Young Muslim Writers Awards 2015 Ceremony
LONDON -- Winners to be announced for 5th annual Young Muslim Writers Awards ceremony
After receiving hundreds of entries, we will be announcing the winners of the 2015 Young Muslim Writers Awards presented in association with Yusuf Islam Foundation on 5th December at Muslim Hands’ annual ceremony celebrating literary talent. Award winning authors Louis de Bernières and Tim Bowler will be presenting trophies to the winners, supported by an exciting lineup of performers.
The Young Muslim Writers Awards was set up as a standalone competition for 5 – 16 year olds in 2010, following its success as part of Muslim Hands’ Muslim Writers Awards. Since then, it has encouraged and nurtured the writing talents of thousands of children through creative writing workshops and the annual competition.
Forty writers whose poetry and short stories were the standout entries this year have now been shortlisted. Their submissions have been assessed by an internationally renowned panel of judges including Carnegie Medal winner Tim Bowler, novelist and poet Louis de Bernières who is most popular for his novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin as well as poet, broadcaster and playwright Gillian Clarke.
Chairman of Muslim Hands, Syed Lakhte Hassanain, says of the awards,
“Time and again young writers impress us beyond measure with their creativity and writing talent. The selection process is always an incredibly enjoyable yet challenging stage of the competition as the quality of writing is continuously improving. This proves that through nurturing the aspirations and celebrating the achievements of young people we can help create an environment where they can flourish. This is the philosophy which drives our UK community development work in youth empowerment, poverty alleviation, ex-offender rehabilitation and women’s leadership programmes.”
For the third consecutive year, the ceremony is presented in association with Yusuf Islam Foundation, an umbrella organisation which has over thirty years of experience operating in education, community development and philanthropy.
The ceremony will be broadcast on Islam Channel, official media partner of the competition since 2006.
Notes to editors:
- For further details, interviews with shortlisted writers or media passes to the ceremony, please contact Aisha Rafique on aisha.rafique@muslimhands.org.uk or call 0115 911 7222.
- The Young Muslim Writers Awards arranges creative writing workshops and an annual writing competition. Visit www.ymwa.org.uk, Twitter and Facebook.
- Muslim Hands is an international aid agency and NGO working in over 50 countries worldwide to help those affected by natural disasters, conflicts and poverty.
- For further details on Muslim Hands’ UK Community Development work please visit https://muslimhands.org.uk/our-work/uk-projects
- Yusuf Islam Foundation is an umbrella body that works in education, the alleviation of poverty and community development. www.yif.org.uk
- Islam Channel is a satellite channel broadcasting news, current affairs and entertainment programming from an Islamic perspective. www.islamchannel.tv
