Amy Devlin-Aylott named overall winner at Young Territory Author Awards 2024

A young Northern Territory author who has taken out the top gong in the Young Territory Author Awards has a link to last year’s winner. Find out more.

The Young Territory Author Awards have kept the big wins in the family after the sister of last year’s winner was crowned on Tuesday.

Amy Devlin-Aylott, 13, took out the top prize of 2024 with her book, Casting Out.

Judges Lisa Burnett of City of Darwin, librarian Pat Moore, The Bookshop Darwin’s Laura Lewis, and author Daniel Bolton said Amy’s book unfolded naturally.

They said the book was “supported by the author’s authentic voice, exploring the changing tides of relationships and importance of connection at any age”.

Young Territory Author Awards 2024 overall winner Amy Devlin-Aylott and Sanderson MLA Jinson Anto Charls. Picture: City of Darwin // Facebook

Mayor Kon Vatskalis said the awards were designed to encourage literacy among young Territorians and he was “incredibly impressed” by the creativity, imagination, and skill of this year’s cohort.

“We are immensely proud of the Young Territory Author Awards which go from strength to strength each year,” Mr Vatskalis said.

“This year our overall winner, Amy Devlin-Aylott, is the sister of last year’s winner, Liora Devlin-Aylott, which is lovely to see.

“I would like to thank the judges who had the tough job of selecting the winners, as well as everyone who submitted an entry to keep these awards going after all these years.”

SEE ALL THE WINNERS:

Eight and under – Hirudini Bowala, ‘Danny and the Dragon’

Nine to 12 – Liora Devlin-Aylott, ’Honey Bea’

13 to 15 – Monte George, ‘Sand to Sky’

16 to 18 – Chay Keating, ‘The Hollow Three’ and Maya Purdon, ‘This Onyx Occult’

School Winner – Milkwood Steiner, ‘The World Outside the Hollow’

CBCA NT Wow Award – James Cuff, ‘Anthology of Poetry’

Regional Winners

Darwin: Joash Miles, ‘The Hungry Panda’

Alice Springs: Pippa Freya, ‘The Mystery of the Hughes Mansion’

Katherine: Cas Street School, ’Travelling Through Time’

Litchfield: Maya Purdon, ‘This Onyx Occult’

Palmerston: Arslan Siddique, ‘Making a Difference’

East Arnhem: Evelyn Flynn, ’Under Our Lake’

Wagait: Chay Keating, ‘The Hollow Three’