Writing and Poetry Competition

The Writing and Poetry Competition featured some outstanding entries and we would like to thank all those who participated in the program.

2025 Competition Details

Onkaparinga Libraries will be working with Writers SA again this year to run the Writing and Poetry Competition. It will launch on Thursday 9 October and entries will be accepted until Tuesday 9 December 2025.

Competition Categories

Flash fiction (Adults – max 500 words)

Poetry (Adults – max 500 words)

Flash fiction or poetry (Youth – no more than 500 words)

More information about the 2025 competition will soon be announced.

2024 Competition Winners

Congratulations to our 2024 winners! View their full entries by clicking the links below.

Youth – Isabella Taylor (Stirling)

Don’t feel sorry for us(PDF, 45KB)

'Don't Feel Sorry for Us' is a poem that speaks to our complicated age and the young people who will have no choice but to negotiate its many challenges.  Instead of allowing for self-pity, this young writer sets contemporary ills against the larger narrative of history and implores her contemporaries to rise to the challenge. 

Flash Fiction – Georgie Waters (Camden Park)

A place I call home(PDF, 25KB)

The story 'A Place I Call Home' manages to do a lot in a short space. There are effectively two 'plot' lines in play, so as we come to the end of the story, the entire story is revealed to be something else. Waters builds tension well and at the same time the story is intimate and ultimately quite moving.

Poetry – Purli Los (Aldinga Beach)

Desktop Dream(PDF, 111KB)

Desktop Dream" evokes a tender melancholy that gently transports us to a quiet space within our minds, offering a sense of stillness amidst the chaos of daily life. With remarkable subtlety, the poet achieves this with just a few carefully chosen words, weaving a profound atmosphere effortlessly.