I'm thrilled to be an ambassador for the 2018 Young Writers' Award and to reveal the talented shortlist of writers. The winner will be announced on Tuesday 2nd October and you can listen to the stories on the BBC website.
SOCIAL ACTIVISM AND MENTAL HEALTH
INSPIRE THE WRITERS OF THE FUTURE AS
2018 BBC YOUNG WRITERS’ AWARD SHORTLIST
IS ANNOUNCED
‘Sophisticated’,
‘mature’ and ‘awe-inspiring’: just some of the words used to describe the diverse
and powerful stories that make up the shortlist for the 2018 BBC Young Writers’ Award with First Story and Cambridge University
announced on BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks show today (Sunday
23 September).
The
five stories, inspired by a desire for socio-political change or personal
experience of mental illness, were written by young writers aged 15 to 18 years
old, with each showing a maturity of language and ideas far beyond their years.
Whether it be the brutal life of a unwilling young poacher; the desperation and
prejudice faced by a mother fighting to give her daughter a better life; the
experience of loss seen through a child’s eyes; the guilt of unspoken words as
a family struggle to cope with mental illness or the pain of a young girl
watching her sister in the grip of anorexia – the finalists have
given powerful insight into the issues facing and motivating young people today
and the importance of writing as expression.
Katie
Thistleton, BBC Radio 1 and CBBC Book Club presenter and Chair of Judges, BBC
YWA 2018 says:
“Writing is a
such a powerful medium for change and the BBC Young
Writers’ Award shortlist really reflects that. I host a social action show on Radio 1 and strongly believe the next
generation are who we should be listening to. They question the status quo and
their passion, energy and desire to be heard comes across powerfully in the
stories we’ve seen this year. I’m really looking forward to seeing
future work from this talented bunch.”
The
stories, all under 1000 words, were praised by the judges for the poetic beauty
of the writing and the imaginative power of the storytelling. Open to 14 to 18
year olds, the Award attracted 962 entries (a 67% increase from 2017).
The
shortlisted stories and writers are:
· ‘Under
a Deep Blue Sky’ by Davina Bacon, 17, from Cambridgeshire. Inspired
by Davina’s early childhood in Africa and her passion for environmental issues,
this is the raw and emotionally powerful story of a young poacher and the
brutal murder of a mother and baby elephant. Beautifully structured, parallels
are drawn between the boy’s memory of his own mother’s death and the harsh
realities of life where killing is his only survival option.
· ‘Footprints
in the Far Field’ by Reyah Martin, 18, from Glasgow. The
pain of losing a baby is explored from the perspective of the child left behind
in this evocative and moving portrayal of a mother’s all-consuming grief. An
evocative and profoundly moving story.
· ‘Unspoken’
by Lottie Mills, 16, from Hertfordshire. Unspoken
explores the fragility of teenage mental health through the eyes of a girl
watching her sister crying out for help while her family are in denial. A moving
and powerful story that shows the isolation of those suffering and the
vulnerability and helplessness of those watching from the outside.
· ‘Firsts’
by Jane Mitchell, 16, from Dorset. A beautifully structured story of displacement told through
the voice of a mother battling to escape the country of her birth to find a
life of hope for her daughter; Firsts
shows the desperation of the refugee and the prejudice that comes as a price of
freedom.
· ‘Oh
Sister, Invisible’ by Tabitha Rubens, 16, from Islington, London. Oh Sister, Invisible is a poetic story of
helplessness as a sister watches her sibling disappear with each passing season
as anorexia takes hold. A story of grief, and of courage, it is intensely
personal and conveys the unique power of writing to convey empathy and
experience.
William
Sutcliffe, adult and YA author and BBC YWA 2018 Judge says:
“I always
relish the chance to discuss writing closely with other writers and with
engaged readers. The debate among the panel was intense, and at moments a
little fiery, but we ended up with a shortlist we are all proud of. The stories
we have chosen reflect the talent and skill of the entrants and are a testament
to the imagination and talent of teenagers who care about fiction. I was
immensely impressed by the range of the writing and by the large numbers of
stories seriously contending for a place on the shortlist. Those that made the
cut are all remarkable.”
The
five shortlisted stories are available to read and listen to on the BBC Radio 1
website www.bbc.co.uk/ywa
Mónica Parle,
Executive Director, First Story, says:
“At First Story, we know from teachers
and students alike that, for young people, writing about their
lives and communities is a source of power and pleasure. This is borne out in
our research: in 2016-17 every single teacher believed that participating in
the First Story creative writing programme had improved students'
wellbeing. It is therefore wonderful, but unsurprising, to see that
the compelling stories shortlisted for this award explore personal and
social issues about which their authors care deeply.”
The five
shortlisted writers will attend the exclusive BBC Short Story Awards ceremony on
2 October 2018 at Cambridge University, when the winner will be announced live on BBC
Radio 4’s Front Row and they will have the chance to meet high-profile authors,
publishers, agents and broadcasters at the award ceremony. All five
shortlisted writers will be given a private tour of ‘Virginia
Woolf: An exhibition inspired by her writings’ at the Fitzwilliam Museum in
advance of it opening to the public, and then meet Young Writers’ Award judge
and fifth laureate na nÓg (Ireland's laureate for children's
literature)
Sarah Crossan for a writing workshop in Cambridge University Library. They will
also receive a copy of the 2018 BBC
National Short Story Award with Cambridge University anthology.
The winning story will be available
on the Radio 1 website after the award ceremony on Tuesday 2 October,
and will be available to download on the Life Hacks podcast from Sunday 7
October at 6pm. The winner will also receive a personalised mentoring session with an
author to enhance their writing skills.
Dr Sarah Dillon, Faculty of English, Cambridge University, says:
“We are
delighted to be welcoming the YWA shortlisted writers to Cambridge on 2nd
October for the awards ceremony. They will get a real taste of what literary
Cambridge has to offer, both at the Fitzwilliam Museum and the University
Library. We hope they will be inspired to apply to study here, following in the
footsteps of all the new students arriving in the School of Arts and Humanities
that week for the new academic year and benefiting from Cambridge’s outstanding
tradition of the study of literature and writing.”
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