A ‘diverse array of voices and styles’: Announcing the 2023 My Place Competition winners

Presented by the ACTF and ABC Education, the 2023 My Place Competition asked students in Year 1 to 8 to submit creative writing pieces about children’s play and imagination throughout time. After careful consideration, our team of judges has selected this year’s winners.

Both the My Place picture book (by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins) and television series adaptation are classic texts in primary classrooms. With over 600 entries received in the 2023 My Place Competition, students from all states and territories clearly embraced the opportunity to respond to these texts through writing. Participating students were asked to explore how children throughout history have used their imaginations to play, and what their play might tell us about life in the past, present and future.

The following students were awarded prizes and their winning entries are now available to read on the ACTF website.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

1^st Prize – Taylah, Fahan School (TAS)

1^st Prize – Shamus, Morphett Vale East School (SA)

YEAR 1 & 2 CATEGORY

1^st Prize – Oak, St Paul’s Primary School Karratha (WA)

2^nd Prize – George, Citipointe Christian College (QLD)

3^rd Prize – Manqi, Citipointe Christian College (QLD)

YEAR 3 & 4

1^st Prize – Madison, St Mary’s Primary School (VIC)

2^nd Prize – Lily, Gardenvale Primary School (VIC)

3^rd Prize – Andrew, Citipointe Christian College (QLD)

YEAR 5 & 6

1^st Prize – Elise, St Anthony’s Primary School Kingscliff (NSW)

2^nd Prize – Sakura, St Edward’s Daisy Hill (QLD)

3^rd Prize – Lucy, Wyrallah Road Public School (NSW)

Highly Commended – Dhrish, Shore Preparatory School (NSW)

YEAR 7 & 8

1^st Prize – Essie, Fahan School (TAS)

2^nd Prize – Molly, St John’s College Dubbo (NSW)

3^rd Prize – Heidi, Brisbane Christian College Middle and Secondary Campus (QLD)

Congratulations to all winning and commended students for their outstanding work. They will soon receive prizes including Walker Books packs and signed copies of My Place.

Congratulations also to the hundreds of students who did not place in the competition but who took the time to craft entries about the places that are special to them. Teachers will soon be receiving certificates to share with students. 

In reflecting on the judging process, Victorian author and literacy consultant Lisa Keskinen addressed all participating students:

Thank you, 2023 My Place Competition entrants. I loved reading this year’s diverse array of voices and styles. Your poems, diary entries, information reports, scripts, invented historical documents and stories engaged us. Thank you for your creative works.

In selecting our winners, we were guided by the My Place Competition rubrics, but also by looking for those magical ingredients in writing that evoke strong emotions and reactions. Congratulations to all.

Numerous entries surprised us with brilliant ideas and flashes of genius. To strengthen your chances of being shortlisted, remember to:

- Connect with the theme and prompts provided.

- Stay close to the word count for your year level.

- Reread, edit and revise your writing, making changes to optimise structure and flow.

- Craft a strong and satisfying ending to your entry.

I wish to encourage you all to keep writing, to continue sharing your original ideas, and improving your craft. We look forward to reading your entries again in 2024. 

While the ACTF Learning team coordinates the competition within the organisation, ACTF Development Managers – whose work involves reading scripts and providing feedback – were particularly interested in reading Dhrish’s Highly Commended entry in the Year 5 and 6 Category. Dhrish creatively presented his response to the theme as a script for a fictional television show called Flashback, in which different generations of a family recall their favourite play and pastimes. After reading this piece, the Development team commented:

We loved Dhrish's creative approach to the My Place Competition piece. We'll keep an eye out for this budding screenwriter in the future!

In acknowledging students’ work, we must also recognise the teachers who encouraged and supported each participant in their writing. As always, schools approached the competition in diverse ways most suited to their own contexts and learners. Some teachers developed literacy or inquiry units based on the competition, others incorporated writing into homework tasks, and some schools included the competition in academic extension programs. Teacher feedback highlights these diverse approaches to the competition.

“[The My Place Competition] improved the students’ engagement with writing and gave a strong creative outlet. It lined up well with researching and creative writing curriculum elements.”

- Sam Haines, St Leonard’s College (VIC)

“[The My Place Competition] allowed me to offer extension opportunities for students and increase engagement.”

- Karen Eakin, Wyrallah Road Public (NSW)

To wrap up the 2023 My Place Competition, the ACTF and ABC Education would like to thank all participating students, their teachers and their families. We also extend our thanks to My Place author Nadia Wheatley, prize partner Walker Books and to our judging team. You all contributed to the competition’s success, encouraging student voice, agency and the telling of Australian stories.