Winner of literary prize celebrating outstanding writing is revealed

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

The competition, which was open to all University students, was won by second year MA Creative and Critical Writing student Ben Collins for his prose, ‘The East Window’.

He said: “I was surprised but very pleased to win the competition.

“I wasn’t going to enter because I wasn’t sure that it was my sort of thing to write about ‘place’ but the course leader persuaded me to have a go.

“The inspiration for my story came from attending St Mary’s Church in Offton and speaking to the churchwarden about the unusual window.”

This year’s runner-up was Louise Carr for ‘Home-cresting’.

As part of their prizes, the pair were invited to attend the New Angle Prize awards dinner, organised by the Ipswich Institute, at Hintlesham Golf Club last month.

Speaking about the Student New Angle Prize, Dr Amanda Hodgkinson, Associate Professor, School of Business, Arts, Social Sciences and Technology, said: “As a writer, it can be really difficult to understand how to break into professional world of writing.

“This competition is an opportunity for the winner and runner-up to meet with other writers and attend an awards ceremony.

“It’s also an important recognition of their own writing and showcases their work to publishers and literary agents in ways that are really meaningful.”

At the ceremony, the winner of the second Creative Suffolk Author Award, sponsored by the University of Suffolk, was also unveiled.
The prize, which celebrates outstanding writing which contributes to Suffolk’s creative output and showcases the strength of diverse literary voices in the county, was won by best-selling novelist Erica James for her novel, The Ideal Husband, which explores family dynamics and personal resilience.

The judges for the Creative Suffolk Author Award were Patience Pounds, Associate Professor in Midwifery at the University of Suffolk, crime novelist and screenwriter Ruth Dugdall and Sue Williamson MBE, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Reading Agency.

Dr Hodgkinson added: “The Creative Suffolk Author Award is an example of ways in which the University of Suffolk truly believes in the importance of creativity in our county.

“We have an incredible offer in Arts and Humanities and supporting this award validates that, in that it supports the creative industries in our region and creates a skills pathway in line with government policy for creativity and innovation nationwide.”

Earlier this month, staff and students from English courses at the University appeared at the first Ipswich Book Festival.

MA Creative and Critical Writing students and graduates discussed their published work from the course’s fourth anthology, ‘Suffolk Haunts: Original Stories Inspired by the Legends and Landscapes of East Anglia’.

Dr Andrea Smith discussed her new book, Shakespeare on the Radio: A Century of BBC Plays, with her colleague, Dr Jenny Amos, while Dr Lindsey Scott, Course Leader for the MA in Creative and Critical Writing course, interviewed award-winning novelist and screenwriter, Elle McNicoll.

To find out more about the BA English course, visit the course webpage here.

For more information on the MA Creative and Critical Writing course, head to the webpage here.