Young Territory Author Awards (YTAA) 2026 entries are open from Monday 16 March to Thursday 27 August 2026, with winners announced in November 2026.
Celebrating its 36th anniversary, the Territory-wide annual writing competition offers aspiring young authors up to the age of 18 to showcase their creativity.
Writing workshops will be held across Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs to help young writers develop their storytelling skills and bring their ideas to life.
From fantastical worlds, stories of life in the Territory to pushing the boundaries of storytelling, young writers across the Northern Territory are being invited to turn their imagination into a published book.
Entries for the City of Darwin's Young Territory Author Awards (YTAA) 2026, a Territory-wide annual writing competition now in its 36th anniversary, are open from Monday 16 March.
Launched by City of Darwin Libraries in 1991, YTAA, open to all Territorians aged 18 years or under, offers a unique opportunity to write and produce their own book, develop their creative writing skills and gain national recognition.
City of Darwin facilitates the Young Territory Author Awards in collaboration with public libraries, councils, and schools across the Northern Territory, providing young authors with the opportunity to write and produce their own book, develop their skills and gain national recognition.
The 2025 awards received a record-breaking 213 entries up from the 159 entries in 2024.
The Overall winner in last year's awards was Faye Yik, 14 years-old, with the book, 'A Prince and a Princess Against the World'. Variety NT YTAA Runner Up was Marlah Scobie-Webb with the book Behind Hands That Hurt. The CBCA NT Branch WOW Award winner Esther Alice Manuel, with the book Darwin Delicious Delight, and the School Winner was Matisse Gotts & Bridget Wang from Milkwood Steiner with the book The Disaster.
