Winners of the 21st Wills Writing Awards announced

Winners select been announced inward the 21st annual Wills Writing Awards, for creative writing (fact or fiction) around a horse-racing subject yesteryear a immature somebody resident inward Britain or the Republic of Ireland.

The awards commemorate Martin Wills, a journalist too amateur jockey, who died inward Apr 1992, aged 39. The awards are organised yesteryear the Martin Wills Memorial Trust, a British-registered charity.

The awards attracted 92 entries. Of these, 37 were inward the under-26 category, thirty were inward the under-19 category, too 25 were inward the under-15 category.

The under-26 winner too runner-up too the under-19 winner had all been prize-winners inward previous years, inward younger categories. The under-19 winner is too the blood brother of an under-19 winner.

Brough Scott, chairman of the judges, said: “The stance of the Wills Writing Awards was to encourage imaginative writing amongst a racing theme. So it was a please to abide by this year’s entries to a greater extent than imaginative than ever. Even if sometimes uncomfortably so!”

The under-26 winner is 19-year-old Lottie Pyper, from Storrington, inward West Sussex. She was runner-up inward the under-19 category in conclusion year. At Marlborough College inward Wiltshire, she was an Academic Scholar too obtained iii A* grades too an Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 assort at Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Level to add together to 12 A*grades at GCSE.

She is currently inward her commencement twelvemonth at New College, Oxford, where she is reading English linguistic communication too contributes to Cherwell, the pupil magazine. She receives £1250 for her article, “I had no idea”.

Lottie summarises her story equally follows: “The appearance of a childhood friend on TV sparks a serial of memories, bringing upwardly brilliant reminiscences too regrets. The story turns on the mightiness of love too its mightiness to linger fifty-fifty afterwards unopen relationships select moved on”.

The under-26 runner-up is 20-year-old Victoria Griffiths, from North Buckland, nigh Barnstaple, inward North Devon. She was the under-19 winner inward 2010. At St Paul’s School, London, she obtained iii Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 grades at Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Level.

In her gap year, she worked inward an American racing stable too obtained an American amateur jockey’s licence. She is currently inward her minute twelvemonth at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, studying for a BSc inward International Equine too Agricultural Business.

She receives £750 for her article, “Backside at Baltimore”, nigh Pimlico Racecourse inward Baltimore, where “there is naught to a greater extent than than a chain link ground betwixt 2 dissever worlds – ane of difficult work, ambition too money, the other of gunshots, sirens too crime”.

The under-19 winner is 17-year-old Tom Cantillon, from Johnstown, nigh Naas, inward County Kildare, Ireland, where his household unit of measurement is involved inward thoroughbred breeding too racing.

He was the under-15 winner inward 2010, the twelvemonth afterwards his brother, Jack, was the under-19 winner. He continues to attend Clongowes Wood College inward Clane, County Kildare. Earlier this month, he was ane of nine representing Republic of Ireland at the European Youth Parliament inward Munich. He receives £500 for his article, “Salicional”, a tale of a scary midnight run into amongst the spectre of the in conclusion of the McCarthy dynasty, Peter, too his favourite horse, Salicional, from whom Peter had fallen to his death.

The under-19 runner-up is 17-year-old Helen Spalding from Cheltenham inward Gloucestershire. She attends Cheltenham Ladies’ College. She receives £250 for “Blinkered”, a story nigh a wife’s escape from a gambling husband.

The under-15 winner is 14-year-old Tim Oliver from Tadley, nigh Basingstoke, inward Hampshire. He attends Marlborough College inward Wiltshire. He receives £250 for his article, “Horse-riding amongst no legs”, “about a kid amongst a phobia of horses, amongst parents that love them. The man child explains why he hates horses, too why he too hates his parents. The story finishes amongst the man child revealing that he is disabled, too proverb that it is his parents’ fault”.

The under-15 runner-up is 12-year-old Georgia Kyte, from Riddings, nigh Ripley, inward Derbyshire. She was shortlisted in conclusion year. She attends Belper School inward Derbyshire. She receives £125 for her article, “Beyond the in conclusion furlong (Aunt Alice’s magical day)”, of which the author says: “My story communicates the magical memories too feelings Aunt Alice holds honey of the times she spent amongst her manly somebody rear at the local racecourse”.

The winning articles volition endure published inward the adjacent few weeks, inward the Racing Post too The Irish Gaelic Field. The under-26 winner volition too select the chance of locomote experience at the Racing Post.

The judges were: Brough Scott (chairman), iii times Sports Feature Writer of the Year, Racing Writer of the Year inward 1977 too 2010, too author of Henry Cecil, Trainer of Genius, which was published before this month; Marcus Armytage, racing author at The Daily Telegraph too Grand National winning jockey inward tape time, who was shortlisted for Racing Reporter of the Year 2012; Sean Magee, a versatile racing author too journalist, most lately of Desert Island Discs: lxx Years of Castaways; Lee Mottershead, a author on the Racing Post, who was named Racing Journalist of the Year inward 2011 ; Leo Powell, who is inward his tenth twelvemonth equally Editor of The Irish Gaelic Field; too Catherine Wills, sis of Martin Wills, who is a D Phil fine art historian too a racehorse owner/breeder.

The prize-winning entries tin endure read on the website (www.willswritingawards.co.uk) nether “The Winners” tab.

The winners volition additionally have an expenses paid day’s racing plus a tour of Henry Cecil’s too James Fanshawe’s yards.

 

The shortlist totalled 22 (10 nether 26, vi nether nineteen too vi nether 15), equally follows:

Under 26 – Age at 1 Jan
Jessica Crandon, 21 – Wokingham, Berks
Lucy Elder, 22 – London, SW19
Victoria Griffiths, xx – North Buckland, nr Barnstaple, Devon
Chris Humpleby, 21 – Carlisle, Cumbria
Orla Murphy, 21 – Upton, Co. Cork
Chloe Pitts, nineteen – Hatherleigh, nr Okehampton, Devon
Louise Powell, 21 – Middlesbrough, Cleveland
Lottie Pyper, nineteen – Storrington, West Sussex
Joseph Rendall, 23 – Broadwell, nr Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
Tim Williams, 21 – Bridgwater, Somerset

Under 19
Tom Cantillon, 17 – Naas, Co Kildare
Alex Fanshawe, xvi – Marlborough, Wilts
Lucy Jakes, xvi – Cheltenham, Glos
Laura McKibben, eighteen – Macclesfield, Cheshire
Bryony Puckett, 17 – Taunton, Somerset
Helen Spalding, 17 – Cheltenham, Glos

Under 15
Lucy Eddis, xiv – Little Horkesley, nr Colchester, Essex
Rosie Fanshawe, xiv – Marlborough, Wilts
Georgia Kyte, 12 – Riddings, nr Ripley, Derbyshire
Tim Oliver, xiv – Tadley, nr Basingstoke, Hants
Patrick Robinson , xiv – Sible Hedingham, nr Braintree, Essex
Lewis Tomlinson, xiv – Halifax, West Yorkshire

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