Glasgow teenager on shortlist for young writers award
AN all-female shortlist, including a Glasgow teenager, has been announced for the 2018 BBC Young Writers’ Award.
Now in its fourth year, the competition is open to 14 to 18-yearolds, and the work of five young women has been selected from 962 entries.
Reyah Martin, 18, from Glasgow, submitted Footprints In The Far Field, which tells the story of a mother losing her child.
Davina Bacon, 17, from Cambridgeshire, has been shortlisted for Under A Deep Blue Sky, the story of an elephant being killed by a poacher.
Unspoken, by 16-year-old Lottie Mills, from Hertfordshire, explores issues of teenage mental health.
Jane Mitchell, 16, from Dorset, has been shortlisted for Firsts, which follows the efforts of a mother to escape the country of her birth.
Also on the shortlist is Oh Sister, Invisible, by 16-year-old Tabitha Rubens, from Islington, which explores the struggles of a teenager witnessing the effects of anorexia.
Each of the short stories is under 1,000 words long.
BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks show announced the shortlisted writers, with the winner to be revealed next month.
Katie Thistleton, BBC Radio 1 presenter and chair of judges for the Young Writers’ Award, said: “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.”
Author William Sutcliffe, who is one of the judges, added: “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.”
The winner will take part in a mentoring session with an author in order to hone their writing skills.