Thursday, July 11, 2013


 YOUNG WINNERS OF THE 2013 HENRIETTA BRANFORD WRITING COMPETITION
Six talented young writers have been announced as winners of the 2013 Henrietta Branford Writing Competition. They are:
Charlotte Cohen age 15 years from Carnforth, Lancashire
Ella McElligott age 14 years from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
Alexia Sloan age 12 years from Cambridge
Maximilian Allanby-Bassett age 11 years from Wimbledon
James Martin age 10 years also from Wimbledon
Grace Davis age 9 years from Halifax, West Yorkshire
The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition is an annual competition for young people which runs in conjunction with the prestigious Branford Boase Award.
The Branford Boase Award recognises a debut children’s author and their editor and was set up in memory of the outstanding children’s writer Henrietta Branford and the gifted editor, Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books. They both died of cancer in 1999.
The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition aims to find and encourage writers of the future, something Henrietta Branford was always keen to do.
The competition is open to anyone under the age of 19 and this year as last year there were hundreds of entries from all over the country, often thanks to the encouragement of teachers and school librarians. Entrants had to complete a story begun by last year’s winner, author of My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, Annabel Pitcher.
Nikki Gamble of Writeaway and the Just Imagine Story Centre in Chelmsford judged the entries and said, “The quality of the stories submitted was extremely impressive. It is always a very hard competition to judge but I felt that the winners’ stories are truly exceptional The young authors show real ability to create character, to win and hold their readers’ interest, and to build tension and suspense.’
The six winners are all invited to attend the Branford Boase Award celebration party in London on 11 July. There they will meet Dame Jacqueline Wilson and the authors shortlisted for the award as well as editors, publishers, agents, and other professionals in this field. They will receive a copy of each of the books shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award and be able to have their books signed.
For further information please contact Andrea Reece on 07807893369 or andrea.reece@zen.co.uk
 
The books on the 2013 shortlist are
After the Snow by S D Crockett, edited by Emma Young (Macmillan)
The Things We Did for Love by Natasha Farrant, edited by Julia Heydon-Wells (Faber)
Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan, edited by Mara Bergman (Walker)
A Hen in the Wardrobe by Wendy Meddour, edited by Janetta Otter-Barry (Frances Lincoln)
Black Arts by Andrew Prentice & Jonathan Weil, edited by Simon Mason (David Fickling)
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton, edited by David Fickling (David Fickling)
A World Between Us by Lydia Syson, edited by Sarah Odedina (Hot Key)
The Branford Boase Award was set up in memory of the prize-winning author Henrietta Branford and Wendy Boase, editorial director and one of the founders of Walker Books. They worked together on a number of Henrietta’s novels, a partnership they greatly enjoyed. Both Henrietta and Wendy died of cancer in 1999.
The Award is the joint idea of Julia Eccleshare and Anne Marley MBE. Julia is the children’s books editor of The Guardian. Anne was Head of Children’s, Youth & Schools Services for Hampshire Library & Information Service for many years and is now a partner in Authors Aloud UK, an author booking agency. She has served on many children’s book award panels, including the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Awards.
For more information about the award and the Henrietta Branford Writing Competition visit www.branfordboaseaward.org.uk .
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Or contact Andrea Reece on 07807893369 or andrea.reece@zen.co.uk