Earlier this year we invited writers to share their short stories, poems, screenplays and play scripts. Young writers answered that call and the entries came flooding in to the 2025 Young Muslim Writers Awards.
They spanned sci-fi, dystopia, horror, fantasy, comedy, current affairs, and historical fiction.
They wrote stories of mysterious neighbours and midnight adventures; they wrote poems reflecting on injustices and the healing power of prayer; and they wrote ambitious screenplays – both live-action and animation, and immersive play scripts that really draw you into the heart of the story.
We’re delighted to share the shortlisted writers of the 2025 Young Muslim Writers Awards. We congratulate every writer who entered the competition, and to those who were shortlisted this year.
Key Stage 1 Poetry – Ages 7 and under
Buzz – Yaqub Usman
I Want To Play – Ali Zameer
My AWESOME Dad – Abdullah Ejaz
My Best Friend – Hawa Gulrahem
The Moon – Arwa Atiqe
Key Stage 2A Poetry – Ages 7 to 9
A Little Bit of Food – Yahya Usman
Bug Safari – Yusuf Zameer
Dear Mum – Umaymah Bhaiyat
I Am – Hajrah Ali
The Eagle – Ibrahim Aziz
Key Stage 2B Poetry – Ages 9 to 11
A Young Muslim Girl – Zimal Khan
Farewell, My School – Amina Riaz
Injustice – A Slam Poem – Rahma Meer
Paralysis of the Mind – Denny Mehmet Kaya
The Ballad of the Lion of the Desert – Umar C.
Key Stage 3 Poetry – Ages 11 to 14
A Voice Within – Aisha Petkar
O Aqsa, We Will Not Forget – Rayyan Hakim Piper
The Woolly Mammoth – Ahmed Faysal Ahmed
Who Could It Be – Aisha Noor Anwar
Willow Trees – Fatima Bintay Umer Binyameen
Key Stage 4 Poetry – Ages 14 to 16
Begging for Another Chance – Zoya Sameen
But We Were Never Fish – Ali Nehan Khan
Healing in Sujood – Mahbuba Islam
Moments of Peace – Maya Hussain
Who Am I To You? – Neeya Hussain
Key Stage 1 Short Story – Ages 7 and under
Babies and Clowns – Abdelkader Zarour
Believe In Allah – Ali Abdul Rehman
Dragon Knights vs Tornado – Noah Ibrahim Ali
The Lost Kids – Sara Adi
The Magical Staircase – Saaim Ahmed
Key Stage 2A Short Story – Ages 7 to 9
Football is for Everyone – Raniyah Ahmed
Jack and the Magic Pen – Aahil Ziyaan Usman
Leyla and Safa’s Journey of a Lifetime – Aizah Noor Munawar
The Ginger-BEARD Muslim – Saliha Khawaja
The Madness (A Tale Best Told with the Lights On) – Maryam Bint Zaeem Husein
Key Stage 2B Short Story – Ages 9 to 11
A New Light – Safa Fathi Saad Alshelmani
Evil Cat Apocalypse – Inayah Waqas
The Crash – Zayna Shariff
The Last Ride Home – Yusra Drummond
The Magic Object – Idris Opoku
Key Stage 3 Short Story – Ages 11 to 14
Jamun Tree – Home – Sulayman Jawaid
River Thoughts – Zaynab Iman Nasim
The Consciousness of Reality – Syeda Zeenat Ahmed
The Mastermind – Khairah Loonat
The Weight of a Key – Eesa Shannon
Key Stage 4 Short Story – Ages 14 to 16
Flesh and Blood – Humayra Patel
The Day the Butterflies Left – Aribah Zahed Chowdhury
The Tangled Marionette – Nishath Tabassum
Tranquillity’s Tax – Husna Hamdard
Veilborn – Zoya Sameen
Key Stage 3 Playscript – Ages 14 and under
Dead Man’s Serve – Zayd I. A.
Error 404: Sister Not Found – Thalia S. A.
Murder at the New York Times – Daniya Salem
The Last Adhaan – Zaynab Iman Nasim
The Light of Islam – Ayesha Ata-ur-Rehman
Key Stage 3 Screenplay – Ages 14 and under
90 Degrees – Zayd I. A.
Diet Popular – Thalia S. A.
Murder on the Disorient Express – Sumaiyah Shannon and Eesa Shannon
The NOVA Institute – Zaynab Iman Nasim and Tazkiyah Amal Nasim
Together We Stand – Zain Ahmed
Tragedy – Junaid Saleem