litlinks 2026

A creative writing competition for ACT school students and their teachers

Teachers as Writers, 2026

Image: A young teacher working on her creative writing in a cafe.

Each year, MARION looks forward to engaging with the work of teachers as writers. Once again, the overall quality of this year’s entries was high, and we were pleased to see such a breadth of subjects and approaches to form. 

Click on the images and links below to explore the winners in the Teachers as Writers Category:

Button: A campfire in a snowy wilderness, with a river in the background.
Image: An illustration of a girl standing atop a collection of notebooks. The top one has a tree growing from it.

Winners:

Shortlisted Stories:

  • Ryan Lindsay, Dickson College – When You Have Gone To The Earth

LitLinks Achievement Awards:

  • Megan Cartwright, Gungahlin College - North of the Tropic of Capricorn (Gimuy)
  • Stewart Crawford, Amaroo School - First Communion
  • Lachlan Fairweather, Shirley Smith High School - The Impossible Combination
  • James Henry, Alfred Deakin High School - The Door
  • Clive MacKillop, Gold Creek School - Lost
  • Jessica McPherson, Lyneham High School - Home
  • Josh Newham, Shirley Smith High School - The Wizard Between the Lines
  • Katie Todd, Blue Gum Community School - Terror on the Bhundoo
  • Pat Wenholz, Canberra High School - That Sinking Feeling
  • Heather Winter, Burgmann Anglican School - Looking Forward to Tomorrow

Judges

ACTATE thanks Katy Mutton and Emma Batchelor, the Teachers as Writers category judges.

Katy is a visual artist, CEO of Marion, and a writing and publishing industry advocate.

Emma is an author and a member of Marion. She is an ACT Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge ambassador and a Member of the Minister’s Creative Council.