Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Young Voices Award, brought to you by Australian Catholics magazine in conjunction with Australian Catholic University.

 The winners of the 2021 Australian Catholics Young Voices have been selected from more than 700 entries across the Junior (Years 5 and 6), Intermediate (Years 7 to 9) and Senior (Years 10 to 12) sections. Students were able to enter written, photographic or digital projects.

 The young age of some of the entrants was no barrier to the seriousness of the topics they explored, which ranged from climate change, issues of equality such as racism and gender equality, to abuse and exploitation of humans and animals.

Jesuit Communications director Michael McVeigh said in selecting the winners, the judges went for those works they felt had the strongest impact. Judges also tried to ensure that recognition was given to entries across all formats.

‘The judges were impressed by the time and effort taken with all of the entries’, Mr McVeigh said. The winning entries appear in the Spring edition of Australian Catholics, and will also be available online. ‘It’s a great privilege to be able to offer a platform for young people to speak engagingly, and creatively, on issues they’re passionate about.’

The winner of the Junior Section was Lucia Minto, St Joseph’s Primary School, The Junction, NSW for her video entry ‘The cover is not the book’. The entry looked at discrimination from both a personal and an objective perspective. Junior Runner-up was Madison O’Brien, St Anthony’s Catholic College, Deeragun, Queensland, whose video entry was an interview with an Indigenous Support Officer about racism and being Indigenous in Australia today.

Junior Section

Winner
Lucia Minto, St Joseph’s Primary School, The Junction, NSW.

Runner-up

Madison O’Brien, St Anthony’s Catholic College, Deeragun, Qld.

Honourable Mention
Maddie Lusby and Xavier Mulley, St Joseph’s Primary School, The Junction, NSW; and Sophie Nikolarakos, St Joseph Primary School, Brunswick West, Vic.

Highly Commended

Lucy Webber, Bonnie Petersen, Abbie Hartnett, Gizelle Griffiths, Josephine Ryba, Meera Sinha, Patrick Aguado, Aidan Soldado, Abi Taber, Isabelle Emmett, Isaac, Chase Firman, Ella, Lillian Scanlon, Eva Cootes, Eden Buxton, Ivy Jones, Ivy Stevens, St Joseph’s Primary School, The Junction, NSW; Quinn Penhale, Joseph Fischer, Aurelia, Giselle Gentilin, Jada Ferrante and Lilly Montalto, St Joseph’s Primary School, Brunswick West, Vic; Nadia Nupiri, Holy Cross School, Trinity Park, Qld; Emily Buriak and Olivia Massey, Loreto Kirribilli, NSW; Lexi Andrews and Piper Kenealy, St Mary’s PS, Malvern East, Vic; Gabriella Abouzeid and Alexia Plakidis, St Peter Chanel PS, Regents Park, NSW; Grace McGillion, St William’s PS, Keperra, Qld; Molly and Oliver Dempsey, St James’ PS, Kotara South, NSW; Lucy Andrew, Holy Cross PS, Kincumber, NSW; Amelie Francesconi, St  Catherine Laboure’ PS, Gymea, NSW; Celeste Dalby, St Francis Xavier PS, Ballina, NSW; Milly Collins and Ava O’Brien, St Thomas More PS; Mount Eliza, Vic; Rosita Arias, Don Bosco Catholic PS, Narre Warren, Vic; Simone Lionetti and Isabel Pender, Genazzano, Kew, Vic; Brock Hamilton, Sacred Heart PS, Corryong, Vic; Sabrina Marigliano, St Joseph’s PS, Como, NSW; Gizelle Girgis and Marcus Yap, St Justin’s PS, Wheelers Hill, Vic; and Lilly Robinson, St Therese’s, New Lambton, NSW.