Winners of Surrey Libraries' 2024 Youth Writing Contest were celebrated during an awards event Oct. 16 at Surrey City Hall's Centre Stage theatre.
The annual writing competition, for youth aged 12-18, is free to enter in six categories including Short Stories (Senior and Junior), Poems (Senior and Junior), Comics and Random (for other types of writing such as essays, screenplays or song lyrics).
Since launching the contest in 1987, Surrey Libraries has received more than 8,000 entries from aspiring young writers from across Surrey. Details are posted on surreylibraries.ca/services/teens/youth-writing-contest, the website where entries for the 2025 contest will be accepted next summer.
“The entries this year were outstanding in both their number and their excellence,” said Tricia Green, Youth Services Librarian and contest co-ordinator.
“It’s incredibly uplifting to see the talent, passion and bravery shown by these young writers and artists from Surrey.”
Grace Ding earned first place in Senior Short Story and second in Comics.
“This contest means a lot to me because it made me feel proud and helped me gain self-esteem in my work,” Grace said. “My advice for future contestants is to be confident in what you create…everyone starts somewhere, so don’t overthink it.”
Lucy Prior, who was awarded Honourable Mention in the Junior Short Story category, said she loves writing, and feels "so incredibly grateful for this opportunity that has allowed me to discover and share a piece of myself.
“I believe in the power words have to connect, empower, and inspire people," Lucy added. "I love that this contest helps people find their words and gives them the gift of sharing them.”
Organized by Surrey Libraries staff, the Youth Writing Contest is made possible with the support of sponsors including Khalsa Credit Union, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Surrey International Writers’ Conference.
Sold for $8, an anthology of the winning work is available to borrow from library branches.
SURREY LIBRARIES' 2024 YOUTH WRITING CONTEST WINNERS, BY CATEGORY:
Junior Short Story:
First Prize: Seerit Khangura
Second Prize: Jia Lu Hai
Third Prize: Jolene Zhang
Honourable Mention: Lucy Prior
Honourable Mention: Chahaat Bains
Senior Short Story:
First Prize: Grace Ding
Second Prize: Annika Gill
Third Prize: Andrei Ichiro Requinto
Honourable Mention: Rifana Saleem Khan
Junior Poetry:
First Prize: Anna Goode
Second Prize: Alessandra Abia
Third Prize: Myreen Randhawa
Honourable Mention: Andrey Tokarev
Honourable Mention: Poonam Dhillon
Senior Poetry:
First Prize: Michelle Masood
Second Prize: Clary Chow
Third Prize: Sienna Chow
Honourable Mention: Selen Al-Shuaibi
Honourable Mention: Annika Gill
Comics:
First Prize: Sophia Ng
Second Prize: Grace Ding
Third Prize: Esther Dain Yeong
Honourable Mention: Japji Sandhu
Honourable Mention: Sukhman Kambo
Random:
First Prize: Renata Mustafa
Second Prize: Diya Karthik
Third Prize: Jocelyn Mui
Honourable Mention: Luciana Tilgner
Honourable Mention: Esther Dain Yeong
