The Literary Lancashire Award- Results Announced

Following the awards ceremony at Waterstones in Lancaster

This academic year saw the launch of a brand new creative writing competition. Second year English Literature students, and SCAN’s very own Section Editors, Lara Orriss and Ruth Walbank secured large grants from the likes of the Duchy of Lancaster, Lancaster Friends and through extensive fundraising to bring this important competition to life. Entrants were not solely from the University but spawned from the wider region, and the Literary Lancashire Award eventually received over 80 entries- a truly great achievement for their first year of existence.

The prize-giving ceremony took place in Lancaster’s swanky Waterstones building on the edge of King Street, with a specially commissioned event space built into the corner of their bookstore. Orriss and Walbank introduced the ceremony with an opening monologue (fit for the Oscars) explaining the fascinating roots of the competition, and how its size seems to be a result of a little idea getting out of hand! 

The announcement of the winners followed for both the prose and poetry categories.

The prose results were as follows:

Winner- ‘Our Ninth Anniversary’ by Olivia Marchant

Runners Up- ‘Disconnect’ by Hannah Wesson
‘a mans life is structured in a specific way that leads to such a freedom     pathetic’ by Sam Pye.

The poetry results were as follows:

Winner- ‘I Witness the Apocalypse on a Late Night Walk Alongside a Road’ by Daniel Findell.

Runners Up- ‘Slagheap’ by Alex George
‘Mrs and Mrs Reanimator’ by Rhiannon Hughes

The full shortlist for both the prose and poetry prizes can be found on the LLA website.

The ceremony continued with a free open mic reading with shortlisted writers and a buffet. The Literary Lancashire Award displayed an enormous amount talent in the writers of tomorrow, and provided them with a prestigious recognition. Long may this competition continue into the future.

Winning entries can be read in the first issue of SCAN, published in September at the start of the next academic year. The LLA anthology containing all shortlisted pieces will be available for purchase soon from Waterstones King St, Lancaster at £8 or £15 for two copies.

(All the proceeds from anthology sales will go towards the running of next years competition and community outreach.)