National Short Story Award with the BBC

Woman reading book
Credit: Matias North/Unsplash

Since 2016, the Faculty of English has collaborated with the BBC on the National Short Story Award (NSSA), and with the literary charity First Story on the Young Writers’ Award (YWA).

The Faculty’s research expertise in short fiction and critical practice enhanced the reach and impact of NSSA and YWA, and enabled the creation and development of the Student Critics’ Award (SCA). This research has led to close collaborations between institutions and schools, leading to impact on education, social inclusion, creativity and culture, with beneficiaries including students, teachers and young creative writers.

Through festivals, workshops and tailored electronic resources, the SCA and another follow-up project, the Cambridge Festival of Reading and Writing (CFRW), supported social inclusion in reading and critical thinking, and enabled significant impact on educational attainment, reaching more than 50 schools.

“Participation in the Student Critics’ Award was such a tonic for students who have been jaded by public examination and sedated by a summer holiday. It energised them and imbued them with a vigour for academic debate that we are still running off weeks later,”

– Teacher