Sam Quyên Huỳnh wins SLQ 2025 Young Writers Award

The State Library of Queensland (SLQ) has announced Sam Quyên Huỳnh as the winner of the 2025 Young Writers Award.

Huỳnh, 21,wins $2000, a membership with Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) and publication of the winning short story in WQ Magazine for their short story ‘Offerings’.

Judges described the winning story as ‘filled with beautifully observed sisterly moments, assured in its storytelling and the ways it explores memories’.

The three runners-up, who receive $500 and a membership to QWC, are:

• First runner-up: Tali Lum Wan for ‘Lamb’
• Second runner-up: Hasara Ekanayake for ‘Fair and Lovely’
• Third runner-up: Iris Monod for ‘Cleaning Up, Dragging Under’.

The SLQ Young Writers Award is an annual short story prize open to Queensland residents aged 18–25.

In 2024, Ash Shirvington won the award, with Sara Allan-Park, AJ Pope, and Quinn Stennett named runners-up.

For more information on the winners and runners-up, visit the SLQ website.

Category: Awards Local news