A Richmond River High School student was the winner of the Susie Warrick Young Writers Award at the Byron Writers Festival.

Entrants were set the task of writing a 1,000 word short story for a $500 prize and publishing opportunities with the festival.

The competition attracted 61 entries across two youth categories

Richmond River High student Niamh Montgomery won the award in the Years 7-9 category with her short story, Crayons.

The judges said Niamh’s story was a “surprise both in terms of its subject matter and its ability to manipulate the reader”.

“This complex and subtle story, written from the perspective of a child in a violent home, has a clever twist in the tail,” they said.

The first runner up in the Years 7-9 category was Kadina student Ally Broome with her short story Shadows.

You can read the winning short stories here: https://byronwritersfestival.com/blog/susie-warrick-young-writers-award-winners-read-the-winning-stories/