Young writer wins $1000 first prize

Howick College student Elisa

Prattley was a little overwhelmed when she was presented with the $1000 first prize in the annual Kate Edger Trust School Competition.

This year’s theme “How does Music Shape Your World” provided year 12 and 13 students in the Auckland and Northland regions with the opportunity to apply their creative expression across various mediums including music, literature, art and photography.

Prattley, who is in year 12, said music is something very constant in her life.

“I’ve always felt a certain way about it, so I was very happy to write this poem that perfectly explains what music means to me — even better when it won me this amazing prize.”

The prize was presented to Prattley by trust representatives, Sarah McLeay and Katrina Ford.

Elisa’s poem was selected as the winning entry in a unanimous decision from the judges who felt her entry “immediately stood out for its clever formatting and prose”.

The judges also felt her work “was very relevant to the theme and demonstrated a clear sense of the significance of music in her world, using it both as a distraction from and engagement with daily life”.

Prattley says she plans to save the money and hopes to one day “take poetry or writing to a wider scale after school, but at the moment it’s just something I do for fun”.

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