The shortlist for the first-ever BBC Young Writers’ Award with Book Trust has just been released, and is filled with rites of passage undertaken by young adults, including falling in love, family break-up, and teenage angst – and all in under 1,000 words!
With entries open to 14-18 year olds, this year’s Award attracted over 1,000 entries ranging from the fantastical to the everyday and covering all sorts of issues faced by young people. This years shortlisted writers are: Hannah Ledlie, 17, from Scotland for ‘Floor Twenty-Two’ where a final despairing act is suspended in time; Jessica Phillips, 18, from Merseyside for her story ‘Safe’, where a father’s departure leads to a disquieting retreat from the world; Brennig Davies, 15, from Wales for ‘Skinning’ which tells of a transition from boyhood to man (with a twist!); Clare Chodos-Irvine, 16, from London for ‘Stars, Sparks and Lightning’, a sultry evocation of the first spark of love; and Cassie Beggs, 17, from Wales for the mythical tale ‘The Sun and The Moon’. Congratulations to all the shortlistees.
This year’s BBC Young Writers’ Award (YWA) judges included BBC Radio 1 DJ and TV presenter Alice Levine; Matt Haig, author of The Humans and Echo Boy; and author The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon.
The judges said they were looking for “something original and exciting, something that captures the reader,” as well as high-quality writing, and stories that demonstrate imagination and creativity – and all in only 1,000 words.
Speaking of the shortlist, Samantha Shannon added: “We’ve ended up with a great mix of voices and styles on this shortlist. There’s so much talent waiting to be discovered in the next generation of young writers, and I feel privileged to have seen some of it as a judge for this Award. Everyone who entered should feel really proud of themselves – it takes skill to tell a story in a thousand words or less, and a lot of guts to send your writing out into the world.”
The winner, who will have their story broadcast on the BBC and receive a set of personalised mentoring sessions with judge Matt Haig to help develop their writing skills, will be announced on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Front Row’ on Tuesday 6 October and will be read aloud on BBC Radio 1 on Huw Stephens’ show at 11pm on the same day.
You can check out the shortlisted stories at bbc.co.uk/nssa. Site members can share their creative writing in our Your Stories section. If you aren’t a site member yet, then here’s how to join!
