The City of Darwin Libraries annual Young Territory Author Awards (YTAA) are now open and entries are encouraged from aspiring young writers throughout the Northern Territory.
The YTAA competition is now in its 31st year. It is open to Northern Territory residents 18 years and under and is always popular amongst our budding talented young writers with a large number of entries received each year for each of the categories.
The competition is divided into four age groups; 8 and under, 9-12, 13-15 and 16-18. There are also categories for Regional and School entries, the Children's Book Council of Australia NT Wow Award, with the Young Territory Author of the Year chosen from across all categories.
Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said that the awards showcase the incredible imagination and creativity of young people in the community and provide them with an opportunity to develop their writing skills and have their work nationally recognised.
"Through our libraries and various programs, our young people are encouraged to develop a love of reading and the awards are a fantastic opportunity for young people to get creative and write their own stories.
"The awards are an invaluable platform for aspiring authors to begin their careers, with some recipients becoming published authors in the future," said the Lord Mayor.
Previous YTAA winners who have gone on to publish books include Megan Jacobson (1992 YTAA winner), Sasha Beekman (2012, 2013 YTAA winner) and Sean Guy (2008, 2009, 2010 YTAA winner).
Entries close on Friday, 27 August 2021.The overall YTAA winner will receive a generous cash prize of $500, the school entry winner will receive $500 for their school, with age group and regional winners also receiving prizes.
The winners will be announced later in the year at an event at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.
All entries will be included in the Young Territory Author Awards collection housed at Casuarina Library. The previous year's entries can also be viewed and borrowed by the public.
