Three talented writers have been announced as the winners of the Vrij and Karuna Harry Young Writers’ Competition.
Holly Webb from Merrifield College won the first prize of R3,500 for her poems, That Girl, Nonexistent Soulmate and You Weren’t Love.
Canzi Bizana from Clarendon High School for Girls won the second prize of R1,500 for her three poems, The Commandment, Untitled and The Generation.
Kaylee Luff from Hudson Park High School won the third prize of R500 for her short story, Death is Only the Beginning.
All the winning entries will be published in an anthology book.
Webb has always wanted to be a writer and used the opportunity to write poems that helped her express a message that teenagers can relate to.
“It has always been my dream to become an author and I saw the competition as an opportunity to prove to myself that I was capable of pursuing my dream. The inspiration behind my poems was the trials and tribulations that come with being a teenager in a social media driven world.
“They express the secret fears and feelings most teenagers share.
“I wanted to make others feel less alone in their worries,” she said.
Bizana said she didn’t expect to win anything and says this has made her very proud of herself and her writing.
“My favourite poem has to be Untitled, which is about how our own words hurt us more than the words of others. It speaks about how your body has to take everything that you say about it as it cannot defend itself.”
Luff wrote a short story about death and depression, using her late grandfather as her inspiration. She expressed her gratitude for winning the third position and sees this as the beginning of a fruitful career.
“My short story was about a man who became depressed after his wife tragically died. Unable to overcome his grief, he ends his life by placing weights into his pockets and drowning himself. After his death is finalised, he comes into contact with the afterlife and heaven, but the happiness is short-lived when he is reincarnated.
“I hope to one day write and publish a book series, or even become an English professor,” Luff said
