Youth Creative Competition 2026

Some brilliant young talent in the City of Ryde were recognised on Wednesday 29 April 2026 when the winners of the 2026 Youth Creative Competition were announced.

Open for artists and writers aged 12-24 years old, the competition not only showcases some incredible talent but also highlights the enormous benefits that art - and the message behind it - can provide.

Entrants were asked to respond to the 2026 theme ‘Your Dream’ in the categories of art and writing with a total prize pool $6,000 awarded.

The art category included painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, digital artwork, collage and short film, while the writing category encouraged entries in short story, fan fiction, poetry, review or piece of prose.

The winners were:

ART CATEGORY

12-15yr age group

Winner - Jesse Ezra Eduarte

Runner Up - Mackenzie Mayne

Highly Commended - Eelian Li

16-19yr age group

Winner - Angelina Wu

Runner Up - Chuyan Chen

Highly Commended - Eelian Li

20-24yr age group

Winner - Darcy Halfpenny

Runner Up - Bethany Rae

Highly Commended – Sudenaz

WRITING CATEGORY

12-15yr age group

Winner - Chloe Lu

Runner Up - Aditya Paul

Highly Commended - Vicky Fan

16-19yr age group

Winner - Annabelle Whitfield

Runner Up - Angela Tran

Highly Commended - Amelia Mayne

20-24yr age group

Winner - Thuhashini Celia Thirimanna

Runner Up - Audrey Fallone

Highly Commended – Ben Whitfield