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Sydney’s top young writers announced as finalists in Essay Prize.Credit:Aresna Villanueva

More than 20 essays have been shortlisted for the Essay Prize,which was introduced to provide young people with a platform to share their points of view on subjects that matter to them.

“The essays that stood out were those that demonstrated a confident voice;strong angle or argument;and a willingness to push the form,” the judges said. “Picking a shortlist was more challenging than we expected,and we congratulate every entrant for their courage in putting their work forward. We have no doubt we haven’t seen the last of their names yet.”

The entrants had three essay topics to choose from:What makes you optimistic about the future of Sydney or NSW?;What are the priorities you would set for Australia and why; andWhat do you wish more people understood?

The latter was the most popular question to answer with body image,mental health,social media,immigration and education recurring themes across all topics.

In the 14-18 age category the shortlisted entries (up to 800 words) were:

Elina Degani’s essay on her grandfather’s experience with Alzheimer’s disease;
Arella Domabyl’s essayAn Imperfect Woman about patriarchal pressures and gender inequality;
Ava Fahey’s essayThen,Let Us Sing about the need to politically engage young people;
Eliza Hoh’s essayCan I Please Borrow A Million Dollars? about the role of public libraries;
Anhaar Kareem’s essay about the origins - and whiteness - of beauty culture;
Olivia Kent’s essay on experiencing chronic pain;
Sam Kearney’s essay on the need for powerful visions and strong leaders;
Lauren Pham’s essay about learning Vietnamese and speaking “Vietglish”;
Preethika Mathan’s essay on Gen Z,cancel culture and Kamala Harris;
Vivien Tang’s essay on the benefits of a multicultural and inclusive Sydney;
Anais Williamson’s essayDJ Khaled and the Positivity Trend about the role of positive memes.

In the 19-24 age category the shortlisted entries (up to 2000 words) were:

Taylor Angelo’s essayFoundations of Utopia about climate change,housing affordability and the need to dream;
Sophie Blewitt’s essay on sunscreen,skin cancer and sun safety;
Elizabeth Bourke’s essayPound of Flesh on animals,pets and vets;
Adam Gottschalk’s essayCareering on first jobs and climate change;
Charlie Kennedy’s essayA Haunting in Reverse about family,mental health and moving out;
Giselle Laszok’sessay The Last Australian about the Tasmanian tiger,climate change,and “the last Australians”;
Dayeon Seo’s essay Liminal Spaces:Between Domestic and International Students,‘Permanently Temporary’ Residents Forever in Limbo about being an international student after more than 15 years living in Australia;
Abbey Sim’s essay on Christianity in Australia;
Eleanor Swan’s essayPicky about eating disorders and their treatments;
Flynn Shan Benson’s essay Our Language;Or,How to Say Shibboleth in anAustralian Accent about language,power and politics.

The winner of each age group will receive $1000 – courtesy of Dymocks Books and Tutoring – and their essays will be published in theHerald. They will also receive digital subscriptions to theHerald,a tour of the newsroom and a chance to pitch four additional pieces for publication. Two runners-up in each age category will receive $500 and a 12-month digital subscription.

The winners will be announced on November 29.

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