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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsJohanna Kingsbury won the 2023 South Perth Young Writers Award’s top honour for her short story Shattered Reflection. She received the Christobel Mattingley Bronze Medallion at the City of South Perth’s 37th annual award celebration on 14 September 2023.
Who won the 2023 South Perth Young Writers Award?
Kingsbury, a Penrhos College student, received the Christobel Mattingley Bronze Medallion for the most outstanding entry. PerthNow also listed her as the lower secondary Years 7–9 first-place winner. The medallion was the overall honour; the age-category placements were separate awards.
PerthNow described Shattered Reflection as a “chilling and utterly gripping thriller” and reported that Kingsbury was commended for “originality, beautifully crafted prose and powerful imagery.” Those are the report’s characterizations; it did not publish the judges’ full reasoning or a synopsis of the story. Read PerthNow’s report.
What was the 2023 award program?
PerthNow reported 113 applicants from Years 1–12 who lived or attended school in South Perth. Shortlisted entrants wrote about subjects including love, magic and the environment, and took part in a workshop with local author Shirley Marr to develop and refine their stories.
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The City of South Perth’s September 2023 anthology introduction says shortlisted writers worked with Marr to edit and finesse their work before final placings. It describes the anthology as featuring finalists’ entries and being added to the City’s library collection. The City introduction also identifies 2023 as the award’s 37th year.
How the award changed
According to the City’s anthology introduction, the competition began as the Christobel Mattingley Award for Young Writers. It was renamed the South Perth Young Writers Award in 2007, when entries were limited to prose. The 2023 entries were judged by a panel that included educators, industry experts, advocates and children’s literature enthusiasts. See the City of South Perth’s 2023 anthology.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known about Shattered Reflection?
The award report identifies it as a thriller and gives brief praise for its prose and imagery, but provides no plot details or full judging commentary. The available accounts therefore establish why the story received recognition only at a summary level; they do not support a fuller description of its narrative or themes.
At the celebration, South Perth Mayor Greg Milner said, “Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways in which human beings connect with each other.” He also said, “It takes a lot of effort to get to the final stage and I congratulate all of the entrants on their outstanding submissions.”
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