The region’s best creative writing talent has come together to celebrate the winners of this year’s Cheshire Prize for Literature.
With climate change at the forefront of the global agenda, this year’s Cheshire Prize competition focused on the theme of sustainability.
Through short stories, poetry, screenplays or children’s literature, writers have explored creative solutions that respect the environment and “greener” aspects of living.
For the first time, a children’s competition was also held in the library, encouraging young writers to participate.
The winners received their prizes at a celebratory event held at the Garrett Theater in Storyhouse, Chester, and hosted by poet Andrew Rudd, who also gave an invited talk to the public about his writing and participated in a Q&A- answers. Dr. Si Poole, Associate Professor of Cultural Education and Senior Manager of Cultural Education and Research at Storyhouse, who chairs the judging panel, introduced the winners and discussed the categories and judging process.
The winners were:
- Poetry 14-16 years old: Dannelle Jones with poem Often
- Short story 14-16 years: Joseph Cannon with A cautionary tale
- Poetry 17-18 years old: Daniel Johnson with miracles
- Short story 17-18 years old: Molly Nash with This cat is getting old
- Children’s literature 19-24 years old: Eleanor Cullen with The monster that moved to Ecotown
- Poetry 19-24 years old: Connor Johnston with breadfruit bone
- Screenwriter 19-24 years old: Beth Westbrook with Sensitization
- A little story 19-24 years old: Eve Naden with Rescue
- Children’s literature 25 years and over: Laura Hall with Willow: A Woodland Song
- Poetry 25 and over: Philip Williams with Pale blue dot
- Screenwriter 25+: Ben Saunders with Apple
- A little story 25 years and over: Cathy Bryant with Interview.
The Young Winners were:
- Poetry:
- 8-10 Esme Alice Blue with What I liked about our planet
- 11-13 Aurora Blue with A letter to the earth
- Stories:
- 4-7 Ella Catherine Barrett with One two three
- 8-10 Maia Russell with The natural dragon
- 11-13 Eva Mallouris with What the world used to be like.
Winners will have their work printed in the Anthology, which will be published by the University of Chester Press.
Dr Si Poole said: “It was a real pleasure to read so many excellent entries and the judges had the very difficult task of choosing a winner for each category. We look forward to seeing their work in print when the anthology is published.
“We were also delighted to welcome esteemed poet Andrew Rudd and thank him for taking the time to join us.”
The Cheshire Prize for Literature was founded in 2003 by then High Sheriff John Richards OBE DL and Dr Bill Hughes of the University of Chester. It is open to people with a connection to the historic Cheshire border (including Wirral). It is one of the few free literary competitions and offers not only a large cash prize for the winner, but also the rare opportunity for the best entries from the previous year to be professionally published by the University of Chester Press. in an anthology. edited by a senior member of academic staff. Traditionally operating on a three-year cycle of short stories, poetry and children’s literature, in 2019 a new category for screenwriting was introduced. The University was delighted to form a partnership with Storyhouse, which is such an important new part of Cheshire’s cultural offering.
This year’s competition will be launched in November.
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