Eight students from NSW public schools are among last year's HSC graduates whose major works have been selected for the prestigious 2025 Young Writers collection — the annual celebration of outstanding writing by English Extension 2 students.

The works were chosen from more than 1,400 major titles submitted across NSW, with 70 nominated before the final 18 were selected.

The collection spans short fiction, creative nonfiction, critical essays, poetry and script, and explores themes ranging from grief and cultural identity to philosophy, history and the human experience.

Among those chosen were:

• Aarohi Bansal, Northern Beaches Secondary College, Manly Campus
• Khuslen Batmandakh, Merewether High School
• Isabella Huang, Sydney Girls High School
• Selkie Jacobson, Nepean Creative and Performing Arts
• Yao Lin, North Sydney Boys High School
• Harry Shin, Normanhurst Boys High School
• Sarah Venayagam, The Ponds High School
• Maggie Zhang, Hornsby Girls High School

Sarah Venayagam from The Ponds High School work was titled The Subtle Cruelty of Remebering and was ranked 6th in the state for English Extension 2. The piece explores the complex and layered nature of traumatic memory.

Sarah's Extension 2 English teacher, Yvonne Garcia, described her as a student whose dedication to her craft was always evident.

"Sarah is an exceptionally intelligent and capable student," Ms Garcia said.

"She consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic and perseverance. Sarah's research skills were truly remarkable, enabling her to develop a well-informed and insightful creative response."

"It was a privilege to witness Sarah's growth as a writer."

Also recognised is Khuslen Batmandakh from Merewether High School in Newcastle, whose short story Is Revolution a Fast Gun that Looks Back? explores the role of art as witness to history.

The work is framed through the persecution of the Mongolian poet Ryenchinii Choinom during the country’s socialist era.

Khuslen's English teacher, Alison Latimore, praised her commitment to doing justice to her subject.

"Khuslen was always an exceptional student who researched all of her ideas thoroughly and was constantly thinking of new lines of inquiry and possible approaches to her piece," Ms Latimore said.

"She worked incredibly hard on all assessment tasks for the course, ensuring she was doing justice to her Mongolian heritage and Choinom Ryenchin's poetry and suffering."

"She had a genuine interest in bringing the story of Choinom to life but also to educate herself and her audience on the Mongolian Socialist regime."

Alongside the Young Writers Showcase, in her HSC year alone, Khuslen entered and won the Dymocks Beyond Word Writing Competition and the Harvard Undergraduate Law Review Essay Competition. She also received a commendation for the international Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law.

The eight public school students selected reflect the breadth of talent across the NSW public education system, with schools from Sydney's western suburbs to regional NSW represented in the collection.

The chief executive of the NSW Education Standards Authority, Paul Martin, said all 18 students selected should be congratulated for their remarkable achievements.

"Reading these works, we are reminded that composing and crafting texts is an act of bravery," Mr Martin said.

"To shape an idea, to commit it to the page, and to offer it to the world is no small thing."

"The students published here have not only created compelling and original work, they have invited us into their imaginations, offering perspectives that are insightful, challenging and often profoundly affecting."

The full Young Writers 2025 collection is available for free download from NESA's HSC Showcase Hub.