Creative Writing Competition 2022

To celebrate the appointment of actor, broadcaster, narrator and writer Stephen Fry as the CA’s Honorary President for 2021-22, we held a nationwide Creative Writing competition for writers and classicists of all ages.

We received more than 450 wonderfully creative and entertaining entries inspired by Stephen’s books ‘Mythos’, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Troy’ and these stories took us from ancient athletic festivals to dystopian quarantine prisons and a twentieth century Cornish mineshaft; from the Roman forum to a celebrity mansion via trenches, treehouses and temples; and from the peaks of Mt Olympus to a sofa in the Underworld! We have compiled a compendium of some of the most entertaining stories, which you can read and listen to here:

We were blown away by the standard of entries and the judging panel would like to extend their thanks and congratulations to all who participated. It was very difficult to narrow down the entries and draw up the shortlists from which to choose the category winners.

We are delighted to reveal the winners, and share their stories below. Please note that some of the Senior and Open category stories contain adult themes. Scroll to the bottom to see who was crowned the Overall Winner and to listen to their story, read by Stephen Fry himself!

The Winners

Junior (aged 11 and under) – responding to the theme ‘Myth’

1. The Aquamarine Immortal by Evie Amira Morgan
2. Aeschylus and the Black Jewels of Hadesby Matilda Parker-Groom
3. The World Myth by Amelie Bea Sumner

Commended

• ‘Echo Echo Echo’ by Emily Nicholson
• ‘How the Leaning Tower of Pisa Got Its Lean’ by Edmund Harris
• ‘The Story of Noah Retold’ by Almond Zhichen Zhao
• ‘Manatimer and the Great Red Spot of Jupiter’ by Eva McTurk
• ‘Looking for Ulysses’ by Louis Nicol

Winners

Senior (aged 12-18) – responding to the theme ‘Heroes’

1. Fate’s Engine by Madeleine Friedlein
2. We Are Very Little Things by Madeleine Whitmore
3. Stone Cold by Sophie Davies

Commended

• ‘Relics’ – Marnie McPartland
• ‘A Ballad of Melancholy’ – Matilda Jenkins
• ‘Heracles’ – Kitty Langdon
• ‘Monsters at Home’ – Sophia Dyson
• ‘One Man’s Hero’ – Rebecca Power

Winners

Open (aged 19 and over) – responding to the theme ‘Troy’

1. The Mother of Heroes by Allan Gaw
2. Every Night is Movie Night When You’re Dead by Ian Rory
3. The River by Holly Smith

Commended

• ‘The God of Forget’ – Joseph Nevin
• ‘Just like an honest wool-working woman’ – Susanna Phillippo
• ‘An Error of Judgement’ – Louise Andrew
• ‘Son of Troy’ – Emily Small
• ‘An Ode to an Odyssey’ – Vijay Hare

The Overall Winner

We are delighted to reveal that the Overall Winner of the 2022 CA Competition is: Madeleine Friedlein

As Guest Judge, author Edward Hogan, writes: “Fate’s Engine is just stunning. It cuts between a pit disaster in 1919, and the three Fates, as they spin, stretch, and severe the thread of life. On the one hand, it presents us with an act of heroism, but on the other, it asks us how much control we really have over our lives and actions. These are deep themes. The dangerous work of the early twentieth century miner is vividly realised, and in the mix of epic, poetic flourishes, and earthy detail, I heard an echo of one of my own local heroes, D.H. Lawrence. That said, it’s totally original. I’ve never read anything like it. There’s a unique artistic voice, here, and I can’t wait to see what this writer does next.”

Listen now to Fate’s Engine, narrated by Stephen Fry, our 2021-22 Honorary President: