A talented young writer from the North London Collegiate School in Stanmore, has achieved remarkable success by winning the Junior category of the 2023/24 Rotary Young Writer competition.
Rebecca Eapen received high praise for her short story, The Right Choice. Set during wartime, the story is told from the perspective of a dog who loses its partner in an air raid, perfectly capturing this year’s theme of “Rebuilding.”
The judges were particularly impressed by how Rebecca concluded the story with a note of tentative hope, embodying the essence of rebuilding lives and communities—a key focus of Rotary’s global efforts.
Sponsored by West Fife Rotary in Scotland, Rebecca was the youngest of the three winners in the competition, which encourages creativity, writing skills, and imaginative expression among young people. Rebecca’s journey to the national final was marked by victories in local and district rounds, where she consistently demonstrated her talent.
The final was judged by Charlotte Vaughan, manager at Kenilworth Book Shop, and prize-winning poet Chris Campbell, both of whom were deeply impressed by the maturity and depth of Rebecca’s writing.
Robert North at Rotary West Fife said: “We’re very proud to have sponsored Rebecca’s journey at the Rotary Young Writer competition 2023/24. She’s an incredibly talented young person and well deserving of her win in the Junior category. We can’t wait to read what she writes next!”
Find out more about Rotary’s competitions and programmes for young people at www.rotarygbi.org.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
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