Tim Winton Award for Young Writers
The City of Subiaco ran the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers at Subiaco Library from 1992 to 2022. For 30 years, the award inspired many thousands of youths to get creative and put pen to paper, and shone a light on the incredible talent and original storytelling across Western Australia.
At the forefront of the award was WA’s own Tim Winton. At the time of the award’s establishment, Winton was already a seasoned and respected author having published titles such as
Cloudstreet and
Shallows. During his tenure as award patron, Winton went on to write some of the country’s modern classics and fan favourites such as
Blueback and
Breath. Much of his work was award winning, adapted worldwide for stage and screen and he was named a National Treasure in 1997.
This profile however is not all award winners remember when they think of their experiences of the award. In addition, they reflect on a quiet, talented and interested person, who gave his time each year to meet with WA’s youth, to listen to their stories and who simply inspired them to write.
Tim Winton has many legacies, but here at the City of Subiaco, we celebrate the encouragement and inspiration he provides year on year for aspiring young authors across WA. For 30 years, his patronage of our young writers award has sparked, in countless children, a love of writing and a passion for reading – a legacy that will endure across generations.
David McMullen, City of Subiaco Mayor
Past Winners
In 2022, to mark 30 years of the award, past winners Kate Emery and Briony Stewart were asked to chat about their experiences. Briony and Kate have gone onto have successful publishing careers in their own right and reflect on the awards in these videos.
Winning Stories
Abigail Porter was the overall winner in the 2022 Tim Winton Award for Young Writers. A unique opportunity to record her winning story as an audiobook with Bolinda Audio was organised by Tim’s publicist and released across their platforms, including libraries nationwide, in 2023.