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Stories from the Clarence Valley 2025 – Heart of Gold

claireaman

We launched ‘Stories from the Clarence Valley 2025 – Heart of Gold’ in the courtyard at Grafton Regional Gallery this week. It was a magical evening, with nearly 200 people celebrating this wonderful book. We were delighted to see all the happy authors and proud families gathered. All authors received a free copy. Congratulations to all! Beautifully designed by local artist Yohanna Dent and printed in Grafton by Yoohoo McPhee, the book will make a great Christmas present. Many thanks to Clarence Valley Council, Clarence Regional Library, Grafton Regional Gallery, South Grafton Community Bank Branch of Bendigo Bank, and Grafton Book Warehouse. Books are for sale at Grafton Book Warehouse, The Nook in Yamba, Coldstream Gallery in Ulmarra, and Grafton Regional Gallery.

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Announcing the winners

claireaman

Congratulations everyone! Announcing the results of The Long Way Home writing competition 2025.

Open section (up to 2,500 words)

Winner – Kate Begbie, HEART OF GOLD, a beautiful, quiet meditation on love and grief, told by a flight attendant who has been chatting to her passengers on a long flight.

Highly commended – Sonia Reid for WE’LL MEET AGAIN. This story made us laugh. There’s a twist. Fairly short, very clever.

High school section (up to 500 words)

Winner – Ada Sage for THE ART OF BEING BROKEN, YEAR 12, HOME EDUCATED. A very moving and reflective story about becoming the keeper of memories, about making a quilt out of pieces from your life – a pocket from your mother’s jacket, a sister’s scarf, a piece of a childhood dress. Such a young writer, so good!

Second place – Eamon Mawn for THE HEART OF THE BUCCANEERS Year 8, Maclean High School. A wonderful action story about a football game, told with skill and good pace. About the great heart of a football team, their determination.

Highly commended – Evie Rae for FIELDS OF GOLD, Year 8, Maclean High School. A story of beauty and kindness about the life of a beloved grandmother.

Primary school section (up to 200 words)

Winner – Gracie King for HEART OF GOLD,  Year 4, Maclean Public School. A very well-written story about the cross-country race, where kindness wins the race.  

Highly commended – by Declan Mawn for HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, St James’ Primary School. There’s a cyclone in Yamba. “Rivers were rising. The rain was relentless. The wind was a wolf howling all over the town.” The best line of the competition!

Highly commended – Tiarni Benn for THE BRONZE ROBOT’S SACRIFICE Year 6, South Grafton Public School. An original take on the Heart of Gold theme. A robot with a gold heart who has feelings!

Congratulations to everyone published in the book. And a big thankyou to everyone who sent us a story. We had more good stories than we could fit in the book. See you next year.

writing

Announcing the shortlist

claireaman

We mined the Clarence for a heart of gold, searching for stories. These excellent writers will be published in Stories From the Clarence Valley 2025 – Heart of Gold. We’ll announce the winners at the book launch on 9th December at Grafton Regional Gallery. The Long Way Home’s job is to unearth new writers. This year we’ve uncovered the beating, gleaming heart of the Clarence. Thankyou everyone for sending us your stories!

Open section

Beth Keevers A PRECIOUS CUT

Gaye Sprenglewski, TWO DOORS UP

Gra Murdoch, BROKEN STRINGS

Jo Parry, TELL IT TO THE BEES

Kate Begbie, HEART OF GOLD

Kestrel Howard, ALLUVIAL GOLD

Kylie Rainbow, DOWNPOUR

Loueen Winters, THE GIFT

Maggie McDade, SUNDAY MORNING

Meg Rowe, FOOL’S GOLD

Nadia Smith, THE YELLOW BIRD

Norm Mjadwesch, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Sonia Reid, WE’LL MEET AGAIN

Suzanne Barnier, WAGGING SCHOOL

Tennille Pillemer, THE LONG WAY HOME

High school section

Flynn Crowley, ALONE, Year 7, McAuley Catholic College

Elsie Stewart, MOUSE, Year 10, Grafton High

Ada Sage, THE ART OF BEING BROKEN, Year 12, Home Educated

Eamon Mawn, THE ART OF THE BUCCANEERS, Year 8, Maclean High

Evie Rae, FIELDS OF GOLD, Year 8, Maclean High

Sebastian Hassett, THE TOWN OF GOLDEN HEARTS, Year 8, Home Educated

Talia Duckworth, HEART OF GOLD, Year 11, Home Educated

Primary school section

Charlotte Bolch, HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, Nymboida Public

Harper Dendle-Palmer , RIVERBANK WALK , Year 6, Grafton Public

Fionn Mawn, THE HEART OF THE CLARENCE, Year 6, St James’ Primary

Gracie King, HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, Maclean Primary

Ruby Grimshaw, HEART OF GOLD, Year 5, Grafton Public

Frankie Watters, BEST FRIEND, Year 3, Copmanhurst Primary

Wolfgang Crofts, SHINING SMILE, Year 1, Cowper Primary

Declan Mawn, HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, St James’ Primary

Isla Anderson, A HORSE WITH A HEART OF GOLD, Year 5, Clarence Valley Anglican

Hannah Black, A MOMENT IN TIME, Year 4, Gulmarrad Public

Catherine Davies, HEART OF GOLD, Year 6, Grafton Public

Travis Kratz, THE UN-HEARTBREAKER, Year 5, Grafton Public

Bodhi Beresford, HEART OF GOLD, Year 2, Gulmarrad Public

Keilyh Turner, HEART OF GOLD, Year 3, Harwood Public

Grace Littlechild , HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, Maclean Public

Jackson Donovan, A HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, South Grafton Public

Jax Coffison, HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, Nymboida Public

Brianna Outram, HEART OF GOLD, Year 6, Grafton Public

Valin Skerry, THE CAPTAIN’S LAST TREASURE, Year 6, South Grafton Public

Nixon Perry, THE GOLDEN DOLPHIN, Year 5, St James’ Primary

Kade Worthington, APPRECIATION, Year 6, Grafton Public

Zephyr Helman, THE END OF THE WORLD, Year 4, Nymboida Public

Ollie Rodda, A HEART OF GOLD, Year 5, South Grafton Public

Shiloh Tapp, HEART OF GOLD, Year 5, Grafton Public

Spencer O’Range, HEART OF GOLD, Year 5, St Mary’s Primary

Rebecca Oppenheimer, THE TWILIGHT SKY, Year 3, Gulmarrad Public

Albie Granleese, A HEART OF GOLD, Year 6, South Grafton Public

Alina Maleschka-Dawe, HEART OF GOLD, Year 6, Grafton Public

Ava O’Brien, HEART OF GOLD, ULURU, Year 6, South Grafton Public

Charlee Abraham, MY HORSE HOLLY, Year 4, Copmanhurst Primary

Ella Carolan, A GOLDEN DOLPHIN, Year 6, St James’ Primary

Archie Barber, THE HEIST, Year 6, Grafton Public

Jensen Homewood, CATCH AND RELEASE, Year 6, St James’ Primary

Matilda Cook, A HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, South Grafton Public

Ralph Uebergang, FRED’S FIRST HAUL, Year 5, St James’ Primary Yamba

Max Black, A GOLDEN CHANCE, Year 2, Gulmarrad Public

Ashton Miller, A WALLABY’S HEART, Year 6, St James’ Primary

Jack Armstrong, FISH AND CHIPS, Year K, Tucabia Public

Charlotte Parry-Jones, WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, Year 6, St Joseph’s Primary

Tiarni Benn, THE BRONZE ROBOT’S SACRIFICE, Year 6 , South Grafton Public

Remi Bentley, HEART OF GOLD, Year 6, St Mary’s Primary

Pearl Ryan, MY MUM’S HEART OF GOLD, Kindergarten, Tucabia Public

Remi Murphy, A DRAGON’S WORK, Year 5, St James’ Primary

McKinley Harris, HEART OF GOLD, Year 4, St Mary’s Primary

Mercy Allsop, HEART OF GOLD, Year 2, Tucabia Public

Penelope  Ingram Malone, A HEART OF GOLD, Year 3, Yamba Public

Congratulations to all!

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2025 competition now open!

claireaman

Email your story or poem to cvshortstories@gmail.com We’re excited about the stories we’ll read when writers unearth the beating, gleaming heart of gold.

Competition Terms and Conditions

The theme is ‘Heart of Gold.’ Use your imagination to interpret it any way you like.  

Primary students in Year 1- 6 can enter stories of up to 200 words

High school students can enter stories of up to 500 words

Open section stories can be up to 2,500 words

Send us your story or poem by 11pm June 1st, 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.

The shortlisted stories from each category will be edited and published in ‘Stories from the Clarence Valley 2025 – Heart of Gold.’ The book will be launched in early December.

Primary school students: Each story must include the author’s name, story title, word count, school year, school, and teacher’s name. Teachers, please email us the stories as separate word files. Home schoolers are welcome.

High school students: Each story must include a cover page with the author’s name, story title, word count, school year, school, and teacher’s name.  Write the title on each page. Your name only goes on the cover page. Stories are judged blind.  Home schoolers are welcome.

Open category: Each story (fiction or creative non-fiction) must include a cover page with the author’s name, the title of the story, word count, and the category (Open). Write the title on each page. Your name only goes on the cover page. Stories are judged blind.

The winner of the open category will receive a $100 cash prize. Winning high school and primary school students will be awarded book vouchers.

The author owns the story. In entering the competition, the author gives permission to The Long Way Home to edit and publish the shortlisted stories in ‘Stories from the Clarence Valley 2025 – Heart of Gold’ under the author’s name.

The Long Way Home does not generate enough income to pay authors for published stories, but each author will receive free copy of the book. (We don’t pay ourselves either).

Stories can be emailed to cvshortstories@gmail.com

Frequently asked questions

Am I eligible to enter?

If you live in the Clarence Valley, or you have lived here in the past, you can enter. Students need to attend a school in the Clarence Valley, or be of school age and have an address in the Clarence Valley.

What are the judges looking for?

We are looking for well crafted, powerful, original stories that move us. We look for authentic voices – with a touchstone of your own culture, your own experience, enlivened by your own imagination.

Can I enter more than one story?

Yes. But make sure any story you send is the best it can be. Read it at least ten times, keep improving it, make every sentence work. Then send it.

Do I have to pay to enter?

No. Entry is free.

How will I find out if my story will be published?

We’ll contact you by email. The results will also be posted on this website, and on Facebook. We expect judging to be complete by August.

How should I format my entry?

As a Word document.  

First Nations writing

The Long Way Home has been proud to publish Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl writers in all our collections. If your piece is written in the voice of an Aboriginal person, or telling an Aboriginal story, are you Aboriginal? If not, leave it for Aboriginal people to tell their own stories.  Use your own voice to tell your own story. The most powerful writing comes from our own voice and experience and identity.