For the past 20 years, the annual What Matters? Writing Competition has asked young Australians to write an answer to the question: what matters to you?

Inspired by the commitment of former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to involving young people in shaping Australia's future, this national writing competition is open to students in years 5-12. It encourages young Australians to raise their voices and know that their perspectives are valuable, no matter their age, background or viewpoint.

The What Matters? Writing Competition is run by the Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University. More about What Matters? can be found here.

Years 9 & 10 Category, Winner, Olivia Stephens, Scotch Oakburn College

It’s almost funny

The uncomfortable comfort I find in words is unmatched

Simple clusters of letters weave into euphonious sentences

Binding my frustrations to paper

The vowels, like velvet, smooth and so fine,

The consonants solid and seraphic

The letters intertwine effortlessly,

Ensnared within my prison of sonnets and symphonies

With wet silver slipping down my cheeks

I find myself clinging to the words, like a lifeline in a sea of ignorance

Each verse a whisper of undying language

Every stanza a vast landscape of experience

As the weight lifts off my shoulders,

I devour poetry like a fuel source

The words burn through my soul,

Freeing me from the confinement of my thoughts