A local Cairns student was honoured with an award on Wednesday evening at the Independent Education Union – Queensland and Northern Territory (IEU-QNT) and English Teachers' Association of Queensland's (ETAQ) annual Literary Competition presentation. Jaydein Omatang, from Holy Cross School in Trinity Park, won the Years 5 and 6 poetry category with their submission, "Blooming Sunflower." Dr Sherilyn Lennon, who judged the entries, said the winning poem was a joyful little lyric verse that served up a visual, sound, and sensate feast. "Blooming Sunflower manages to perfectly capture the beauty and movement of a sunflower transitioning from seedling to full maturity," Dr Lennon said. "With similes and metaphors aplenty, the author demonstrates an impressive ability to use poetic devices for effect," she said. The Literary Competition was established by the IEU-QNT's antecedent union in 1959 to encourage literary development and freedom of expression in young people. ETAQ President Anne Wood said over 1300 submissions of poetry, short stories and non-fiction prose were entered into this year's Competition, with all schools providing a high quality of entries for judging. "Now in its 65th year, the Literary Competition remains the longest-running writing competition in Queensland and is open to students and staff in both state and non-government schools," Ms Wood said. IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the Literary Competition was a great opportunity for students to hone their writing skills and creativity. "The Literary Competition judges were impressed with the exceptional talent on display this year, with a diverse range of entries submitted from across the state," Mr Burke said. "I congratulate those outstanding writers who were awarded prizes and thank all those who entered the 2024 Literary Competition," he said. See the attached list of 2024 Literary Competition winners, place-getters, and Highly Commended Award recipients.
About us:
The Independent Education Union – Queensland and Northern Territory (IEU-QNT) represents more than 17,000 teachers, school support staff, principals and early childhood education employees across Queensland and the Northern Territory.
