OzKids provides a platform for school age children to enter their short story, poem or artwork and have it assessed by a panel of experts.
Presently we are doing more than 400 one to two-day workshops each year at schools across Australia. During the year children are invited to submit their written stories and artwork to the CCN to be published in a quarterly magazine entitled Oz Kids In Print. Each school term that publication is distributed nationally to schools and public libraries.
The dedicated on-line version: www.ozkids.com.au can be downloaded as a free copy, and covers all editions from day one. We are pleased that our website attracts in excess of 1 million viewers per year. Each child published receives a certificate. Once published in the Oz Kids In Print magazine every entry is eligible for a Young Australian Writers Award.
This year, after 19 years of bringing children’s amazing writing talents to the Australian public, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary. Since 2006 Geoff Handbury has attended many of CCN functions and presented the Helen Handbury Literary awards, he has been a great influence to us all. When he was unable to attend Paul Handbury would represent his father in presenting the Helen Handbury Awards.
The Helen Handbury Literary awards are presented to a child that shows great improvement from our programs, it is not always the best writing, but it is the best achievements from a disadvantaged child. Each year we present the Helen Handbury Literary awards as part of the awards, this award represents children with Learning Disabilities.
The inaugural Young Australian Art Awards was first held in 2007, and the Supreme Art Award was named the “Lady Potter Art Award”. Now after 12 years the Lady Potter Art award is recognised as one of Australia’s most prestigious art awards for children. As from 2019 onward it will be known as the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Art Award.
The Young Australian Writer’s Awards has become Australia’s most prestigious literary award for children. Our program a steppingstone which not only gives kids books to read, but also sends their favourite children’s Author or Illustrator to mentor them in personal workshops. Our authors encourage kids to send in their stories, poems and artwork and we publish as many as possible. Winning entries are then presented for the Young Writers Awards program, and that now has a track record of opening doors for them later in life.
