Congratulations to Year 7 student William D and Year 9 student Henry T, who have both been recognised in the 2025 Inner West Young Creatives, Young Writers Awards.
William’s story, Thieves, and Henry’s piece, All Skaters Go to Heaven, were selected among more than 180 writing entries and 434 submissions overall in this year’s competition – an outstanding achievement showcasing their creativity, authenticity and unique voices.
Henry’s piece is a powerful story about grief, skate culture and the fragility of youth.
“Richie Hill on that warm breezy afternoon, skating under blue sky and powerlines, zooming past parked cars and nature strips, whizzing around corners simply assuming no one would be around on the other side. His own imagination of immortality, his life he was sure would go on forever, as eternal and steady as the spinning of his scuffed skateboard wheels.”
While William’s story is a futuristic adventure set along the stormy California coast, following a young man named Kiyoshi and his crew as they risk everything to steal a powerful substance called Neophexia from a corporate pipeline – a tense story of survival, ambition and rebellion in a bleak, industrial world.
“It was pouring. The rain was relentless, attacking the cliffs and the windblown beach. Off in the distance, in the alpine expanse, colossal wind turbines spun, covered in red and white spotlights.”
Their works will be published in the 2025 Inner West Young Writers Anthology, which will become part of the State Library of NSW and National Library of Australia collections, as well as the IGS Library. Copies will also be gifted to family and friends of the shortlisted writers.
Winners will be announced at the Young Writers Awards ceremony hosted by Inner West Council Libraries on 21 November, where attendees will hear from the judges, vote for the People’s Choice Award and receive copies of the anthology.
This recognition is a testament not only to William and Henry’s talent, but also to the encouragement and guidance of the IGS English Department, which continues to nurture students’ voices and storytelling skills.
The Young Creatives Awards celebrate young people aged 12 to 24 who live, work or study in the Inner West across writing, visual art and film. Winning works are recognised through publication, exhibitions and screenings, offering a platform for emerging creatives to share their stories with the wider community.
