We’re excited to announce the return of the Dymocks Beyond Words Creative Writing Competition, specifically tailored to engage and inspire primary and high school students! Having had significant success last year with over 4,000 applicants, we are going bigger than ever in 2024! We understand that time is precious but we're confident that the benefits of this competition will quickly become apparent to both you and your students.

Our goal is to celebrate and nurture the creative talents of young writers across Australia. Through this competition, we hope to spark the imagination of your students, fostering a lifelong love for writing and storytelling. This competition is a unique opportunity for all Australian wordsmiths to be recognised as the judging criteria recognises both the technical writing of the student as well as storytelling (artistic merit of the writer's idea). 

There are many benefits for schools that participate in the competition: 

1. Boost student engagement and confidence: Encouraging students to participate in the competition will improve their writing skills and build their self-esteem as they see their work being recognized. All students receive a participation certificate for submitting an entry.

2. Showcase your school's talent: By promoting your students' participation, you'll put your school on the map as a hub of creativity and imagination.

3. The prize pool gives everyone a chance: With a generous prize pool of $20,000, the Dymocks Beyond Words Creative Writing Competition is the largest of its kind in Australia! Prizes are awarded across multiple categories, ensuring that a diverse range of voices are recognized and celebrated.
   
   This year we have a first prize of $3,000 for High School and $2,000 for Primary School students (as well as plenty more prizes) to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity. 

In addition to our main prizes, some of our special prizes include:

• First Nations Prize: $1,000

• EALD Prize: $1,000

• Regional Prize: $1,000

• Greater Western Sydney Prize: $1,000

• LGBTQIA+: $1,000

4. Foster a love of literature: This competition offers students an opportunity to express themselves and develop a passion for reading and writing.

5. Get access to creative writing resources: during the course of the competition we will create and share resources to assist with fostering a love of creative writing.

Entries opened on the 1st of March and they will close on 31 May 2024, with winners announced on 11 October 2024. Encourage your students to submit their original stories of 500-1,500 words via the competition website at https://beyondwords.dymockstutoring.edu.au/ 

Together, let's empower the next generation of writers and storytellers. We look forward to reading the extraordinary tales crafted by your students!Warm regards,
The Dymocks Beyond Words Creative Writing Competition Team