Wells Festival rewards poetry and storytelling as more young writers enter
Laura Strickland, Andrei Romanov, Ruth Stevenson and Silas Mitchell win the English festival’s four international competitions.
Wells Festival of Literature announced the winners of its four international competitions on 23 October, following an afternoon of readings and prize-giving. Laura Strickland took first place in Open Poetry; Andrei Romanov won the Short Story category; Ruth Stevenson led Book for Children; and Silas Mitchell won Young Poets. A total prize fund of £5,000 also supported second- and third-place entrants, local writers and several highly commended works. Organisers report a substantial rise in entries from young poets after moving the deadline beyond the summer examination period. Winning texts are available through the festival website, so the competition does not end with the verdict: the selection becomes a small public archive of new voices, linking the live festival in Wells with readers well beyond the event.