TWO young wordsmiths beat 5,200 entries to be shortlisted for writing awards.
Tomasz Matwijiszyn from Golden Cross and Angelina Thakrar from Lewes were two of 20 shortlisted in the five to seven years category for the fourth Wicked Writers Award.
The award was established in 2010 to link the themes in the long-running musical with a competition to inspire self-expression and creativity through writing for young people aged between five and 25-years-old. This year’s entries explored themes and concerns such as ageing, enduring love and loss, global warming, self-harm, and effects of war. Judge Michael Morpurgo said: “All these talented young writers have allowed their imagination to live and breathe. They haven’t been afraid to tell their stories and speak their poems down and to express themselves with originality and flair. I have loved reading their writing.”
Michael McCabe, executive producer of Wicked, said: “As a show, Wicked strives to draw upon the thrill of live performance to inspire discussion around its story and themes.”
In the younger categories, judges said entries were funny, scary and surprisingly complex. Older entries saw characters ranging from soldiers with post-traumatic stress to unwed teenage mothers.
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