This year, the theme for the GDST Creative Writing prize was ‘Bouncing back’ and the entries were judged by Rachel Hore, an alumna of Sutton High School, who is now a full-time writer and author of eleven novels.

Maddie in Year 12 won the Year 12 and 13 prize for her piece We Are Very Little Things. This has been described as 'an accomplished, mature and nuanced piece of experimental writing that examines the Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter through a modern lens.'

Maddie will receive a £100 Waterstones voucher for winning.

Rachel commented:

I have enjoyed reading this year’s entries and the theme of Bouncing Back has proved to be a fertile one. The standard of work is once more very high. There are many thought-provoking examples from writers engaging with the idea of turning difficult situations around. Whilst younger students found inspiration in the natural world with some wonderfully evoked settings, the older age groups dealt maturely with more challenging, sometimes very dark subject matter. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you so much to all the writers for taking part - there is a wonderful range of talent on display and their work gave me a great deal of pleasure.

You can read Maddie's story below, although please note it does have adult themes.