We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Write a Book in a Day competition, with each of the category champions etching their names into the history books.
A staggering 14,155 writers from 1,937 teams should all be congratulated for their incredible efforts across the 12-hour timeframe to write a book in a day, as well as the teachers and coordinators from 523 schools and writing groups.
We had schools that wrote a book in a day as far west as Christmas Island District High School, and as far south as Margate Primary School, in Tasmania.
As for the biggest participation in schools, South Australia’s Brighton Secondary School entered the most teams in 2024 with 31. The Gap State High School, located in Queensland, had the second most with 29 teams. NSW’s St Andrews College at Marayong and Victoria’s Box Hill High School both had 27 teams each, while St Mary MacKillop College Canberra had the most teams in the ACT, with 25.
Amazingly, every single Primary division prize up for grabs in Queensland was taken out by the same school, King’s Christian College in Burleigh. What an incredible achievement for the entire community!
Huntingtower School also won a number of prizes, including Best Book Middle, VIC/SA/TAS, Best Book Winner Upper, VIC/SA/TAS, and Best Book Highly Commended Upper, VIC/SA/TAS.
The Kids’ Cancer Project CEO, Owen Finegan, says he is astounded by the quality of every book written in 2024, plus the record amount of funds raised for vital kids’ cancer research.
"I want to thank every writer, teacher and coordinator involved in this year’s Write a Book in a Day competition. I’ve read an array of unique books these past few months, and I can say with conviction that the standard of quality has lifted once more,” he says.
“With your help, the $920,000 we have raised could support 59 scientists for one month in their efforts to find a cure, wrpotentially provide 115 children with access to new treatments through clinical trials, or even fund 1,840 whole genome sequencing tests to help understand how a child’s genes affect cancer treatment, which will lead to safer medications and fewer long term side effects.
“Every dollar raised brings us closer to our dream of no child dying from cancer.”
And now, without any further ado… Our winners!
Judge citations from our National Judge, Prime Minister’s Literary Award winner, Will Kostakis.
National Upper Division: Totemic Guidance, Joeys 5, St Joseph’s College, NSW
“This was a terrific piece of fiction for older readers, made more astounding by the fact that it was produced under time constraints. There’s a quiet power to the story, and a beauty to its prose, all culminating in a breathtaking final line.”
National Middle Division: The Flood of Time, W-ALL STARS, Huntingtower School, VIC
“A perfectly pitched fantasy story propelled by fantastic prose and supported by varied illustrations.”
National Primary Division: Crabby Thoughts, WOOPS24, Oberthur Primary School, WA
“An insightful story about overcoming that voice that says you’re not quite good enough. I was floored by the narrative, and the subject matter will no doubt speak to young readers.”
Open Division: Rhythm of the Ranges, The Story Stringers, SA
“An impeccably presented book – prose and illustrations work in tandem to tell a captivating story that is perfectly pitched to its audience. Harper and Riley’s crackle on the page, and the narrative moves at a quick pace. A joy to read.”
For the full list of winners, which includes commendations and category winners, please click here.
To the teachers, the finished outcome of each book is a testament to your guidance and patience.
Our volunteer readers, who make this entire competition possible, have given up hours of their free time to sift through each book and identify the outstanding. To all of you, thank you so much.
To the judges – many of which are writers themselves – we hope you enjoyed reading the books that our wonderful schools and groups created. Much like our volunteers, without you we would be unable to make this competition a reality so thank you to you all.
On behalf of The Kids’ Cancer Project, we can’t wait to see you all in 2025.
