litlinks 2026

A creative writing competition for ACT school students and their teachers

Read the 2026 Winning Entries

LitLinks received a stunning 222 entries this year, proving that our competition is as popular as ever.

Across all categories, judges were united in commending the original voices and imaginative approaches used to tackle the themes in their storytelling. From humanity and mortality to bake-offs and an otherworldly gnome, from pernicious technologies and corruption to outback 'Australian Gothic' crimes, perfection was not the goal; writing from the heart and mind with a unique voice certainly was!

We thank all students who entered, penning stories from scratch, and showing us writing that was alive:  the antithesis of the cliche that comes with resorting to AI.

Click on the images and links to explore this year's collection of stories.

Image: A worried mum, sitting behind the steering wheel in a car on a dark night.
Image: An illustration of a polluted ocean featuring discarded plastic, a crab, and a turtle.
Image: A flower pot full of red poppies.
Image: A painted portrait of a young woman with brown hair.
Image: A woman in a lab, having her brain scanned while a technician supervises.
Button: A campfire in a snowy wilderness, with a river in the background.
Image: A young swimmer with cap and goggles, underwater in a swimming pool.
Image: Ancient Egyptian mummy, partially wrapped in aged, textured bandages.
Image: A sister and her brother, running from reality into the magical world of a book.
Image: A flower pot full of red poppies.
Image: Two figures escaping into a dystopian wasteland.
Image: An illustration of a girl standing atop a collection of notebooks. The top one has a tree growing from it.
Image: A young woman in a dark library, peering between the shelves to see who is there.
Image: A young woman in a dark library, peering between the shelves to see who is there.
Image: A young man sits in front of a window. The light is grey. Outside is an AI-generated dystopia.
Image: A man talking into his phone. A chatbot hovers above it.
Image: Street scene at sunrise in an old inland town in Western Australia.
2026 Awards Ceremony