The revision of the NSW English K-10 syllabus for Stage 1, so far, maintains ‘audience’ as a key consideration of in the writing process for students:
Students need opportunities to explore how language use in texts differs according to the subject matter, purpose and audience.
Audience is defined and explained further:
Audience is the intended group of readers, listeners or viewers that a text is addressing. Understanding the concept of audience is central to writing. Students in Stage 1 need to identify the audience and purpose of texts as they compose texts for a range of familiar and less familiar audiences.
However, the ‘audience’ for a student’s writing is frequently just the class teacher, whose ‘teacher eyes’ look for specific evidence of learning and application of skills and understandings.
We extend this with displays of writing, contributions to newsletters and principals’ awards, but the audience is still limited.
Competitions are a way to extend the audience for our students’ writing. They take the focus back to using all a student’s skills as an author, to create text for a wider audience to read and appreciate. To listen to what they have to say.
WriteOn writing competition
This competition is conducted annually by the NSW Education Standards Authority, in association with the State Library of NSW. A stimulus image is provided, and students create ‘an imaginative text of up to 500 words’.
The competition is open to all students Year 1 – Year 6 from all sectors, including home-schooled students.
The competition closes on Friday 25 June, the last day of Term 2 2021.
Guidelines, assessment criteria (including consideration of audience), online entry information and contact details are all available on the website. There is also a competition poster you can download and use around the school. The Best of WriteOn 2020 anthology is also available, to give teachers and students an idea of the variety and quality of the writing in this competition.
Entries are judged by teachers from NESA and all educational sectors.
The competition is an opportunity for ‘a whole class teaching activity or an individual project,’ and teachers are asked to refer to the NSW English K–6 Syllabus outcomes.
This is the stimulus image for the 2021 WriteOn competition.
Supporting resources
The WriteOn competition references the Australian curriculum: English ACELY1671: Creating texts: Create short imaginative, informative and persuasive texts …
(Scootle resources for this outcome can be found here)
and the 2012 NSW English K-10 syllabus:
EN1-7B: Outcome 7: identifies how language use in their own writing differs according to their purpose, audience and subject matter (EN1-7B) – Respond to and compose texts: compose and review written and visual texts for different purposes and audiences.
Multimedia dimensions of texts: Australian curriculum: English
NESA English K-2 revision:
- Activities to support the consideration of audience include comparing texts on the same topic for different audiences, and creating a ‘mind map’ using this template:
This blog has some interesting ideas.
Other writing competitions
Each year, the following publish lists of competitions for all writers. Several 2021 competitions are already closed, but the site is worth checking in December, ready for next year:
Storyathon is a free online event which challenges children from Year 3 to 8 in writing microstories, set each school term, so there are a few opportunities throughout the year.
Theme: Open
Closes: At the end of each school term
Word limit: 100 words
Open to KYD School Members and their school students, young writers are encouraged to submit stories of fiction or non-fiction that respond to current social or political issues that concern them.
Theme: Current social or political issues
Closes: 18 June 2021
Word limit: 1000-1500 words
Prize: $500 cash prize and editorial support and publication in KYD
The TripFiction ‘Voyages by Verse’ Poetry Competition
‘Voyages by Verse’ competition encourages writers to get creative about adventure and freedom. Entrants are encouraged to use their own distinctive style and rhythm.
Closes: 13 June 2021
Word limit: 1000 words
Theme: None – PROSE AWARDS and THE CJ DENNIS POETRY AWARDS
Closing: 14 May 2021
Open to: Australian Students in years 5 to 12
Theme: What matters to you and why
OVERALL WINNER: $1,000 trophy and from the Museum of Australian Democracy: a curated selection of books. The winner’s library will receive a donation from the Museum and the Learning team will connect live to their classroom for a bespoke Digital Excursion program
GRAHAM FREUDENBERG AWARD: Fly winner and an adult to Canberra to shadow Political speechwriters and journalists in the Press Gallery at Parliament House & two night’s accommodation.
South Perth Young Writers Award
Open to: School aged children residing or attending school in the City of South Perth
Theme: None
Most outstanding entry awarded the Christobel Mattingley Bronze Medallion
