Congratulations winners! 
The Gap
by Alexandra Jones
I’m on the phone to my sister. She’s crying.
I’m not sure what to say, what to do. She’s my big sister, she’s the one who’d dried my tears. I had no idea what to do with hers…
A Broken Home
by Tara Whitsed
She stared down the long and dull corridor of her suburban home, the scene of too many beatings. The corridor she was dragged down by her hair. She glanced at the deep crack in the plaster and ran her fingers over her forehead…
Previous Winners 
The Knowledge of Generations
by Simone Norrie
Glancing down the corridor I saw Cain slump in his chair. Walking towards the young boy I noticed the fear in his eyes, as I remembered back to my school days. Once a lost soul myself, I could see the similarity between us, forced to go to boarding school to receive a better education…
17th of July
by Rohan Howitt
Swanton is the epitome of the modern town. Broad, paved streets shaded by palm trees, reliable public transport, large, open public areas, and soup kitchens for the homeless. Swanton is everything the modern city should be. Lars Janssen, the young architect who designed Swanton…
Introduction 
The Charles Sturt University School of Humanities and Social Sciences Social Justice Innovation Award offers you the platform to write about Making a Difference.
The competition is in its fourth year and coordinator Dr Bill Anscombe, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at CSU was overwhelmed by the response in the first three years:
“I have been surprised by the quality and the variety and the depth of passion for social issues that many of the entries display. Essentially the topics written about document the issues that are relevant to young people - everything from mental health, IVF, Youth drug taking, Indigenous issues through to animal rights.”
Shannon West, one of the winners from 2009 said:
“Competitions like MaD encourage young people to have an active interest in the world around them and reassures them that their voices are being heard. All that is required to enter the competition is passion.”
Another winner, Rohan Hewitt had the two judges in disagreement over his satirical piece on the Hobo Hunt and commented:
“I wrote about the polarisation of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie/elite in contemporary society because it is something I am extremely passionate about”.
In 2009, the entries came from over 40 different schools. Thank you to all entrants for your contributions, the judges were extremely impressed with the calibre of work and the diversity of themes explored.
We look forward to reading your entry in 2010.
The Task 
Your task is to write a creative and engaging story, poem or script that addresses a social justice issue.
It may be a work of Fiction or Non-fiction. It must be no longer than 1000 words.
You can choose a global issue (eg. the Millennium Goals), a local issue (eg. domestic violence, disability), or respond to a particular situation (eg. a family whose house burned down, your experience of child sponsorship).
If the piece is Non-fiction, then you MUST alter all identifiers to preserve the privacy of the individual or community.
Entries are open to Year 10, 11 and 12 Students at High School or aged 16-21 and studying at TAFE.
Competition Dates 
The competition opened Monday 3 May and entries closed Friday 2 July. Judging occurred during July and winners were announced Monday 16 August.
Prizes 
Four major winners will each receive a $250 cash prize. In addition, Charles Sturt University will make a donation of $250 to the charity of choice of the winners (subject to certain conditions). You really will make a difference!!!
The Making a Difference, Charles Sturt University School of Humanities and Social Sciences Social Justice Innovation Award gives you the chance to win an opportunity of a lifetime… fame, publication, money, a donation to your favourite charity and a fantastic headstart for the future!
Your work may be published in “fourW”, an annual anthology of creative writing and artwork produced by the Booranga Writers’ Centre, in 2010.
Your story will also be on the Charles Sturt University web site and a copy will be available via the internet. The whole world can read your amazing story of social justice!
Entries may be published and modified to meet editorial guidelines and other program requirements. The intellectual property and editorial rights will be held by Charles Sturt University with suitable acknowledgement to the author(s).
Martin Gregory stood in darkness in the sitting room, cobra wine in hand, looking out from the window at the Slum. His home was lost in there, amongst missions, shanties, housing estates…
When the grey winter had passed, Rosa came to sit beneath the flowering tree for the last time. There was beauty here but never peace. In this spring of her 23rd year, the greening hillside…
The sex lives of teenagers is a controversial and taboo subject. Although teenagers experience graphic depictions of sex in almost every medium of entertainment available to them, parents and educators alike consistently shy away…
Yemen. A nation shaded red, a place of unsealed roads and of crumbling walls, nestled between the Red Sea and the majestic Sultanate of Oman. There, the brilliant sapphire of the Arabian Sea gently laps against glistening beaches…
