Rotary Great Britain and Ireland is delighted to announce the winners of this year’s Young Writer competition.
Rotary is committed to many matters, however, developing skills of the future generation is a high priority.
Through various youth competitions, Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland are building fundamental skills like writing, speaking and cooking. Learn more about other competitions here.
The aim of Young Writer is to give young people the opportunity to showcase their written talent through fiction, non-fiction or a poem.
This year, the Rotary Young Writers competition was sponsored by Konnie Huq, TV and radio presenter, well known for her time on Blue Peter , Konnie will personally congratulate all winners via video message for their incredible work.
The second sponsor is Mathew James Publishers who are rewarding the 1st place winners with an illustration designed around their stories.
This year’s theme was ‘Connections’.
Junior (7-10 years old)
By Elizabeth Cheesman
1st – Elizabeth Cheesman – A beautifully told story of a doll who, sadly, becomes lost and of how she found her way home again, many many years later by chance – Preston Rotary.
2nd – Neha Anand – A tale of Janus, the God of Connections, writes to Zeus to ask for a job swap. Very humorous and cleverly written – Rugby Rotary.
3rd – Nathaniel Catteral – A very moving poem about someone who losses a fight against depression – Cambridge South Rotary.
Read all the Junior Winners’ stories in full.
Intermediate (11-13 years old)
By Lily Flind
1st – Lily Flind – A clever poem which uses the comparison of a tree, aging with time, with that of love growing and blossoming before fading away – Cambridge South Rotary.
2nd – Beatrice Hole – Beatrice beautifully captures the relationship of a grandparent with their grandchild and how the child sees the loss of her grandfather. She talks of being involved with the funeral which is a celebration of life – Fishguard & Goodwick Rotary.
3rd – Yan Thum – A very mature poem about life as a soldier in the trenches. Yan speaks of the smells, the loss of souls and the squelching of the mud. This soldier speaks of killing innocent men, that’s his job, then the next day, he is that innocent man being shot. Very powerful – Dorking Rotary.
Read all the Intermediate Winners’ stories in full.
Senior (14-17 years old)
By Rhiannon Ashby
1st – Rhiannon Ashby – A soldier is tormented by the faces of people whose lives he has claimed on the battlefield. They haunt him. No matter what he does, he still sees their faces. Then he realises he wants to know who these people were as their story should not be forgotten. – North Cotswold Rotary.
2nd – Emma Shaw – A teenager tries to fight depression and is inspired by her mother at the end who decides to do something with her life. A turbulent piece with impactful sea metaphors – Rotary Edinburgh.
3rd – Lily Tibbits – An unlikely friendship forms at school – Amble & Warkworth Rotary.
