Liora Devlin-Aylott crowned overall winner for 2023 Young Territory Author Awards
Nine-year-old Liora Devlin-Aylott has been crowned the overall winner of this year’s Young Territory Author Awards out of more than 140 entries.
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The winners of the 2023 Young Territory Author Awards have been announced with nine-year-old Liora Devlin-Aylott being crowned as the overall winner out of more than 140 entries for her book ‘Roots to the Heart.’
The judges, which included authors Barry Jonsberg and Don Christophersen, described the book as a “cleverly constructed story that manages to be both an empathetic insight into personal relationships and introduces a satisfying element of the fantastical.”
The winners across each age category were Maya Searl (eight and under), Demilade Kutyei (nine -12), Coriel Stay (13-15), Pryha Allen-Bell (16-18) with Dela Jones taking out the CBCA Wow Award.
Mia Taylor from Katherine, Leo Brown from Palmerston and Banjo Beynon, East Arnhem were among the regional winners.
Palmerston College’s Special Education Centre was the school winner for their book ‘STORIES: A Children’s Anthology’, which included a collection of stories ranging from sci-fi to historical fiction.
Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis praised the creativity and imagination of all the award winners.
“The Young Territory Author Awards go from strength to strength each year, and I am thrilled to see the winners who were chosen from a very competitive field in each category,” he said.
“We have seen previous award winners go on to become successful writers, and even be involved in the judging panel, which is something I am immensely proud of.”
The awards aim to encourage literacy among young Territorians as well as getting young people to express themselves through writing stories.
Launched by City of Darwin Libraries in 1991, the Young Territory Author Awards program encourages the development of literacy in the Northern Territory.
“The awards help to highlight the career pathways and resources available for young authors as well as to build stronger connections between children and their local libraries,” Mr Vatskalis said.
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Originally published as Liora Devlin-Aylott crowned overall winner for 2023 Young Territory Author Awards
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