Winner of University’s East Anglian-inspired writing competition is unveiled

The winner of the University of Suffolk’s Student New Angle Prize (SNAP) for writing inspired by East Anglia has been announced.

The competition, which is sponsored by the Ipswich Institute and open to all University students, was won this year by MA Creative and Critical Writing student Aruna Stannard for her poem, ‘Three Waterfront Sonnets’, based on Ipswich waterfront.

Aruna said: “I wanted to root my response in the Suffolk landscape and my personal connection to it.

“It felt intuitive to write about the Ipswich waterfront, which is not only a rich historical and natural setting, but also home to the wonderful writing community in which I am immersing myself, here at the University.

“The three sonnets follow a walk from the station to The Hold and explore themes of history, hope and regeneration.”

This year’s runner-up was MA Creative and Critical Writing student Rebecca Lyons-Campbell for her entry, ‘Balance on the Stour,’ inspired by her summers spent paddleboarding down the River Stour from Dedham to Flatford.

The competition received entries from students enrolled on 15 different programmes across the University, from degree to PhD level, and ranged from short stories and poems to creative portfolios and works of non-fiction.

Award-winning poet Rebecca Goss, whose poetry collection, Latch (Carcanet, 2023) explores emotional and physical connections to the Suffolk landscape, was this year’s judge.

Rebecca said: “It was an absolute pleasure to judge the SNAP awards 2026.

“There was such a variety of entries, and all pieces transported me to different parts of East Anglia. I appreciated that the writers were able to do it in ways that were immersive, original, inventive, playful and moving.

“There was much to admire in the winning original poem, brimming with playful invention and exciting vocabulary. A new pleasure is found with every re-read.”

The SNAP competition gives the University the opportunity to discover new voices in the region and encourages all students to add to the literary representations which make East Anglia such an important place for art, literature and poetry.

Dr Lindsey Scott, Course Leader for the MA Creative and Critical Writing, said: “The Student New Angle Prize is now in its 12^th successive year. It recognises our students’ achievements and the extraordinary landscape we live in by celebrating the best new writing about East Anglia.

“The competition is open exclusively to students at the University, and we’re thrilled to see writers entering from such a diverse range of courses.”

Lindsey added: “SNAP provides many fantastic opportunities, including cash prizes from Ipswich Institute, a free writing workshop with our competition judge and the chance to receive professional feedback. Shortlisted entrants can also publish their work in our annual course anthology for the MA Creative and Critical Writing."

For full details on the SNAP competition, visit the University’s website here. 

For more information on the MA Creative and Critical Writing course, visit the website here