Mary Poppins Literary Competition winners announced
Mayor George Seymour with talented cousins Mila Skuse-Arrevillaga and Maya Skuse-Arrevillaga who took out second and third place respectively in the Years three to six category in the literary section of the Mary Poppins Literary Competition.
Talented young Fraser Coast authors and poets have shared almost $2000 in prizes in the 2021 Mary Poppins Literary Competition.
Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour announced the winners at a ceremony in the courtyard of Gatakers Artspace in Maryborough on Saturday, October 9.
“It’s fantastic to see the creativity of young people in our community,” he said.
“We’re really pleased to be supporting The Proud Marys Association in encouraging the region’s budding writers and poets through this competition.”
Mayor Seymour said the competition was open for youngsters from Year Three to Year 12 who lived in the region and was promoted through Fraser Coast Libraries branches, where entries could be submitted.
The Proud Marys Association Inc president Jacqui Elson-Green said the annual competition had been running since 2000 and was believed to be the most valuable literary award in Australia for school children.
“The competition asks children to write a fantasy story or poem,” she said.
“It commemorates the author of Mary Poppins who was born in Maryborough and is supported by the Cherry Tree Lane Foundation and P.L. Travers Trust in London.
“The judges were delighted by the high standard of entries and had trouble deciding which stories and poems should be awarded first, second and third place.
“This year they also awarded some additional ‘highly commended” prizes.”
The literary prize winners were:
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6: 1st, Emily Thiele; 2nd, Mila Skuse-Arrevillaga; 3rd, Maya Skuse-Arrevillaga; highly commended, Zoey Quinn; encouragement award, Trinity Lennon and Abbie Piper
Years 7, 8 and 9: 1st, Katelyn Thiele; 2nd, Marisa Spencer; 3rd, Amelia Lingard; highly commended, Matilda Webb, Bella Hapeta and Alyssa Vagias
Years 10, 11 and 12: 1st, Jessy Hayward; 2nd, Jaguar Welch; no third place awarded
The poetry prize winners were:
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6: 1st, Georgie Zarkovich; 2nd, Savannah Cross; 3rd, Aimee Prior
Years 7, 8 and 9: 1st, Indiannah Woods; 2nd, Matthew Boulton; 3rd, Heidi Clegg
No prizes awarded in Grades 10, 11 and 12 category