The longlisted stories from Beyond Words 2025 are here!
Paper Land
Daisy,
Year 2 - TAS
Year 2 - TAS
Once upon a time, near the Crooked Tree Forest, there lived a little girl called Fern and her parents, who were paper makers…
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The Hidden World
Amelia
Year 2 - VIC
Year 2 - VIC
The last Autumn leaf fell on top of the palace and snow was showering down…
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Anachronistic Alexander the Great
Benjamin
Year 3 - NSW
Year 3 - NSW
Alexander opened his eyes and instantly knew something was wrong…
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Fly Raine
Grace
Year 3 - VIC
Year 3 - VIC
The wind blows. The sun shines. The trees grow. Raine will migrate.
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The Apple
Elliot
Year 3 - WA
Year 3 - WA
Boom! An apple appears on a tree. He eats nothing, he has no friends and nowhere to go…
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Belladonna Lilith
Elsie
Year 4 - VIC
Year 4 - VIC
Belladonna was a woman trying to not be suspicious. Yesterday, the men of the village suspected her little sister of being a witch and burned her…
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The Day The Sky Fell: James and the Alien Invasion
Eshaan
Year 4 - WA
Year 4 - WA
Once upon a time, there was a boy named James who lived on Safest Road (not actually safe, sometimes burglars come!).
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The Diary of a Vegan Vampire
Rose
Year 4 - QLD
Year 4 - QLD
I stood in the darkness of our Mulberry tree, watching silhouettes dance across the coarse trunk…
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The Life of a Thief
Leonie
Year 4 - NSW
Year 4 - NSW
Up in the tower, I could see everything, from the blades of grass to the steeple of the church.
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The Treacherous Climb
Tom
Year 4 - QLD
Year 4 - QLD
As I clutched the leathery reins of my horse, I looked back from a rolling hill towards Caronar.
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Extraordinary
Elizabeth
Year 5 - ACT
Year 5 - ACT
“Ross, why do we have to pack our bags?”
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Licensed for Chaos
Zadie
Year 5 - WA
Year 5 - WA
“What was the darn stop sign doing in front of my car?! I had no choice but to hit it!”
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One Dark Camping Trip
Minna
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
My eyes fluttered open as the car took a sharp turn and skidded.
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Unsquared
Sydney
Year 4 - NSW
Year 4 - NSW
The vastness of the ocean amplified Raven’s melancholy…
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He Isn’t So Bad After All
Lilly
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
“Do I really have to meet your... friends?”
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Louder Back Then
Akshara
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
She used to push me into bushes.
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The Coffee Shop
Harry
Year 5 - VIC
Year 5 - VIC
Ding! Dong! The wooden door creaked open as the strong smell of delicious coffee filled the air.
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Challenges
Joanna
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
Lilith stared in awe as she watched her cousin, Reaye, dance across the stage. The blinding lights capturing every move she made.
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Into the Age of the Dinosaurs
Alan
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
A miniature time machine quickly popped into existence and shuddered to a heavy stop.
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Love in Every Flicker
Mairah
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
I stood at the corner of Bourke and Swanson Street.
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The Diving Journey
Catherine
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
You can do this, Abby thought to herself, just go.
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The Hooded Lady
Sunah
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
The thirteenth of February is the date that everyone dreads from the start of the year. It is the Royal Carriage Day.
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1000 Words Just For You
Indigo
Year 6 - VIC
Year 6 - VIC
My hands grappled around the inside of the bin, reaching to see if any bottles had found their way there for me to collect.
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Beneath the Boulder, Beyond the Cliff
Jocelyn
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
Nothing matters if there is nothing to live for.
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Hill
Ruby
Year 6, VIC
Year 6, VIC
I walk up the scorching asphalt in well-earned shoes.
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Only an Urchin
Anaïs
Year 6, VIC
Year 6, VIC
I scurry through the dark alleyway, being careful to stay out of sight.
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The Heart That Stayed (Even Though It Wasn't Meant To)
Elena
Year 6, SA
Year 6, SA
I step into the cold room, the air sharp against my skin.
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The Pharaoh’s Guardian
Max
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
The sunrise gives me a boost to jump out of bed and into my training uniform.
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Warlock
Ruby,
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
They’re laughing at me, but my feet are rooted into the ground.
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Campfires
Stella
Year 7, VIC
Year 7, VIC
Polluted air thronged to Manon’s nose as he punched open the door of the rusty crimson truck, the one that his parents had bought him after he aced his drivers’ test in 2018.
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Memory In A Thousand Recipes
Hua
Year 7, NSW
Year 7, NSW
When grandpa died, he left no will, he left no last words, he was gone.
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The Loser Must Fall
Springle
Year 7, NSW
Year 7, NSW
Ezra breathed in the scent of bloodlust.
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Fog and Famine
Ala
Year 8, WA
Year 8, WA
The smell caught my attention before my eyes could relish in its beauty.
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Kala’s Heart
Ebba
Year 8, NSW
Year 8, NSW
You had gotten in, through the closed and locked door.
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Bad Luck
Eva
Year 9, QLD
Year 9, QLD
‘How would you describe your life?’
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My Favourite Fruit (Man, Go)
Mia
Year 9, NSW
Year 9, NSW
My favourite fruit is a mango.
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The Rewrite
Tiana
Year 9, NSW
Year 9, NSW
“Got the gun?”
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Bottom of Chongqing
Zaphiya
Year 10, TAS
Year 10, TAS
There was a rumour in Chongqing that you could be born on the bottom floor and spend the rest of your life never touching the ground.
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My World
Batul
Year 10, VIC
Year 10, VIC
Lina and I are like the sky and the earth.
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Silveridge Blooms
Sissi
Year 10, NSW
Year 10, NSW
‘Maybe something upsetting happened to the sky, someone should bring it flowers.’
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The Summer After Eighth Grade
Isabel
Year 10, NSW
Year 10, NSW
As we walked down that muggy, stagnant street, I was looking at Avery Donovan but she was not looking at me.
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You Know Me.
Erin
Year 10, NSW
Year 10, NSW
We met when you were born.
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icarus screamed once
Adrita
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
He is not a madman.
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The Birdcage
Maya
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
The ballroom was a whirlwind of silk and polite laughter.
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Silken Fetters
Allegra
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
Nestled between the mist-veiled valleys, a waterfall winds its way through the lush viridescent mountains into a rippling creek, as koi trace resplendent colours into dappled light.
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Unseen Ailments: Signs, Symptoms and Treatments
Siyarah
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
Unlike the others, I have always been invisible.
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Caro Ex Machina
Dorothy
Year 12, QLD
Year 12, QLD
It was unfortunate that they couldn’t replace Adam’s head.
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The Gap
Khuslen
Year 12, NSW
Year 12, NSW
The Gap is a dream.
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The Secret Life of Guinea Pigs
Mikey
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
I woke up in the dead of night. My stomach was aching, my bones were rattling like an earthquake, and my head was going on an endless roller coaster.
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Alaskan Mane
Indianna
Year 6 - NSW
Year 6 - NSW
I was unfurling barbed wire when my autumnal, copper-irised eyes fixed themselves on the bright blue void above, the beautiful sky.
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Crow Song
Alya
Year 6, VIC
Year 6, VIC
The Lyrebird, Mockingbird, Thrush, and Starling are all known for their songs. But I hear a Crow song.
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Jon
Chelsea
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
Jon was a wizard who lived in a misty, mysterious forest, every drop of mist and leaf forgotten over the ages.
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Stray
Siena
Year 6, VIC
Year 6, VIC
Cats meowed. A door opened. A human walked to my cage, followed by another.
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The Jade Comb
Chloe
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
Tomato and egg noodles.
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The Unravelling of Forever
Natalia
Year 6, VIC
Year 6, VIC
Forever is quite a trifling thing – if I can even call it a ‘thing.’
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Will to Live
Sophia
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
A scream rips through the air.
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Death in a Storm
Alia
Year 7, VIC
Year 7, VIC
Think about a storm; a big, dark storm.
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The Assassin
Zoe
Year 7, NSW
Year 7, NSW
Branches leap out at me and scrape my face.
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Ansia
Emily
Year 8, NSW
Year 8, NSW
“Does anyone know the answer?”
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Hoa Mai
Megan
Year 8, SA
Year 8, SA
Huế was unusually dry for that time of year.
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Saltwater
Tameka
Year 8, QLD
Year 8, QLD
There was something about the ocean that called to him.
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Lucidity
Amelie
Year 9, NSW
Year 9, NSW
Hm. This wasn’t supposed to happen, eh?
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Paper Trails
Laraine
Year 9, WA
Year 9, WA
Historic Homes of the Greater UK, issue 24, 11/06/2019
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The Shift of Freedom
Zoe
Year 9, QLD
Year 9, QLD
Go. Go. Go. Run. Run. Run.
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Four Horses
Anabel
Year 10, VIC
Year 10, VIC
I own a bar. Bad idea from the start!
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Object Impermanence
Maisie
Year 10, NSW
Year 10, NSW
Babies are thought to develop object permanence somewhere between the age of four and seven months.
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The Beginning of the World is a Gas Station
Eleanor
Year 10, VIC
Year 10, VIC
That summer was a hot, Texan summer.
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The Theft of an Untainted Kiss
Poppy
Year 10, WA
Year 10, WA
Vampires. Creatures of the night. A terrifying, sadistic, bloodthirsty species.
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Dust In My Blood
Kayla
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
The dust of Gunnedah wraps itself around me like the hand of the past, sticky, heavy, a constant weight.
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In the Image of Man
Louisa
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
In the beginning, there was Eve and Mada, they were the first and last.
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The Lantern to Home
Sarah
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
Look carefully. What do you see when the sun sinks beneath the horizon?
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When the Sky Turned Black
Aidan
Year 11, ACT
Year 11, ACT
Four months before the day the sky turned black, Jordan and Kaylee sat before their parents.
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Laocoön at Dinner
Amira
Year 12, NSW
Year 12, NSW
It's like a museum.
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The Navy Dress
Georgie
Year 12, NSW
Year 12, NSW
“Who are you bringing to formal?”
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The Truth of Pathagonious
Seth
Year 5 - NSW
Year 5 - NSW
Shhhhhh! Cascading azure water pours from the glamorous waterfalls where water pixies frolic and play about, splashing each other with crystal clear bubbles of water.
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Apocalypse in Memory
Leora
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
The sky broke around us. Rubble fell from seemingly every direction.
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Feathers and Steel
William
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
Charlie Stone relaxed into his old rocking chair, watching cows graze in the fields as ducks squawked and waddled across the fields of Georgia.
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My Revenge
Elia
Year 6, WA
Year 6, WA
He knew I was there the moment I blew out his candle.
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Taking the World Literally
Braxton
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
It was a normal Saturday, the prime day for ‘under ____’ year sport games.
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The Last Hope
Freja
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
“This is control centre reaching out to Robin357, I repeat, this is control centre reaching out to Robin357, have you got eyes on the subject yet? Over.”
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Unmatched Socks
Rose
Year 6, NSW
Year 6, NSW
Closing the cupboards, turning off the flickering light, making sure my bedroom door was at a perfect angle.
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Alone
Christian
Year 7, NSW
Year 7, NSW
I have been drifting through desolate space for months now.
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Goodbye, Bailey
Kaitlyn
Year 7, NSW
Year 7, NSW
I still remember that day I left for camp.
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The Cost of Power
Katyayani
Year 7, ACT
Year 7, ACT
All my life, I have been power – not powerful, but power itself.
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Candlebark Creek
Bruno
Year 8, ACT
Year 8, ACT
The cityscape faded out of view. Today was the day I left behind the grinding gears of inner Sydney for a quiet life in the country.
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Joan D’Arc
Emma
Year 8,
Year 8,
Everyone around me wasn’t human.
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The Hollow Triumph
Chester
Year 8, VIC
Year 8, VIC
Nexus always spent the first millisecond of every second checking all its systems.
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Much Ado About Words
Katrina
Year 9, NSW
Year 9, NSW
Years later I watched the Surf House blow out in a cloud of dust, thick, defiant clouds, and the clang of metal meeting stone echoing down the beach like a funeral drumbeat.
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Portrait of a Sister on Fire
Feiyang
Year 9, NSW
Year 9, NSW
I am squatting on my stool in Chinatown, barely halfway through my first portrait of the day, when the Ministry of Lost Souls calls me about you.
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What’s In A Name?
Alex
Year 9, QLD
Year 9, QLD
It’s common courtesy, to ask a person their name.
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I Should Go Back
Lulu
Year 10, QLD
Year 10, QLD
Lately, I’ve been thinking about buying a new pair of leather boots and killing my boyfriend.
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Outdated Costumes
Rayne
Year 10, NSW
Year 10, NSW
Valerie awoke, looked at the clock on her grey wall, then decided since it was six in the morning that she'd start fixing, sewing and stitching the old vintage 1960s clothing she and the gang found at the second-hand shop for their Halloween costume for Hill's Eye High School's Halloween party.
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The Second Mouth
Angelica
Year 10, NSW
Year 10, NSW
Speak, that you may be heard — that is what the world demands.
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The World Ends In 6 Days
Syakir
Year 10, VIC
Year 10, VIC
It was a serene Autumn afternoon.
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Hope For Tomorrow
Kinga
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
The wind forms waves in the field of dry grass.
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Nothing New
Emelia
Year 11, NSW
Year 11, NSW
The taxi hums and murmurs along the narrow winding roads.
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The Match
Imogen
Year 11, QLD
Year 11, QLD
They told me I’d be replacing Warden Harrow for the Sector Twelve Simulation Trials.
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A God’s Commentary on Life
Keira
Year 12, VIC
Year 12, VIC
On the left side of my living room, my fishtank sits inconspicuously against the peeling wallpaper.
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Not Your Average Therapist
Aria
Year 12, VIC
Year 12, VIC
There are three things you should know about me.
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Wendy
Mackenzie
Year 12, VIC
Year 12, VIC
It is a cool night, mid-September.
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