'The smudge had resolved itself. Sharp-edged and saw-toothed. Surf crashed along its base and gulls circled above. As we got closer I could see that it was not white but an almost green sandstone streaked with guano. Probably twenty metres of spire stabbed the air at this time of low water.' The Wherryman by Steve Williams

 

In October 2007 New Writing Partnership, in collaboration with the EDP and Jarrold the store asked aspiring writers from across Norfolk to come up with stories no longer than 2,000 words set in Norfolk 2057. The interest was once again great, and we had a good crop of almost 200 entries to sift through. We asked writers to think about what the future will look like in their county, city, school or street in fifty year's time. Will the Norfolk of 2057 be an exciting place to live? How will new technologies change our lives? Will there still be schools or will we all work from home? 

 

It's worth noting the high quality of the entrants, and also the fact that the outlook for the future as seen in these stories contains a lot of water, and a lot of land loss! Winners were announced in a ceremony in Jarrolds the store on November 13th, attended by city councillor Brenda Ferris, and writer judges David Bedford and Henry Sutton, as well as NWP chief executive Chris Gribble and his staff. 

 

 

OVERALL WINNER: Ben Page, Norfolk 2057

WINNERS

Under 10: Ben Page, Norfolk 2057

11 – 14: Imogen Shields, Why? What have we done?

15 – 18: Sarah Christie, Over the Fence

18 and over: Steve Williams, The Wherryman

RUNNERS-UP

Under 10: Georgia Bezants, The Crossroads

11– 14: Martha Robinson, Norfolk 2057

15 – 18: Rachel Page, Norfolk 2057

18 and over: Anita Gentry, Tide

The winner in each category won £100 gift tokens for Jarrolds the Store. The overall winning entry was published in the EDP. The runners up won £25 book vouchers. Well done to all involved, and lets hope that not all of the visions come true!

For more writing competitions check out our latest news section which has details of diverse opportunities.

This competition was part of the wider City of Refuge ‘Shahrazad’ programme.