The judges would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an entry to the competition, and for helping to make it a great success. There were almost one hundred entries to go through and selecting only two from each of the three age categories was a very difficult task. The judges were genuinely impressed by ambition, grasp of descriptive language, imagination and emotion in all pieces. Everyone without exception had strong points to their work and the judges would like to congratulate everyone who took part.
The winning entries
- The Mystery of the Green Door by Max Whitehead (aged 9).
Congratulations Max Whitehead, the judges were impressed with the bizarre creatures and magical, hidden world you created right underneath The Green Door Sweet Shop in Sedbergh. The young narrator allows for an easy and smooth transition from reality to a surreal world.
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Thunder, Thor and Zeus by Jonathan Steven Dunkinson (aged 11).
Congratulations Jonathan Steven Dunkinson, the judges were impressed with the humorous and imaginative story that you told through your poem. It is a charming and funny, rhyming poem about a battle between the Gods, Thor and Zeus, being witnessed by a young person.
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Recreation by Matthew Lewin (aged 14)
Congratulations Matthew Lewin. The Judges were very impressed with the clever use of the title and poem in your piece. The narrator and friend create a sense of fear, excitement and awe. The move from the physically real to the surreal is handled neatly for such a small story. Powerful use of descriptive language and a well-crafted, intriguing story.
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The Highly Commended entries
Two chickensheep by Sam Stevenson (aged 6)
Congratulations Sam Stephenson, the judges were impressed with your imaginative short story and the idea of two chickensheep. It is a funny little tale about two chickens and two sheep outwitting a fox.
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- Forgotten by Molly Partington (aged 12)
Congratulations Molly Partington, the judges were impressed with your beautiful and nostalgic short story. The narrator looks back on a bygone age which creates a deep sense of longing and warmth for happier and simpler times. This is a well-written, emotional story woven with lovely descriptions.
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Melting Moments by Harry Dawson (aged 15)
Congratulations Harry Dawson, the judges were impressed with your use of emotive and descriptive language throughout your poem. You can almost feel the cold and dampness of the snow as if you were actually there witnessing the scene. The clever use of the title and the past in the last two lines creates a sense of nostalgia and a cyclic nature to the piece.
Read the poem
The judges would like to give special thanks to the applicants below. It was a close-run contest. The short stories and poems that very nearly made it to the winning and highly commended spots were (in no particular order):
- The Mysterious Sheep of Turnip Farm by Olivia Hubbard (aged 8) Photograph A
- Charlie’s Transformation by William Coke (aged 9) Photograph C
- Sledging In The Snow by Sasha Whitehead (aged 6) Photograph F
- The Night Sky by Fred Norman (aged 11) Photograph B
- The Poem About The Bike Ride by Myles Stainton (aged 11) Photograph E
- You and I by Sienna Middleton (aged 13) Photograph B
- The Summit by Cai J F Pennington (aged 12) Photograph B
- Starlight by Isla Gordon (aged 11) Photograph B
- Farming by Josh Barnes (aged 13) Photograph A
- Mountain Biking by Isaac Brewer (aged 13) Photograph E
- Through my window by Luke Troughton (aged 13) Photograph C
- Earth’s Destroyers by Edward Thomas (aged 14) Photograph B
- Dark Hills by C J Middleton (aged 15) Photograph B
- Some things never heal by Millie Barnes (aged 14) Photograph B
- Talk to my heart by Skye Smith (aged 14) Photograph B
- You can be lonely, but not alone… by Edie Johnson (aged 14) Photograph F
The photographs
Click the images to see larger versions.
Photo A: A farmer and his sheepdogs. © Janet Packham.
Photo B: Night Sky. © David ‘Hoff’ Forknall 
Photo C: Two sheep and two hens. © Helen Corpe.
Photo D: Sedbergh Town, Main Street
Photo F: Sledging in the snow . © Colin Cowperthwaite.
