A talented young writer from Alsager is among the winners of national writing competition
By Deborah Bowyer 5th Aug 2025
A talented young writer from Alsager was one of six youngsters to win first prize in a national writing competition for young people.
Sixteen-year-old Aurora Blue has won The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition is an annual competition for young people which runs in conjunction with the Branford Boase Award.
The Branford Boase Award recognises a debut children's author and their editor and was set up in memory of the outstanding children's writer, Henrietta Branford, and the gifted editor, Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books.
The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition aims to find and encourage writers of the future, something Henrietta Branford was always keen to do.
The competition is open to anyone under the age of 19 and every year there are sacks full of entries from all over the country. Aurora's entry, "Cloudy But Dry" can be read here
This year, inspired by last year's Branford Boase Award winner, author Nathanael Lessore (Steady For This, King Of Nothing, What Happens Online), entrants were asked to write a story or poem that would make the judges laugh.
Aurora entered with a piece of descriptive writing presented in poetic form, inspired by what must be a familiar experience as, in bitter weather on holiday, everyone knows what to do and no one complains.
Competition judge Prue Goodwin said: "Cloudy but Dry" leaves the reader with "a sense of being bathed in gentle, yet ironic, humour and nostalgia".
"The judges agreed that such clarity of imagery, beautiful phrasing, and imaginative use of vocabulary is the work of a talented writer."
Nathanael Lessore was also impressed, saying: "Lots of the silly things my characters say and do are based on real life events that actually happened to me.
"I loved the way that Aurora has also used her own life as inspiration and enjoyed her poem very much. Congratulations, Aurora!"
Aurora won a set of the six books on the shortlist for the 2025 Branford Boase Award signed by their authors. Her winning poem can be read here
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