OsLitFest Cover Story Competition Presentation @ Oswestry Library

THE WINNERS of the annual Oswestry Rotary Club writing competition for children aged 7 to 11 years recently received their prizes at Oswestry Library during Oswestry LitFest.  This year’s competition, run in conjunction with Shropshire Libraries, took the theme of ‘Cover Story.’

More than two hundred pupils from local primary schools submitted their ideal book jacket designs, complete with enticing blurb, producing a strong shortlist from which Frank Cottrell Boyce, award-winning writer and LitFest patron, selected the winning entries.

First place went to Kornelia Kielan from Our Lady and St. Oswald’s Catholic Primary School, whose dramatic jacket design 'Crossing Intruders' earned her a £30 Booka Bookshop token and a copy of 'The Fox and the Star' by top illustrator, and LitFest guest, Coralie Bickford-Smith who was on hand to sign her book before presenting it to Kornelia. Second place for 'Lost' was awarded to Lily Pyburn of Woodside Primary, whilst Pippa Birch, also from Woodside, took third place with 'The Story of Savannah'.

In its 8th year of sponsoring the event, Oswestry Rotary Club's President Mike Griffiths was delighted to present Booka vouchers to the winners.  Rotarian Steve Thomas, co-organiser of the event, thanked the Library's Heather Rodenhurst for all her work in preparing the entries. "We are delighted to support this event" he said "Each year we see such creative work from the competitors - I just don't know where they get their ideas from!".

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Background

Primary school pupils aged seven to 11 across the town will be busy putting pen to paper over the coming weeks in the hope of winning Booka Bookshop book tokens, as part of the contest run by Oswestry Library, in partnership with Oswestry Rotary Club and Oswestry LitFest 2016.

This year’s competition takes the theme of a book jacket design, inspired by the Waterstones’ Book of the Year, 'The Fox and the Star' by Coralie Bickford-Smith.

Heather Rodenhurst, team librarian at Oswestry Library, said: “Our judge will be award-winning children’s author Frank Cottrell Boyce. “Primary school pupils will be asked to dream up a cover for their perfect book, including an eyecatching jacket design and an irresistible blurb for the back cover.”

The competition will close on February 12 and first prize is a £30 Booka book token, a copy of The Fox and The Star and an invitation to Oswestry Library on Saturday, March 19 during Oswestry LitFest for a prize presentation with Oswestry Rotary Club’s president and author-illustrator, Coralie Bickford-Smith.

Winners of runner-up prizes of a £20 and a £10 Booka book token will also receive an invitation to the presentation.

For more information about the Cover Story competition, contact Oswestry Library on 01691 677388 or email heather.rodenhurst@shropshire.gov.uk.

Coralie Bickford-Smith will be talking about the art of illustration at The Willow Gallery from 2.00pm this afternoon.  Tickets from Booka.