and to those who have now been recognised for their exceptional writing."