A bumper crop of writing talent has been rewarded today at the annual Northern Writers’ Awards ceremony. The awards were announced at a special event at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal, where the ten winning writers received their share of the Ł25,000 prize pot. The awards are made possible by sponsorship from the Leighton Group and support from Arts Council England.
Crime writers in particular were noticed this year by adult prose judge Madeleine Buston, of Darley Anderson Agency, with Andrew Dawson, from South Africa but living in Gateshead for several years, and Mari Hannah, from Northumberland, both winning prizes for their crime novels. A third promising young crime writer, Rebecca Muddiman from Redcar, was also a winner. It wasn't just crime writers who were recognised though – short-story writer Clementine Hollister also picked up an award.
Three poets were awarded this year by poetry judge Daljit Nagra: Stevie Ronnie, from Ryton; Degna Stone, from Newcastle; and Sophie Baker, also from Newcastle, who this year is named as winner of the Andrew Waterhouse Award, which is named in memory of poet Andrew Waterhouse, who died in 2001. The award aims to give special support to a poet whose work shows great promise.
2010 also saw a children’s fiction agent judging the children’s entries for the first time. Julia Churchill, of The Greenhouse Agency, which specialises in children’s fiction, singled out Elizabeth Lawson, from Bedlington, and Beda Higgins, from Newcastle, for their works-in-progress.
The final award was given to Jane Thomas, who this year wins the Andrea Badenoch Award for Fiction. This annual award was established by the family and friends of Andrea Badenoch, a gifted novelist who died of breast cancer at the height of her literary career.
Pictured (L-R): Elizabeth Lawson, Rebecca Muddiman, Stevie Ronnie, Jane Thomas, Andrew Dawson, Beda Higgins, Degna Stone, Clementine Hollister, Sophie Baker and Mari Hannah.
