{"id":337877,"date":"2025-12-09T20:31:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T20:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/337877\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T20:31:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T20:31:10","slug":"abc-2026-heywire-winners-bring-raw-honest-storytelling-of-life-in-regional-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/337877\/","title":{"rendered":"ABC 2026 Heywire winners bring ‘raw, honest storytelling’ of life in regional Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sitting in class, Erika would count how many other brown kids were in the room.<\/p>\n

Not because she wanted to be different, but because she needed someone who knew what it felt like to carry the weight of racism.<\/p>\n

“It was always just one,” she said. “It was always just me.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Erika, from the Central Coast in NSW, is one of the 2026 Heywire winners. (ABC: Katie McAllister)<\/p>\n

Growing up on the Central Coast of New South Wales, on Darkinjung Country, Erika always felt isolated.<\/p>\n

In her Heywire-winning story, the 17-year-old describes the racism she experienced, the impact it had and how meeting her best friend, Sahara, changed everything.<\/p>\n

“Sahara wasn’t afraid to call out racism and showed me how my voice could be heard,” she said.<\/p>\n

When Sahara died in year 9, Erika started an anti-racism club called The Bridge Project, in honour of her friend.<\/p>\n

“In our meetings, we talk about identity, hair, food, language,” she said.<\/p>\n

“It’s a space where everyone is welcome to learn about identity and culture.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Erika started an anti-racism club called The Bridge Project. (ABC: Katie McAllister)<\/p>\n

“When I share my experiences of racism, people start to understand its impact in a way facts alone can’t explain.”<\/p>\n

2026 Heywire Winners announced<\/p>\n

Erika’s story<\/a> is one of the 35 being shared by the 2026ABC Heywire winners.<\/p>\n

Announced today, the winners share compelling stories that reflect their real-world efforts to tackle local challenges, build stronger communities and inspire others through their lived experiences.<\/p>\n

\"Seven<\/p>\n

Heywire winners at Parliament House during the 2025 Heywire Regional Youth Summit. (ABC: Bradley Cummings)<\/p>\n

Hundreds of young Australians aged 16 to 22 from regional, rural and remote communities entered the competition by sharing honest, personal glimpses into life beyond the big cities \u2014 through written stories, photos, videos and audio.<\/p>\n

The stories from the winners reveal the depth and diversity of regional Australia, offering real insight into the everyday lives, challenges and achievements of young people across the country.<\/p>\n

Heywire a chance to ‘feel heard’<\/p>\n

Declan was two when he lost part of his hand in an accident.<\/p>\n

Through his Heywire story<\/a>, the 18-year-old from Toowoomba in Queensland describes how he went from feeling self-conscious about his hand to gaining self-acceptance.<\/p>\n

“I learnt to keep my hand hidden, buried in sleeves or tucked behind my back in social situations,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Declan, from Hodgson Vale in Queensland, is one of the 2026 Heywire winners. (Supplied: Declan)<\/p>\n

“[Now] I am learning to embrace it, to see it not as a limitation but as a unique part of who I am.”<\/p>\n

For Declan, Heywire gives young people a unique opportunity to connect and share their experiences, in their words.<\/p>\n

“It’s this amazing nationwide storytelling competition for young people, such as myself, to express their stories and themselves,” he said.<\/p>\n

Declan said it was important to share his story to create understanding and empower others living with disabilities.<\/p>\n

“For a while, especially growing up, going through school, I felt like I couldn’t be myself,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Purely because other people’s judgement \u2014 whether it was positive or negative, you’re still being viewed as different.<\/p>\n

“I wanted to empower people like myself to accept yourself, be who you are and there is no shame in that.”<\/p>\n

Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n

Like Declan, it was important for fellow Heywire winner Erika to share her story so other young people, who might have similar experiences, did not feel isolated and had a community.<\/p>\n

“To me, Heywire is a space where honesty, identity and lived expression can spark change,” she said.<\/p>\n

“It proves that young voices are powerful and that storytelling can lead to real understanding and action.”<\/p>\n

ABC News director Justin Stevens celebrated the voices of the Heywire winners, recognising their bravery and the authenticity of their stories.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Justin Stevens says the Heywire winners “reflect the heart of regional life”. (ABC: Bradley Cummings)<\/p>\n

“Every year, Heywire reminds us of the power of raw, honest storytelling,” he said.<\/p>\n

“These young Australians speak with courage and conviction, sharing lived experiences that reflect the heart of regional life.”<\/p>\n

“The ABC is proud to amplify these voices and help foster a deeper national understanding of the challenges and hopes shaping their communities.”<\/p>\n

How lived experience can ‘shape a more inclusive’ Australia<\/p>\n

Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Kristy McBain congratulated the 2026 Heywire winners, acknowledging their openness and insight in sharing stories that reflect life in regional Australia.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Kristy McBain says the young people are inspiring voices for their communities. (ABC: Bradley Cummings)<\/p>\n

“Young Australians bring fresh thinking, resilience and a deep understanding of their communities,” she said.<\/p>\n

“By listening to their lived experiences, we get a real sense of what is important to young people and that benefits all of us.<\/p>\n

“The 2026 winners are inspiring voices for their communities, and their contributions help strengthen the national conversation about life outside our major cities.”<\/p>\n

Since launching in 1998, Heywire has grown into a key platform for rural young people, amplifying their voices and placing them at the heart of conversations that shape regional Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The 2025 Heywire winners got to meet Anthony Albanese in Canberra during the Heywire summit. (ABC: Bradley Cummings)<\/p>\n

Fashion designers, proud trans masc young men, comedians, advocates, Indigenous youth leaders, rugby players, artists, musicians and farmers are just a few examples of the winners who have worked with the ABC to produce their stories for radio and online.<\/p>\n

Heywire acknowledges the support of the Australian government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing; the Office for Youth; and AgriFutures Australia.<\/p>\n

The full list of 2026 ABC Heywire winners and their stories are here: https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/heywire\/winners\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sitting in class, Erika would count how many other brown kids were in the room. Not because she…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,187987,7110,134,187980,187982,187985,187983,187981,13096,34752,2966,23850,187984,187986,33815,144009,1314,43431,3069,187988,28539,9963],"class_list":["post-337877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-storytelling","tag-disability","tag-entertainment","tag-heywire","tag-heywire-2026","tag-heywire-2026-winners","tag-heywire-winners","tag-hw26","tag-identity","tag-lived-experience","tag-racism","tag-regional-communities","tag-regional-youth","tag-remote-youth","tag-rural-communities","tag-rural-youth","tag-social-media","tag-storytelling","tag-teenagers","tag-true-stories","tag-young-people","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}