If you love creating cool stories and imaginative characters, don’t miss The ANZA Young Writers’ Competition 2022! Last year we were inundated with entries, and we can’t wait to read your submissions for this year.

Rules of entry

  • Your entry to ANZA Young Writers’ Competition 2022 must be no more than 500 words, and it must begin with the line: “It is 1 January 2027 …”. The word ‘Singapore’ must be mentioned at least once in the text, and your submission must be your own original work
  • There are three age groups: 6-9, 10-14 and 15-18. The competition is open to all residents of Singapore
  • The ANZA Young Writers’ Competition 2022 is open now and runs until Thursday 28 April, 2022. Entries must be emailed as a word document with your name, address and age to kristenhobby@gmail.com
  • Entries will be judged by the ANZA Writing Group and ANZA magazine editor Jo Upcraft. All winners will be notified by Monday 30 May 2022
  • There are some wonderful prizes on offer. First prize for each age group is $50 cash plus a $30 book voucher from Closetful of Books. Winners will have their entry published in the July/August issue of ANZA magazine
  • Runners up in each category will have their submission featured on the ANZA website in July 2022

Kickstart Your Submission
To offer some help along the way, head of ANZA Writing Group, Kristen Hobby shares tips for young authors:

1 Read, read, read
Experience as many books as you can from across all genres. This will help you to work out which writing styles you like.

2 Find inspiration
Ideas for stories are everywhere and can be found in the most unlikely of places. Pay attention to what’s around you and you never know what will spark a plotline.

3 Just do it!
Inspo not coming? Most good stories begin with a tiny seed of an idea, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Just start writing without overthinking too much and see what develops.

4 Read your story out loud
This is a great way to ‘hear’ your story and spot anything that needs changing.

5 Keep editing
Once you have your thoughts down, keep returning to your story, ensuring every
word is needed and relevant. Don’t be afraid to cut out words and unnecessary details.

6 Share
When you feel like your story is nearly finished, ask a trusted friend or family member to have a look. Take their feedback on board, but remember that the story is yours, and that’s what makes it so good!

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR