Telethon: Kids helping kids storytelling competition 2025 winners revealed

Meet the mini word wizards who cast their storytelling spells and won first place in this year’s Telethon Kids Helping Kids storytelling competition.

The competition invited students from Kindergarten through Grade 12 to explore the theme of community, fundraising and helping others.

Seven-year-old Jisha Bhavsar, a bright-eyed Year 2 pupil from Ashdale Primary School in Darch, won the lower primary section with her story The Helping Club.

Inspired by her school’s kindness campaigns and passion for helping others, Ashdale Primary School’s bookworm has penned a story full of heart, humor and charity.

“(The Help Club) means we have some people and we help each other,” he said.

“Just like we give notes to people who feel lonely.”

Jisha said her story was inspired by Telethon and its work for vulnerable and sick children in Western Australia.

“Because it was about kids helping kids. That’s how I wanted to make my story,” he said.

In the story, a group of friends join forces to spread kindness in their school, and veteran writer Jisha didn’t miss the chance to make a few cheeky puns among the friendship group.

“Tom shared his own glue with Mia when hers dried. ‘Stick together,’ he joked,” he read from the story.

Library teacher Sonia Topping said Jisha had been a member of the school’s reading club for as long as she could remember.

“He’s a big reader,” Ms. Topping said.

“He goes to the reading academy every morning and is a very hard-working student and helps everyone a lot.”

Yakamia Elementary School sixth graders – Oakley Greay, Ben Cramer, Paniha Thompson, Millie Stone and Megan Ollis – took top honors in the upper elementary division for their lively and inspiring comic strips.

The Albany school’s winning entry follows a group of children who come together to brainstorm and implement a series of creative fundraising ideas.

“Hey Oakley! We need to come up with some ideas to raise a lot more money this year,” the comic begins.

“That’s so true, Megan! It’s such a great feeling to help others,” he continues.

“Every hot dog we sell helps purchase critical pieces of medical equipment…every money we raise helps fund research into heaps of childhood diseases.”

Meanwhile, in the secondary school category, Halls Head College year 12 students Storm Bugden, Callum Berrisford and Charlotte Hemsley won over the judges with a powerful letter detailing their successful raffle attempt.

Their efforts raised enough money to donate a toy bathtub to Perth Children’s Hospital; It was a gesture full of meaning and compassion.

“We (sold) over 200 raffle tickets…our original goal was to raise $1,000 but we absolutely blew it,” Storm wrote.

“We initially planned to give personalized gifts to children in the hospital to show that the local community is thinking of them and supporting them here.

“Our plan has gone through many changes to become perfect.

“Andy, a volunteer coordinator at Perth Children’s Hospital, gave us the idea to raise money for the toy bathtub.

“Children who are in remission may then choose a toy from the bathtub as a symbol of beating cancer.”

Meanwhile, St Francis Xavier Primary School in Geraldton has smashed its fundraising targets in the Prime Minister’s Telethon Challenge, which was launched this year to inspire Western Australian schoolchildren to take up philanthropy.

Inspired by a visit to Perth Children’s Hospital as part of the Year 6 camp, the school rose to the top of the fundraising ladder, raising more than $25,000 for the Telethon.

With 79 schools taking part across the state, it has proven to be a huge success in showing how WA schools are uniting to show the true meaning of kids helping kids.

Other winners in the small school category were Durham Road School in Bayswater; St Francis Xavier won the secondary school category and Mindarie Primary School won the large school category.

Premier Roger Cook congratulated the winning students and recognized the incredible fundraising efforts of hundreds of other students across the State who collectively helped raise a total of $115,181 for the inaugural competition.

“I congratulate them all and thank them for their outstanding efforts,” he said.

“I am thrilled to learn that students from across Western Australia have so enthusiastically embraced the spirit of giving throughout this challenge.

“Future community leaders are supporting Telethon’s critical work to improve lives in WA.

“The funds they raise will make a real difference to children in need now and in the future.”

Education Minister Sabine Winton said this year’s result was both “encouraging and inspiring”.

“Western Australian students are proud to give up their own time and dedicate themselves to supporting sick and disadvantaged children in WA,” he said.

“It’s both heartwarming and inspiring to see this ‘kids helping kids’ theme come to fruition.”