YST Winter story writing competition
The Young People’s board based in the Youth Support Team in Gloucestershire held a story writing competition for young people aged 11- 24.
They chose the theme of winter and encouraged young people to submit entries between 500 and 1000 words.
The board were overwhelmed with the quality of submissions received, from their creativity to their use of language. Each of their stories displayed their passion for creative writing and their enthusiasm shone through.
The Youth board chose 3 winners:
- Yasmin, Age 16. Title ‘In Between’
- Samuel, Age 12. Title ‘The Kindly Lumberjack’
- Hope, Age 12. Title ‘The White Stag’
You can read their stories by clicking the titles.
When deciding on winners the youth board came together to review all entries and provided some feedback on why each winner was chosen.
In Between judge’s feedback:
The panel found this story extremely emotive, with vivid imagery that paints a clear picture of the scene and characters, creating a strong sense of atmosphere and immersion for the reader.
The story was captivating, original and descriptive with the contrast between fire and water adding layers to the story. The panel liked the blended elements of mystery, nostalgia and psychological tension to keep the reader engaged from start to finish. The unexpected twist at the end raised a few gasps and goosebumps amongst the panel.
The kindly lumberjack judge’s feedback:
The panel loved the heartwarming portrayal of the lumberjack’s transition to Santa as an alternative origin of the renowned character.
The story was imaginative, descriptive and engaging whilst highlighting themes of generosity and compassion. The panel liked the ending of the story with its moral principle of ‘what goes around comes around’ and the reminder that our own stories go on.
The White Stag judge’s feedback:
The panel chose this story as a winning entry because they loved the enchanting imagery of the winter landscape and the magical transformation of the stag.
The story is imaginative and descriptive and captured a sense of nostalgia and longing. They particularly loved the ending of the story and how it comes full circle back to the start.
