PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14.11.17, LONDON, UK
Winners to be announced at 7th annual ‘Young Muslim Writers Awards’ ceremony
After receiving hundreds of entries, winners of the Young Muslim Writers Awards 2017, a Muslim Hands project presented in association with the Yusuf Islam Foundation, will be announced on the 9th December at Muslim Hands’ annual ceremony celebrating young literary talent. Award-winning author Patrice Lawrence will be amongst those presenting trophies to the winners alongside an exciting lineup of performers.
The Young Muslim Writers Awards, initially 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-five young writers whose poetry, short stories and articles were the standout entries this year have now been shortlisted. Their submissions have been assessed by an internationally renowned panel of judges including award-winning children’s author of Orangeboy, Patrice Lawrence, Director of The Royal Society of Literature, Tim Robertson and award-winning author and comic writer G Willow Wilson.
Chairman of Muslim Hands, Syed Lakhte Hassanain, comments:
“This year’s entries are once again remarkable! Young people of all ages from different corners of the country have taken part in the competition. The pieces written for the competition have been truly inspiring. It is amazing to see young people write so skillfully and with such creativity. As the work of young people continuously improves in its quality, it becomes more challenging for our judges to select the best pieces of work. Young people and children are incredibly talented individuals and we must support them in their development of learning, as it will help them achieve more and also thrive.
At Muslim Hands, this is what we are motivated by – in both our international development work and in our UK community projects.”
For the fifth consecutive year, the ceremony is presented in association with Yusuf Islam Foundation.
The ceremony will be broadcast on Islam Channel, the official media partner of the Awards since 2006.
2017 Shortlist
POETRY
Key Stage 1 Poetry (Ages 5-7)
The Three Amigos – Umayr Khan (Ilford, London)
The Jungle – Abdur-Rahmaan Razzaq – (Stockport)
Oggletrog – Umar Ibrahim – (Nottingham)
My Family – Medina Abbas – (Accrington, Lancashire)
Midnight Adventure – Ismail Minhas – (Solihull)
Key Stage 2 Poetry (Ages 7-11)
Al Mussawwir – The Artist – Fatema Zahra Mithwani – (Stanmore, London)
The Woodland Adventure – Asma Iman Amjad – (Leicester)
The Lake – Aaliyah Ishbel Mason – (Selkirkshire)
All Those Creatures Around Our Home – Maryam Hafsa Khan – (West Yorkshire)
Amazing Animals – Zahra Sabeen Khan – (Streatham, London)
Key Stage 3 Poetry (Ages 11-14)
Refugee Camp Winter – Ariana Alice Rkia Ranya Bouiri – (Liverpool)
The End – Shahlena Khan – (Bradford)
Heart – Jiyaad Ali – (Lancashire)
Play That Song – Amaani Khan – (Oxfordshire)
Democracy – Faaris Haani Haque – (Cheshire)
Key Stage 4 Poetry (Ages 14-16)
Once She Sang a Song – Mishael Masood Ahmed – (Walsall)
Fear is like a Sword – Maryam Ebrahim – (Wembley, London)
The Brink of Insanity – Heena Shafi – (Wembley, London)
A Mother’s Love – Iman Durrah Mohammed – (Bradford)
Am I? – Hanniya Kamran – (Leicester)
SHORT STORY
Key Stage 1 Short Story (Ages 5-7)
The Marvellous Helpers from the Book World! – Aiza Zubair Tahir – (Barnet, London)
The Tree Kings – Umar Ibrahim – (Nottingham)
The Magic Mat – Nabiha Khan – (Manchester)
The Rocket Treehouse – Mohammed Nazmuddin – (Ashford, Surrey)
Lost and Found – Maryam Zaynah Ali – (Tower Hamlets, London)
Key Stage 2 Short Story (Ages 7-11)
The Memory – Saarah Zainul-Abideen – (Surrey)
The Adventures of Super Strawberry – Haadi Siddiqui – (Harrow, Middlesex)
The Animal Whisperer – Syed Ayaan Shah – (Manchester)
The Sea Witch – Laila Boughaba – (Sheffield)
The Resplendent Reward – Numa Tasneem Karnachi – (Belfast)
Key Stage 3 Short Story (Ages 11-14)
The Escape – Maria Zahid – (Newcastle Upon Tyne)
Verily, with Hardship – Ruqayyah Ahmed – (Forest Hill, London)
Museums, Harbours and Death – Adam Islam-Medeaux – (Plymouth)
Sacrifice – Jiyaad Ali – (Manchester)
Glass Dome – Aaminah Green – (Shropshire)
Key Stage 4 Short Story (Ages 14-16)
The Hole in the Mountain – Hussain Maki – (Greenford, London)
Beast – Heena Shafi – (Wembley, London)
Nuclear July – Sumaiya Fazal – (Leicester)
Skinning – Seher Rahman – (Hendon, London)
The Game – Nada El-Hammoud – (Paddington, London)
JOURNALISM
Key Stage 3 Journalism (Ages 11 – 14)
A Woman’s Worth – Amiera Sharif – (Uxbridge, London)
The Crisis of the Lack of Fire Safety in Britain – Safiya Rehman (Bradford)
We Need to Take Action – Ameerah Abike Kola-Olukotun (Staines)
Acid Arise! – Faria Cheepa (Ilford, London)
Child Terrorism – Zaina Khan (Bradford)
END
Notes to editors:
- For further details, interviews with shortlisted writers or media passes to the ceremony, please contact Pritima Miah on pritimahmiah@muslimhands.org.uk or call 0115 911 7222.
- The Young Muslim Writers Awards arranges creative writing workshops and an annual writing competition. Visit 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. muslimhands.org.uk
- 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. yif.org.uk
- Islam Channel is a satellite channel broadcasting news, current affairs and entertainment programming from an Islamic perspective. islamchannel.tv