The Helen Richards Creative Writing Award was launched this academic year to acknowledge literary talent at Murray Edwards College.
College alumna, Helen Richards (1998, English) passed away in 2017 and this award was created in her memory by her friends and family.
Professor Raphael Lyne (Professorial Fellow in English at the College), led the panel of judges composed of Dr Holly Corfield Carr (Fellow in English), Kate Morrison (alumna) and Hazel Tsoi-Wiles (alumna). Kate and Hazel both studied English alongside Helen.
College students were invited to submit a previously unpublished 4000-word story by 31 January 2020. During the judging process, Kate Morrison commented, “We’re deep in discussion about the entries and we are all very impressed by the standard.”
Isabella “Bella” Fox (2019, English) was announced as the winner on 13 March and has been awarded a prize of £100.
An extract of Bella’s winning story will be featured in the next edition of The Dolphin, which is out at the end of June.