HRH Duchess of Cornwall Supports WICKED Young Writers Award

 

The WICKED Young Writers' Award is proud to announce Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall as its patron from April 2010. The Award is separated into five categories between the ages of 5-25 and allows young people from across the UK and Northern Ireland to enter a piece of writing on a theme or subject of their choice. The final date for entries is Saturday 31 July 2010. Schools and individuals can download entry forms and find tips on entering the WICKED Young Writers' Award at www.WickedYoungWriters.com. 

Launched in February of this year by long-running West End musical WICKED, the Award aims to recognise excellence in writing, encourage creativity, and help develop writing talent in young people from across all backgrounds and areas of the UK.  Young people are free to submit entries written at home or at school, and teachers will also be encouraged to enter writing on behalf of their pupils through a schools' entry form and online Teachers' Resource featuring exclusive video tips for inspiring and encouraging writing in the classroom.

Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of the hit musical WICKED, said in a statement: ‘it is an honour and a privilege to be welcoming HRH The Duchess of Cornwall as patron of the WICKED Young Writers' Award. We are greatly encouraged by Her Royal Highness's commitment to the Award for its inaugural year, and look forward to her supporting our shared interest in energising young people's engagement with reading and writing.'

 

Bestselling author and former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo will chair the WICKED Young Writers' Award judging panel, supported by Gregory Maguire, author of the acclaimed novel that inspired the musical. Michael Morpurgo said: ‘I hope the award will bring the passion and energy of WICKED's amazing theatrical show and its ability to reach across age-ranges and backgrounds, to young people and their writing. With the encouragement of their teachers and families and the excitement of this kind of challenge, we will see original and creative writing coming through from children of all backgrounds and abilities. Let's hope that many, many young people will be encouraged to begin their own storytelling journeys'.

The WICKED Young Writers' Award is sponsored by the publisher Headline who will celebrate the Award by publishing an anthology of winning entries to be sold exclusively through Amazon.co.uk. Winners will also be invited to a special autumn ceremony held at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, where WICKED is currently being performed.

 

Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire that re-imagined the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

 

Winner of over 35 major theatre awards, including the 2010 Laurence Olivier Audience Award for ‘Most Popular Show' and the 2010 Whatsonstage.com Award for ‘Best West End Show', WICKED is soon to enter its fifth year at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre and has already been seen by almost 3 million people and taken in excess of £100 million at the UK Box Office. WICKED has also recently been acclaimed as ‘one of the biggest hits of our age' (The Observer, March 2010) and ‘the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened 24 years ago' (The Times, March 2010).

Skilfully and accessibly exploring themes of friendship, acceptance, trust and tolerance, the WICKED Active Learning online Teachers' Resource stimulates and encourages debate about prejudice, persecution and the manipulation of public opinion. Since its West End premiere in 2006, over 250,000 pupils have been enthralled and inspired by WICKED: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk/Education

Official WICKED UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

 

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