COVENTRY’S Young Writer of the Year final awarded youngsters from key stage two with prizes and had two overall winners.
This year, the competition was open to all city children in years three, four, five and six and there was a new English as an additional language category (EAL).
Judged by Aaron Ashmore and Anne Evans, two local authors, alongside Jacquie Turner, English teacher and Ramneek Cheema, centre of director for Explore Learning Coventry.
Coventry Building Society hosted the event, which was organised by Becky Welch.
She said: “It is really important we support children’s numeracy and literacy skills – this is one of the ways we can bring Coventry together through a competition which celebrates children’s writing styles.
“We added English as an additional language category to ensure all schools from the city felt represented.”
The competition had more than 1,500 entries and saw winners from each year group, as well as an EAL winner from each year group.
Ramneek Cheema said: “The great thing about this year is it was a very open starter sentence which we gave the children, the creativity coming through some of the stories was just outstanding.
“For myself it was really important to have this inclusive category, so I am really pleased they added it in. The quality coming through the stories were really amazing.”
Lucy Becque, chief people officer for Coventry Building Society chose the overall winners, Omar, from year five at St Thomas More and Zohra from year three at All Saints, for the competition and rewarded the children with their certificates and prizes to wrap up the event.
