Southwick teacher in Wicked Young Writers final

Amelia Roberts from Southwick was one of this years finalists

The Wicked Young Writers’ Award was first launched in 2010 to link in with the West End musical, encourage creativity and help develop writing talent in young people from across the UK. Among the finalists at this year’s awards ceremony in London on Monday were a Lancing student and Southwick teacher.

Laura May-Macpherson from Lancing competed in the five to seven-year-old category) and Amelia Roberts was in the 18 to 25-year-old category.

Laura-May’s mum, Juliette MacPherson, said: “She was very excited about being a finalist and we all looked forward to going to London for the awards ceremony.”

Millie Broadrib and Toby Bailey from Bevendean Primary School

Other finalists included two of Amelia’s pupils, Toby Bailey and Millie Broadrib from Bevendean Primary School, Brighton, who were in the eight to ten-year-old category.

Amelia said she had worked at the school part-time as a literacy support worker and taught creating writing to pupils in years two and six, encouraging them to enter the competition.

A total of 100 finalists were shortlisted in five categories, with a winner from each announced at the ceremony. They were Harry Sample, six, from Cambridge; Kiersten Johnson, ten, from London; Anoushka Das, 14, from Guildford; Luke Thomas, 20, from London.

Judge Cressida Cowell, best-selling author of the How to Train Your Dragon series, presented the awards.

She said: “These stories and poems address vital concerns, the really big questions. War, mental illness, love and the forging of identity are just a few of the issues explored with clarity and imagination. As a judge, I was looking to be moved, amused, stimulated and entertained, and I was not disappointed.”

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