Ian Rankin to present creative writing prize to blind teen

Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin is presenting two prestigious creative writing awards to a teenager at the Royal Blind School today (21st April).

Andrew Pettigrew, 14, is a student at the Royal Blind School in Morningside, Edinburgh, and won the Pushkin Prize's creative writing award for Scottish students. Part of his reward for winning is to travel to the Scottish Highlands for a week of workshops at the end of April.

Pettigrew was entered for the prize after winning the Seeing Ear Creative Writing Competition, bagging more than £800 worth of assistive technology software.

The young writer will be presented with his awards by the author of the internationally bestselling Rebus crime series in a special event at the school on Thursday, to be attended by his peers, teacher and "proud" mum, Josephine Pettigrew.

Pettigrew entered three pieces into the Pushkin Prizes competition: a poem about his hero, Louis Braille, an article about death and a short fantasy fiction story.

Pettigrew said: “I was really happy when I found out I won the awards and I’m excited about taking the workshop in the Highlands. I think entering competitions and talking to authors has really improved my writing.”

Head teacher of the Royal Blind School, Elaine Brackenridge, said she was "extremely proud". 

“Andrew is a very talented and hard-working student," she said. "It is fantastic that his outstanding ability has been recognised by both Seeing Ear and the Pushkin Prizes. I am delighted that his writing skills have been recognised in this way.”

Pettigrew previously had three pieces of writing published by Seeing Ear and is a frequent contributor to Royal Blind’s iSite magazine. His recent work includes a poem about Donald Trump, called "The Trump" which he emailed to former first minister for Scotland, Alex Salmond.