The Young Catholic Writer Award
July 05th 2010
THE CATHOLIC YOUNG WRITER AWARD
Sponsored by the Catholic Union of Great Britain and The Keys, the Catholic Writers’ Guild
“Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead Thou me on…”
John Henry Newman wrote some of the most beautiful religious poems in the English language, and some are still sung today as hymns.
His religious quest led him to abandon what could have been a glittering Oxford career, and eventually to become Catholic priest, working in the big new industrial city of Birmingham.
In 2010 he will be beatified – the first stage in being formally declared a Saint in the Catholic Church.
Newman’s life and his writings have inspired many people including the present Pope, Benedict XVI, who will visit Britain in 2010.
To celebrate the Newman Year of 2010 we are seeking young Catholic writers of school age and inviting them to share their talents.
How to enter
Find out about John Henry Newman, his life and influence and
- Write “A Letter to John Henry Newman”, in prose or poetry, saying something about the needs of Britain today. Where can we find the “kindly light” that led Newman onwards?
- OR
- Write a poem or hymn inspired by Newman’s quest for truth.
We are looking for evidence that you have some understanding of the Catholic Faith, centred on Jesus Christ, and for personal insights and a sense of the wonder and mystery of God.
FIRST PRIZE: £50 cash plus a commemorative shield, to be held for one year, and books presented by members of the Catholic Writers’ Guild.
There will be various runner-up prizes. All winning essays will be published on the website of the Catholic Union.
The Shield will be presented at a London ceremony arranged by the Catholic Union of Great Britain and The Keys, the Catholic Writers’ Guild..
The competition is open to all young Roman Catholics aged 11 to 18 years inclusive, and to all pupils at Roman Catholic secondary schools.
Send your entry – which can be either hand-written or produced on a computer – to:
to arrive not later than July 17th 2010
Catholic Young Writer Award
Catholic Union of Great Britain
Maximillian Kolbe House
63 Jeddo Road
London W12 9EE
Your essay MUST include your full name, date of birth, and full postal address of either home or school.
Schools are invited to encourage entries, which can be collected together and sent as a group .
The judges’ decision will be final. All entries become the property of the Catholic Union and are non-returnable. You are therefore advised to make a copy of your entry before you send it.
Visit our website for downloadable lesson resources to help with this project. http://www.catholicunion.org
We are grateful to The Bard School for their support and assistance.
“Through his artistic creativity man appears more than ever “in the image of God”, and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him. With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power.” John Paul II, Letter to artists, 1999.
What is capable of restoring enthusiasm and confidence, what can encourage the human spirit to rediscover its path, to raise its eyes to the horizon, to dream of a life worthy of its vocation — if not beauty? Benedict XVI, Address to Artists, 2009