Dubbo South Public School students were honoured last month with a NSW Fellowship of Australian Writers Award bestowed on Year Two star, Eleanor Searle.

This follows the Stage One Extension English class all submitting stories to the Fellowship for their annual award, with Eleanor’s effort scooping the pool!

Eleanor’s short story, “Fairy Land” whisked readers away into “a world of enchantment and creativity”, earning the young author a win in the Hilarie Lindsay Short Story Competition in the Year One–Two Junior Primary B Section, School Principal, Sharon Allman recently revealed.

“We are incredibly proud of Eleanor’s achievement,” Mrs Allman said.

“Her imagination and dedication embody the creative spirit we nurture here at Dubbo South Public School; ‘Fairy Land’ is a beautiful example of the powerful voices emerging from our youngest storytellers,” she added.

The judges, she explained, were “absolutely spellbound”, not just by Eleanor’s magical storytelling, but by the incredible range of voices and ideas from 36 students from Dubbo South Public School, with Commended Awards also presented to Lily Meredith and Skye Butcherine, Extension English Teacher and Assistant Principal, Curriculum, Natalie Polak said.

“Every student who participated showed such courage and creativity,” Mrs Polak enthused.

“Eleanor approached the creative challenge with enthusiasm, dedication and a truly imaginative spirit,” she added.

From the very first draft, she said, Eleanor “poured her heart into developing memorable characters, weaving magical scenes, and refining her ideas with resilience and care”.

Her commitment to drafting, reworking, and polishing her story was inspiring to her classmates and teachers alike, and clearly shone through in her final piece, Mrs Polak believes.

“It was a joy to read each story, and Eleanor’s work truly stood out for its rich imagination and thoughtful storytelling,” Mrs Polak said.

“It was special to get a call from the convenor of the competition to express how impressed they were with the calibre of Eleanor and our students’ writing,” she concluded.

Every student who participated in the competition, also received a certificate to recognise their efforts, with Eleanor “over the moon” to receive her award and cash prize for her extraordinary writing.

With school back in the next few weeks, the students will be eager to get writing again.