Little Stories, Big Ideas

Little Stories, Big Ideas is a flash writing competition open to Australian secondary school-aged students across the nation.

Entrants write to a themed prompt in 100 words or less, in any literary style they like. Anything is welcome – prose, poetry, comics, song lyrics, or whatever else you love writing. Entries can include writing for readers of any age. 

The competition runs twice a year. Winners will be chosen from two categories: Years 7–9 and Years 10–12. Entry is free, and winners and runners-up will receive an Express Media membership, Voiceworks subscription and a masterclass with an author. Winners of each category will also receive a $250 cash prize.

Little Stories, Big Ideas gives young writers an opportunity to hone their skills and practice the art of brevity. The prize aims to ignite passion for creative writing in Australian secondary school students and inspire young storytellers across the nation to put pen to paper (and fingers to keyboard) and get writing!

Little Stories, Big Ideas was first established by Joe Novella, Rebecca Fraser and Sarah Halfpenny.

Year 10 - 12 Submissions

Express Media and The Wheeler Centre are excited to announce the winners of the Little Stories, Big Ideas writing competition.

This competition's theme was: Shimmer.

This round of the competition, we received an incredible calibre of flash writing entries from secondary school-aged writers across Australia.  The winners and runners-up – chosen in collaboration with Prize Ambassador Amelia Mellor – impressed us deeply with their unique voices and perspectives. Working within a 100-word limit, these brilliant young writers created clever, moving and evocative windows into imaginative other worlds and rich inner lives.

Years 7 - 9 
Winner: Abigail Koh (WA, Year 9) for ‘marmöris’
Runner-up: Ethan Cheng (NSW, Year 8) for ‘my last meal with you’

Year 10 - 12 
Winner: Jessica Zhen (NSW, Year 12) for ‘Fruit Flies’
Runner-up: Olivia Yun (NSW, Year 10) for ‘was i Beautiful?’

The winning and runner-up pieces can now be read on the Express Media website. Each winner also receives a $250 cash prize, and each winner and runner-up will receive a book pack courtesy of The Wheeler Centre, a mentoring session with Prize Ambassador Amelia Mellor, and their names and an acknowledgement printed in Voiceworks, Australia’s premier youth literary journal.

We congratulate these writers on a fantastic result and thank each student who submitted to the competition. The next round of Little Stories, Big Ideas will open soon – so keep your eyes peeled and don’t stop writing!

The winner and runner-up in each category will receive:

• An online writing masterclass with a Prize Ambassador from the publishing industry
  
  
• A Voiceworks bundle courtesy of Express Media
  
  
• A YA book pack courtesy of The Wheeler Centre
  
  
• Their names published in Voiceworks, Australia's premier youth literary journal

The prize winner in each category will also receive:

• A $250 cash prize

Be BOLD! Be courageous, and creative. You can say a lot in 100 words – you can even say a lot in 10 words. Interpret the theme as creatively as you like, and with your own style and voice. Most importantly – we care more about the message that your writing conveys than whether the grammar is 100% correct. Don’t be afraid to enter, because whether you win or not, you’ve created a piece of original work which is a special thing to be proud of!