Monster Storytelling Competition Winner Announced

Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) welcomed pupils from the Sir Donald Bailey Academy to announce the winner of BGU’s Monster Storytelling Competition.

Part of BGU’s Monster Conference, the competition challenged BGU students to write monster stories for children across three age groups: 0-5, 5-7 and 7-11.

As well as writing the monster stories, students taking part also had to submit a video performance of them. Winners in each category, along with an overall winner, were then picked out by the pupils from Sir Donald Bailey Academy (one of BGU’s partner schools).

Chloe Pearce, a 3^rd Year Primary Education undergraduate student, was crowned the overall winner. Her utilisation of props in her video to act out her story made her the clear favourite with the children who really felt the story had been brought to life.

Looking back on the competition, Chloe explained why she wanted to take part:

“I really enjoy writing stories for children. It is so important that they have opportunities to read growing up.”

In addition to attending the prize giving, held in the Cornerstone Library at BGU, the Sir Donald Bailey pupils were also provided with a selection of books to read across the afternoon.

Ruth Pearson, Senior Lecturer in Primary Education, highlighted the importance of this experience and why she and her colleagues felt it needed to be included:

“At BGU we believe it is incredibly important when fostering a love of reading in children to give them experience of being in a library and show them the wonders that libraries can offer them”

The storytelling competition forms part of BGU’s Monster Conference; an interdisciplinary conference exploring the work of Mary Shelley. The conference continues on the 31^st of October with a live reading of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’. You can keep up to date with the Monster Conference and all the exciting events taking place at BGU on our website.