Record entries to Write Stuff competition from young writers

Tuesday 24 May 2022

There were 779 entries for the 2022 Write Stuff competition, a record number for the event organised in conjunction with the Guernsey Literary Festival.

Writers from 24 Bailiwick schools were invited to use their imagination to write a 300-word story inspired by detectives or spies in this year’s competition - entitled ‘Top Secret’.

Prizes were presented at an awards ceremony at the Princess Royal Centre for the Performing Arts.

Winning writers from each category received £50 and a trophy, whilst second and third places received £25. Winners also received a signed book and illustration from artist James de la Rue based on their stories.

The judges for the competition were four prominent writers who feature in this year’s Guernsey Literary Festival: Anthony Horowitz, Michael Rosen, Elly Griffiths, and Huw Lewis-Jones.

Ruby Le Poidevin of St Mary and St Michael won the Primary class competition for her story ‘Bitter’.

Pictured: Entrants were invited to write a short story in the detective, mystery, and crime genre. 

Judge Michael Rosen enjoyed the use of mystery and crime themes used in Ms Le Poidevin’s story: "It reminded me of a very famous story and film - Rebecca! Sometimes, when writing this kind of story, it's easy to get carried away with one too many adjectives or adverbs - but this story, I thought, got the balance exactly right. Everything was described clearly and with suspense. And I loved the mystery at the end."

The Intermediate class, for pupils from years seven to nine, was won by Monty Desforges of St Sampson’s High School for his story ‘The Prison Between the Worlds’. 

Judge Anthony Horowitz was impressed with Monty’s story: "I loved the creative imagination of this story – starting with the eye-catching title. 

"'An island between worlds, encircled by a sea of nothing’. Wow! If this was a film, I know what it would say on the poster: ‘Legends die here’. That last line – falling through worlds – would make me want to see it”.

The senior class went to Ladies’ College student Jasmine Morgan for her story ‘A Scandal on the A23’.

Judge Elly Griffiths, a crime writer herself, loved the story: “In just a few lines the author takes us inside the mind of DI Cooper – her fear, her professionalism, her antipathy to her colleague.  

“The writing is tight and effective; the dialogue is convincing; and the ending is genuinely chilling. Terrific writing. The only thing I would change is the title!”

Pictured: Judge Anthony Horowitz is best know for his Alex Rider series of novels. 

The SEND class was won by Toby Lee of Le Rondin for his story ‘Captain Seagull and the Pufferfish’. Louis Kent, also of Le Rondin, was highly commended for ‘The Story of the Missing Book’.

The judge for this class was Huw Lewis-Jones, who described Mr Lee’s tale as “Dramatic, fun, and full of empathy come the end… Captain Seagull can hold his breath for a really long time.

“He’s truly an incredible underwater seabird detective. Can’t wait to hear about his next adventure. Maybe he will help solve a crime in Guernsey one day? But maybe not…Guernsey is far too nice a place for an unsolvable crime mystery."

Filter judges this year included Rachel Wyatt and Adam Bayfield from the Guille-Allès Library and Nick Le Messurier and Catriona Stares of the Guernsey Literary Festival. Ann Wilkes-Green of the Festival also supported the schools in the competition. 

The winning stories and illustrations will be displayed at the Guille-Allès Library and local schools. These stories are also published online HERE.

Pictured: The competition was run in conjunction with the Guille-Allès Library as part of the Guernsey Literary Festival.

Write Stuff Competition Results:

Primary:

1: Ruby Le Poidevin (Year 6, St Mary and St Michael) Bitter

2: Agnes Henderson (Year 4, Notre Dame) A ‘Brief’ Case

3: Sophie Harrison (Year 4, Melrose) Hedge Jam

Highly Commended: Zara Smart (Year 6, Hautes Capelles), Lottie Rainbow (Year 4, St Martin’s), Beatrix Buchanan (Year 5, Notre Dame), Lottie Holland (Year 4, St Mary and St Michael), and Noah Le Noury (Year 6, Blanchelande).

Intermediate:

1: Monty Desforges (Year 9, St Sampson’s High) The Prison Between the Worlds

2: Anton Le Poidevin (Year 7, Guernsey Grammar) Guilty Chocolate

3: Chloe Sebire (Year 7, Elizabeth College) Midnight Theft

Highly Commended: Fred McLellan (Year 7, Elizabeth College), Thomas Guilbert (Year 7, Blanchelande), Polly Nickols (Year 9, Blanchelande), Rafe Rang (Year 7, St Sampson’s High), and Toby Gregg (Year 8, Guernsey Grammar)

Senior (Year 10+):

1: Jasmine Morgan (Ladies College) A Scandal on the A23

2: Olly Bichard (Elizabeth College) The Snack of the Night

3: Harry Snell (Elizabeth College) It’s Time

Highly Commended: Reuben Montgomery (Elizabeth College), Kirstie Gosney (St Sampson’s High), Max Coutanche (Elizabeth College), Mani Davis (Elizabeth College), and Evan Stuart (Elizabeth College)

SEND:

1: Toby Lee (Year 6, Le Rondin) Captain Seagull and the Pufferfish

Highly Commended: Louis Kent (Year 6, Le Rondin) The Story of the Missing Book

Pictured (top): The winners at the WriteStuff presentation event, holding the James de la Rue illustrations of their work. Left to right: Anton Le Poidevin, artist James de la Rue, Toby Lee, Monty Desforges, Agnes Henderson, Jonathan Morton of sponsors Julius Baer, senior judge Elly Griffiths, Anthony Horowitz, Ruby Le Poidevin, Jasmine Morgan, Harry Snell, Olly Bichard and Chloe Sebire. The competition, which had a record entry this year, is organised as part of the Guernsey Literary Festival. Credit: Chris George.