The winners of The Lowry’s second annual Creative Writing Challenge were announced at a special celebration event hosted by acclaimed Manchester-based poet, performer and writer Tony Walsh.
Selected from over 600 entries, the 21 shortlisted stories, poems or playscripts were performed on the Quays stage at The Lowry (Salford) to a packed audience of proud family, friends, teachers, and supporters.
Open to children aged 7-11 (Key Stage 2) from across Salford and Greater Manchester The Lowry’s Creative Writing Challenge has been developed to showcase the talent and potential of children from across Greater Manchester and helping to raise creativity and confidence.
Judges included – writer and broadcaster, Nick Ahad; actor and author, Samantha Giles; actor Carla Henry; Programme Manager, National Literacy Trust, Mike Leyland, poet, performer and writer, Tony Walsh, members of staff from the Lowry Team, a student panel from the University of Salford, and a children’s panel.
Winners and runners-up include – In the Poetry category - (winner) Beatrice Gildea (age 11) for I’d be a good girl and (runner-up) Olive Bridge (age 8) for A Mystery Noise. In the Playscript
category – (winner) Henry Amella (age 9) for Snap and (runner-up) Bilal Sultan (age 9) for Trip to Cyprus. And in the Short Story category – (winner) Imogen Cawsey (age 11) for Black Hood and (runner-up) Kaio Devine dos Santos (age 8) for The Diary of Lost Stories.
Two special Founders Prizes were awarded to Eloise Blore (age 11) for The Troll Behind the Glass Hand and Zelda River Whiteley (age 8) for It’s OK to be Different.
This year, a new Children’s Choice Award was selected by members of the Chatterbooks reading group at Walkden Library. Winners of the first Children’s Choice award were Pizza Falling from the Sky! by Ivy Ann Winslow Pownall (age 8) and The Shield Maiden by Marvi Muzafar (age 10).
Other shortlisted entries who performed on the night included: Pippa Mason (age 9), Jemima Maiotuka (age 10), Mason Sharrock (age 11), Melody Williams (age 8), Chloe Napier (age 10), Daisy Hatton (age 10) and Siena Scruton (age 10), Oliver Dimza-Jones (age 10), Lucian Junior O’Neill (age 7), Thomas Carson (age 10), Faith Douglas (age 11), and Ayesha Munawar (age 10).
All winners, runners up and shortlisted children each received national books tokens and a certificate. Winners also received tickets for them and their family/friends to see a show at The Lowry.
Beatrice Gildea winner In the Poetry category, said:
“I absolutely loved it. I didn’t want it to end. I’m proud of myself and I’m very happy that other people liked my poem. I hope it made people think a little bit.”
The competition has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Beryl Jones, who along with her husband Trevor is a Gold Patron of The Lowry.
Jenny Riding, Director of Learning and Engagement at The Lowry, said:
“It was fantastic to see what progress we have made in just the second year of The Lowry’s Creative Writing Challenge and wonderful to see the young people demonstrating so much creativity and performing with such confidence on our stage.
“A huge thank you for the continued generosity of our Gold-patrons Beryl and Trevor Jones, and the National Literacy Trust, as well as new partners the University of Salford, Salford Community Leisure and Williams BMW. We are also incredibly grateful to all of the judges for their time, enthusiasm and support as well as all the brilliant teachers and artists we work with across Salford and beyond.”
Beryl Jones Founder of The Lowry Creative Writing Challenge, who along with her husband Trevor is a gold patron of The Lowry,said:
“I am passionate and dedicated to children’s creativity and removing any barriers they may experience to enjoying and creating great literature and performance. Thank you to the team here at The Lowry for developing the second year of The Creative Writing Challenge and I look forward to working with you to grow it in the future.”
The Creative Writing Challenge is delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, an independent charity dedicated to raising literacy levels across the UK, University of Salford, and Salford Community and Leisure. The Lowry is also grateful to valued partner Williams BMW whose support has been integral in this second year of the Creative Writing Challenge benefiting the delivery of The Lowry’s extensive outreach programme to primary schools across Salford and Greater Manchester.
Alexandra Cook, Development Director at Williams, said:
“We have enjoyed working with the renowned arts centre and the esteemed panel of judges to celebrate the young writing talent in the region. This Challenge has unlocked the power of words, promoted the magic of storytelling, and fuelled the creative journeys of even the youngest writers. We are delighted that our support has helped spread the word about the Challenge and encouraged more children than ever to enter the challenge.”
The Creative Writing Challenge is a 5-year project. Related to the competition a targeted support scheme is available to primary schools in Salford and Greater Manchester. Any schools interested in finding out more should email getcreative@thelowry.com.
