At the start of the year, St Michael’s Anglican Church Mitcham (Adelaide Diocese), in partnership with St Barnabas College’s Festival of Hope in Theology and the Arts, launched a national Hymn Writing Competition to create new hymns for Hope25. A total of 27 entries were received from across Australia, along with one international submission.
Due to the strong response, the competition was divided into two categories:
Original Hymn with Known Tune and Original Hymn & Composition.
At the Hymns of Hope Festival on 16 February, The Most Reverend Geoffrey Smith, Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, announced the following winners:
Original Hymn with Known Tune
- Winner: The Hope of the World – Margaret Dingle
- Runner Up: Eternal God, We Lift Our Eyes – Henry Davis
- Highly Recommended: Hope for the World – Rev’d John Carroll
- Highly Recommended: Hymn of Hope – Cynthia Kennedy
Original Hymn & Composition
- Winner: Hope in God, Who Is My Help – Rev’d Andrew Mintern
- Runner Up: Open Your Heart – Becky Llewellyn
- Highly Recommended: Trinity Prayer – Anna Zweck
- Highly Recommended: Where There’s Hurt… – Allan L McDougall
