The winners of the 2021 Young Territory Author Awards are...

2021 Young Territory Author of the Year – Rowan McGrath for A Frozen Flame
2021 School Winner – Pertame School for Pertame Ketyeya Mapa Yeya-iperra
CBCA Wow Award – Mai Morante for When the Suns not Shining

Regional Winners

Alice Springs – Coriel Stay for The Legend of Phalanx Rilmont
Darwin – Mila Gusmao, Hannah Argoon & Mikayla Seden for Cat and a Pickle
East Arnhem – Zoe Pettiford for My Life in Yirrkala
Katherine – Abigail Grogan for Gold Magic
Litchfield – Lillian Ansell for The Tawny Frogmouth
Palmerston – Zara Gottfried for The Seeds I Plant
Wagait – Chay Keating for First and Foremostly

8 years and under

Winner – Lucinda Ronayne for Whoopsie
Highly Commended – Anastasia Banson for My Special Baby Brother
Encouragement Award – Haziq Ali for The Deep Blue Sea

9-12 years

Winner – Freya Galati for Starless
Highly Commended – Amy Elliott for Legend
Encouragement Award – Akein Udhaka Hikkaduwa for The Passing
Encouragement Award – Amy Devlin-Aylott for The Mystery at Number 19

13-15 years

Winner – Geliane Vergara for Elizabeth
Highly Commended – Olivia Wall for God’s Sacrifice

16-18 years

Winner – Elizabeth Mullavey for The World that Cannot be Seen
Highly Commended – Jules Gabor for The Things I Never Said
Encouragement Award – Abigail Kube and Kelly Chen for Manna

And we would like to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all of our young authors this year.

The 2021 Young Territory Author Awards Collection will be available to view at Casuarina Library in the coming weeks. 

Thanks to the 2021 Judges

The 2021 YTAA Judges are:

Michelle Coleman - author

Maree McCarthy Yoelu - author

Jonathan Howard - CBCA Judge and Teacher

Peter Summersby - author

Thanks to the 2021 Sponsors

7 Darwin

City of Palmerston

Children's Book Council of Australia - NT Branch

NT Writer's Centre

The Bookshop Darwin

The Young Territory Author Awards will be returning in 2022. 

About the Young Territory Author Awards

The Young Territory Author Awards is an annual writing competition where entrants write and produce their own book. It is organised in association with other public libraries and schools throughout the Northern Territory. The competition is in its 31st year of production and showcases the incredible imagination and creativity of young people in the community, providing them with an opportunity to develop their writing skills and have their work nationally recognised.

Entries Close: 2022 Dates TBA
Winners Announced: 2022 Dates TBA
Prizes Offered: Yes

Find out how to enter

Prizes

There are lots of prizes up for grabs. 

Young Territory Author of the year - $500
School Entry Winner - $500 (for the school)
CBCA NT Wow Award - $200
Regional Area Winners - $50
Age Category Winners - $50 voucher to the Bookshop Darwin
Highly Commended - $30 voucher to the Bookshop Darwin
Encouragement Awards - $20 voucher to the Bookshop Darwin

Entries are considered in all categories they are eligible for. The categories include:

• 8 years and under - all individual entries in this age bracket are eligible
• 9-12 years - all individual entries in this age bracket are eligible
• 13-15 years - all individual entries in this age bracket are eligible
• 16-18 years - all individual entries in this age bracket are eligible
• Regional areas - all entries received (school and individual) in each NT region are eligible
• School Entries - all entries received from schools are eligible
• Young Territory Author of the year - all individual entries are eligible

Writer's Toolbox

Have a look through the Writer Toolbox - a page filled with resources to help you write your story. 

See the Writer's Toolbox

Information for Teachers

If you are preparing a class entry, please use this permission template to notify your student's parents, and gain the necessary permissions.

Download the Permission Template

Download the YTAA Poster

Past Winners

The 2020 Young Territory Author Award Winners are...

Young Territory Author of the Year

Rachel De Kock for Spring and his Flower

Judges comment: “The judges all agreed this was an ambitious story - imagining the four traditional seasons as people - but it was well-realised due to the skill of the writing, and showed some deep contemplation by the author. The cover art was beautiful as well.”

School Award Winners

Wanguri Primary School – Year 1/2 Dobrini for Balancing Act
Stuart Park Primary School – Year 3 Gorman for Words of Wonder

Judges comment: “Well done to the students and teachers involved in creating these beautiful anthologies that capture life in the Northern Territory.”

The NT Children’s Book Council of Australia Wow Award

Emily Campbell for Alexander

Judges comment: “The judges were impressed by the honesty of this book, as well as the lovely illustrations and the photos at the end. The book ‘Alexander' shines a light on taboos in our society in a respectful and loving way."

Regional Winners

Darwin – Alice Cotter for Aggywise
Alice Springs – Rachel De Kock for Spring and his Flower
Katherine - Bryce Parish for How Snakes became Long
Litchfield - Savannah Coco for The Tree of Hope
Palmerston - Samuel Au-Yeung for Mr Turtles Hat
East Arnhem - Ezra Jean Aubort for The Second Wave

8 Years and Under

Age Category Winner - Bryce Parish for How Snakes Became Long
Highly Commended - Nayana Malla for The Baluata Boys: Dogs I met in Kathmandu
Encouragement Award -Sophia Langbid for Henry the Hermit Crab

9 to 12 Years

Age Category Winner - Alice Cotter for Aggywise
Highly Commended - Emily Cook for The King’s Scale
Encouragement Award - Cooper Bament for Mr Phoenix

13 to 15 years

Age Category Winner - Journey Kelly for The Daily Snail
Highly Commended - Arsh Syed Ahmed The Appointment
Encouragement Award - Julianne Gabor and Geliane Verara for The Red Thread

16 to 18 Years 

Age Category Winner - Otto Blum for Banksia Seeds
Highly Commended - Tiger-Lily Clements for Untouched
Encouragement Award - Tianke Viljoen for Maya Miller

All entries in the 2020 Young Territory Author Awards will be on display at Casuarina Library and available to borrow.

Congratulations to all our winners and to all of our amazing authors who entered last year's Awards.

Previous Young Territory Authors of the Year

2019 Jethro Pollock
2018 Tiger-Lily Clements
2017 Jessica Phelan
2016 Alice Cotter
2015 Sascha Duffy
2014 Irini Melas
2013 Yasna Delo
2012 Shayla Moses
2011 Ella Hardiman & Tjina Stoll
2010 Isabella Hope Tester
2009 Timothy Hansen
2008 Rosanna Cameron
2007 Sophie Philip
2006 Dean Holzwart
2005 Karina Brabham
2004 Lauren Crabbe
2003 Erin Pearce
2002 Amanda Deacon and Penny Cameron
2001 Penny Cameron
2000 Guy Spielman
1999 Jessica Rose
1998 Melanie Robinson
1997 Karen Bryce
1996 David Palmer
1995 Yvonne Medel
1994 Aaron Tucker
1993 Aaron Tucker
1992 Megan Jacobson
1991 Arvin Roach

Thanks to our sponsors