Outstanding DCB participation in the HK Young Writers Award 2022
Creative writing is a very popular pursuit among students at Dulwich College Beijing. Of course, we like to think that the literature we share with students inspires them, but the experiences that students go through in life can also give them a wealth of material to write creatively about. In recent times, some of our students have found solace in literature and expression in creative writing, producing some truly excellent extra-curricular writing. International competitions allow opportunities for students to find a willing audience and have their work evaluated by expert judges.
The Hong Kong Young Writers Awards are an excellent forum for student creativity. Held annually, the awards' main aims are to "foster excellence in creativity by providing students with the opportunity to develop their expressive talents and expand their horizons. The awards encourage and recognise excellence in English writing and artwork among students aged 6 to 18, of various age groups, diverse backgrounds and different learning abilities. " (https://www.hkywa.com/, accessed 24 May 2022).
This year's competition had 'Tales of the Mogao Grottoes' as its prompt, and we were delighted to send in five excellent entries for both poetry and prose fiction across three age groups. Two entries were awarded ‘Honourable Mention’ certificates.
Suah in Year 11 also received a letter from the judge who commended her writing in the Fiction Group 4 category, saying that she has “a gift” for creative writing:
We are thrilled to share that Helena Z won the 16 - 18 Poetry category for her poem 'Graying Grottoes'. Helena is a dedicated student of all kinds of literature, but she has a particular passion for poetry. Helena has been on a writing journey for some time now and, most recently, self-published a collection of poems entitled Nectare. This collection grew from Helena and her older sister’s commitment to writing to each other in the form of poetry rather than emails or letters throughout a long period of separation at the start of the pandemic. The culmination of their work is a homage to a special relationship between two very dynamic and creative sisters. It is a beautiful collection - very well-worth reading. The recognition that winning this competition gave Helena marks a significant milestone in her writing journey. I feel we will be reading much more of her poetry in the future. Enjoy reading her winning poem below!
Congratulations to all our participants! We are looking forward to submitting even more entries next year!
