Creative Writing Competition

Age 7 to 10 category – Winner – The Rainbow Tree.

The Rainbow Tree is a delightful story told in the style of a traditional fairy tale, where the young writer uses some great description and well-chosen adjectives.

Second place – Life in a Cherry Seed.

Life in a Cherry Seed has some great description, and the writer has used some really bright and colourful imagery.  

Age 11 to 14 category – Winner – My Cat.

My Cat is a confidently written poem with some great phrases and a very sharp and polished finish.

Second place – The Seasons.

The Seasons is a beautifully written piece that clearly shows the character and feelings of the tree who is the main character in the story.  

Age 15 to 18 category – Winner – Heirloom.

Heirloom tells a story of loss, and shows both how people can hide their grief in order to appear strong to others, as well as showing the power of old family possessions to link us to those who have gone.

19+ category – Joint Winners

Wanderlust – a love story which takes us through time, through space, through our human generations.

It begins, like all good tales, on a simple note, as gossamer seeds are swept by a girl’s skirt, caught in the breeze, and carried out to the distant ocean. From there, the narrative becomes both complex and challenging. What are these seeds, we are invited to ask ourselves, and why are they important? Through a refreshingly uncliched use of language, the author draws us along into an epic voyage.

In just 500 or so words we meet characters separated by time and by sea, mysterious aliens and contemporary space travellers, ending on the note that suggests the journey has only just begun.

Sunflowers and Corr…jets. This is a deceptively simple story, once again of sowing seeds and their symbolism. It begins on an allotment, with a little boy and his grandfather sharing tea and digestives. From there the narrative, like the plants, germinates and grows through the seasons. It ends with a conversation between a father and son, in its way both simple and illuminating. Again, as with Wanderlust, a thoughtful and unhackneyed use of language.

Poetry Competition

Age Under 11 category – Winner – Circle of Life.

We enjoyed your hopeful and positive poem, which explored the ups and downs of life, but ended with an optimistic note.  The rhyme and half-rhyme were natural and enhanced the poem. 

Age 11 – 18 category – Winner – Spring Twirled

We really enjoyed your poem.  It had great energy, imagination and creativity.  We liked the use of alliteration and the dancing images.  The rhythm and 3-stanza structure worked well and above all, there was a great joy about the piece, which matched its subject matter. 

Age 19+ category – Winner – Chalk

We liked the choice of subject, which was both local and unique to Royston, and embraced the theme of the circle of life. The detail was consistent and accurate, though we both had to look up some of the geological terms. The use of rhyme and half-rhyme was good and there was a strong sense of the passage of time.

Age 19+ category – Commended – Just A Thought

This was a well-polished poem, well formed, unfussy and with distinctive subject matter. It was also subtly witty.