The Ethics Centre is committed to amplifying young people’s perspectives on what an ethical society looks like to them.
Our annual writing competition is an exciting chance for young writers to share their ideas with a wide, engaged audience.
The winner of each age category will receive a prize pack valued at $500, comprising a $250 cash prize and a $250 Gleebooks voucher. They will also have their essay published digitally by The Ethics Centre. Two runners-up in each age category will also have their essays published digitally by The Ethics Centre.
Announcing the 2025 Finalists
Our 2025 Young Writers’ Competition attracted 91 outstanding, original submissions from emerging Australian writers aged 13 to 29. Entrants tackled some the most pressing ethical issues they see in today’s world, from the ethical implications of AI on relationships and the workforce, to illegal animal ownership, and our perceptions of men – reflecting the breadth of unique insights offered by these articulate young thinkers.
13-17 years
First place
- Ariel Bai,
Love and the machine
Highly commended
- Rhiannon Gee,
Illegal animal ownership and the coming ethical shift
18-29 years
First place
- Isha Desai,
The “good ones” aren’t always kind
Highly commended
- Dia Bianca Lao,
The ethics of AI’s untaxed future
Applications for the Young Writers’ Competition 2026 will open in late 2026.
2024 Finalists
Our 2024 Young Writers’ Competition attracted 89 outstanding, original submissions from emerging Australian writers aged 13 to 29. Entrants tackled some the most pressing ethical issues they see in today’s world, from pet ownership, philanthropy and the economics of beauty to connection, social media and trauma – reflecting the breadth of unique insights offered by these articulate young thinkers.
13-17 years
First place
- Serei Bayley,
Rethinking the way we give
Highly commended
- Chloe Qin,
The transactional economics of beauty
18-29 years
First place
Highly commended
- Marlene Baquiran,
The right to connect - Wendy Chen,
Understanding trauma as an ethical issue
2023 Finalists
In our inaugural Young Writers’ Competition in 2023 entrants tackled some of the most pressing ethical issues they see in today’s world, from copyright in art, plagiarism and AI, true crime content’s impact on victims, intergenerational justice and the complexity of friendships – reflecting the breadth of unique insights offered by these articulate young thinkers.
13-17 years
First place
- Kieran Cashin,
Lisa Frank and the ethics of copyright
Highly commended
- Stella Eve Pei-Fen Browne,
On plagiarism, fairness and AI - Jessica Liu,
True crime media: an ethical dilemma - Sophie Yu,
I changed my mind about prisons
18-29 years
First place
- Zoe Timimi,
What we owe our friends
Highly commended
- Pia Curran,
What we owe each other: intergenerational and intertemporal justice - David He,
Blindness and seeing - Layla Zak-Volpato,
Gen Z and eco-existentialism: a cigarette at the end of the world
