2023 BBC Young Writers' shortlist revealed

The shortlist for the 2023 BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University has been revealed. 

The five nominations were announced live on BBC Radio 1’s “Life Hacks” on Sunday (17th September).  

Among the shortlist was “Fridays” by Evie Alam, 16, from South Shields, about a teenager’s weekend job as well as “Creation” by Daisy Kaye, 16, from Nottingham, which offers a dystopian reversal of the biblical story. 

The mysterious disappearance of a childhood pet is explored in “Skipper” by 17-year-old Iona McNeish (pictured), from Glasgow, along with “Jessie’s God” by Elissa Jones, 16, from Merseyside, which sees a cruel grandmother meeting a grisly end. Finally “The Wordsmith” by 18-year-old Atlas Weyland Eden from Devon, is also nominated, following an otherworldly craftsman who hammers words into being. 

The organisers said that “the stories all examine the idea of consequences and span the personal to the global”. 

They added: “From one teenager selflessly preventing another from sharing the tedium of a boring part-time job, to the confusion caused by a young girl’s touching memorial for her dog, to the violent revenge inflicted by a blackberry bush, or the vivid mythical story of a creator of words ironically unable to forge his own name, each story considers themes of justice, judgment and choice.”  

Now in its ninth year, the award is open to all writers between the ages of 14 to 18 and was created to discover and inspire the next generation of writers. It is a cross-network collaboration between BBC Radio 4 and Radio 1.

The winner will receive a personalised mentoring session with an author to enhance their writing skills.  

The five shortlisted stories, each under 1,000 words, will be read by Abbie Andrews, Luke Treadaway, Laila Zaidi, Ruth Everett and Kate O’Flynn. They will also be available to read on the BBC Radio 1 website.  

The winner will be announced live from the award ceremony at BBC Broadcasting House on Radio 4’s Front Row on 26th September. 

Radio 1 presenter Katie Thistleton, chair of the prize judging panel, said: "Judging the BBC Young Writers’ Award is one of the highlights of my year, and once again the entries blew me away with their creativity and confidence. From dark and visceral, to poignant and thoughtful, the stories range in style and feeling but their excellence and craft belies age. Whether inspired by personal experience, concerns for community and planet, or a GCSE narrative prompt, each story has been written by an exceptional talent."

Thistleton is joined on the judging panel by TV presenter and children’s author Konnie Huq, award-winning writer and illustrator Laura Dockrill, BookToker and content creator @CultOfBooks Coco as well as rugby player, podcaster and author Alexis Caught.  

Huq commented: “This year’s shortlisted stories were of an incredibly high standard causing much heated debate and deliberation among us judges. Many felt superior to published work out there today, leaving me wanting to read more by their authors and hopefully one day I will. Well written, engaging, and sophisticated, the stories were far-ranging.” 

Dr Elizabeth Rawlinson-Mills, university associate professor in the Faculty of Education and fellow of Robinson College Cambridge, commented: “These young writers engage with exhilarating authority, both with the pressing issues facing society, and with the short story form itself, in all its mythic potential.”