NSW Premier's Reading Challenge 2026 – 'Writing in Verse' entry form

Students from Years 7 to 10, who are registered for the 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge, are invited to participate in the competition.

Entries must be submitted by a teacher, teacher librarian, or PRC coordinator on behalf of the student’s school.

Homeschool entries must be submitted by the parent/carer.

Students are invited to participate in the Writing in Verse creative writing challenge, inspired by Australian author Jason Gent, using the following prompt.

Students must write a verse story based on this prompt, and may use the provided Canva resource kit to assist them: Jason Gent resource kit 

Use the online entry form below – make sure your file is ready to upload when you enter!

The competition

Students from Years 7 to 10 who are registered for the 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge are invited to participate in the competition.

Using the prompt provided by Jason Gent, students will write an original verse story of no more than 800 words which addresses the prompt.

Entry requirements:

• Entries must not exceed 800 words.
• Entries must be written in verse (poetry-style writing that does not have to rhyme).
• Entries must be from individual students and must be the entrant’s original work.
• Entries created with generative AI will not be accepted. 
• Students must have a parent/carer’s permission to enter the competition. 
• Entries must be submitted by a teacher, PRC coordinator or parent/carer. 

The entries will be judged in two grade range categories:

• Stage 4 (Years 7–8)
• Stage 5 (Years 9–10)

The four winners will have their work published on the NSW Department of Education website and will receive a verse novel book pack. 
 

How to enter

Entries must be submitted through the official online submission form.

The submitting teacher, PRC coordinator or parent/guardian must:

• provide the required contact details
• confirm that the entry complies with these terms and conditions
• confirm that the student has parent/carer permission to participate
• Ensure that the school’s principal is aware of the entry before it is submitted

Only one file may be uploaded per entry.

Accepted file types include: .doc, .docx, .pdf

Number of entries permitted

Students may submit one entry each. Please note that a teacher or parent/carer will need to submit on the student’s behalf.

Eligible entries

Only work submitted by NSW students in Years 7 to 10, who are registered for the 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge, is eligible to be submitted for judging in this competition.

Entries must:

• be the original work of the student
• respond to the official prompt
• meet the 600–800-word requirement
• comply with these terms and conditions.

Entries must not include:

• material that infringes copyright
• content that is defamatory, obscene, offensive, discriminatory, or otherwise inappropriate
• the image of another person without their consent.

The NSW Department of Education reserves the right to verify the originality of submissions. Entries that cannot be verified as original student work may be disqualified.

Judging

Entries will be judged by a panel selected by the NSW Department of Education.

Entries will be assessed on:

• creativity and imagination
• storytelling and structure
• engagement with the prompt
• originality of ideas
• clarity and quality of writing

Judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Prizes

Four winners will each receive:

• a book pack consisting of four PRC listed verse novels 
• a certificate from the NSW Department of Education.

Two winners will be selected from the Stage 4 and Stage 5 categories.

The Department reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or lesser value if required.

The Department reserves the right to amend, cancel or suspend this competition if an event beyond the control of the Department corrupts or affects the administration security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the competition.

Conditions

Entries open Monday 3 August 2026 and close 5 pm Friday 16 October 2026 after which judging will take place and winners and finalists will be announced.

A parent/guardian/teacher is required to take full responsibility on behalf of the entrant for the content of the entry and for ensuring that the entry complies with these Conditions of Entry. For the purposes of these content requirements, ‘entry content’ includes any content (including text, photos, and images) that entrants submit, upload, transmit, publish, communicate or use in connection with their entry into the competition.

The NSW Department of Education (‘the Department’) reserves the right to verify, or to require the entrant and/or the entrant’s parent/guardian/teacher to verify, that the entry is the entrant’s original work. If an entry cannot be verified to the Department’s satisfaction, the entry will be deemed invalid. An entrant’s entry must not include:

(a) any image of any other person without that person’s express consent. The parent/guardian/teacher warrants on behalf of the entrant that if any such content is included, they have obtained the express consent of the relevant person;

(b) any content that contravenes any law, infringes the rights of any person or is potentially insulting, inflammatory, defamatory, obscene, offensive, discriminatory, indecent or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate (which includes, without limitation, any content involving nudity, malice, excessive violence or swearing); and

(c) content, either partially or wholly, created by generative artificial intelligence.

The Department reserves the right to disqualify a winner if the Department becomes aware that the winner and/or the winner’s entry includes content as described above.

Any entry that is found to be not the original work of the entrant will be invalid, unless the entrant requires the assistance of a third party to enter due to a disability.

The Department collects personal information about entrants for the purposes of conducting this competition, but no further use of this information will be made without prior consent.

The Department will select a number of entries to appear in print, online and social media promotions of the competition, and to share with the supporters and partners of the Premier’s Reading Challenge, ePlatform and the Primary English Teachers Association of Australia. Promotion of an entry during the course of the Competition will not indicate that the entry shared is a finalist in the Competition.

The Department will seek consent from selected entrants, including the winning entrant, and their parent/guardian to publish the entry content as well as the name, likeness, image and/or voice of the selected entrant in promotion of the competition by the Department and the supporters and partners of the Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Entrants and their parents/guardians should be aware that, when information is published on public websites and social media channels, it can be discoverable online for a number of years and may be linked to by third parties.

The Department may, in its absolute discretion, edit, modify, delete, remove or take-down any part of an entry at the discretion of the Department or the supporters and partners of the Premier’s Reading Challenge, ePlatform and the Primary English Teachers Association of Australia.