“It’s just joyful to know you have brought to light a hidden gem.”
This comment is from Anne-Marie Reuter, publishing director of Black Fountain Press (BFP) and one of the judges of this year’s Young Voices writing competition.
The competition, run jointly by BFP and the University of Luxembourg, sought creative writing submissions from two age categories (15-19 and 20-25) on the theme “Life--a series of (un)eventful events”.
Out of 48 entries, four winners were announced on 8 June at the Black Box in Belval.
In the younger age category, Tobias Rault’s “At the Buergbrennen” won the prize for best poem. “Artfully crafted,” comments Reuter. For the best prose piece, the jury chose Charlotte Benck’s “Alice, Ronny, Brian and the Frogs”, in which the author, explains Reuter, explores philosophical questions via an absurd world and a friendship between two boys.
In the elder age category, “Eruption” by Jessica Lentz was named best poem. “It mesmerized the jury with its powerful volcanic laughter,” says Reuter. The prose prize went to Catherine Entringer for “Carwash”, which “swept us off our feet with its well-paced, intriguing story of a mother, her wife and their daughter trapped in a carwash”.
Hidden gems
Asked what surprised her most about the competition this year, Reuter mentions discovering the names behind the winning texts. “We’d read the submissions anonymously, and once the winners’ names were uncovered, we realised they were writers we had never heard of,” she says.
“It’s delightful,” she continues, “when the contest casts a spotlight on a fabulous text written by somebody who clearly knows what they’re doing--and all the time nobody knew about this.”
The other jurors were Mylène Branco, Jeanne Glesener and Anne-Marie Millim (from the university), and Tullio Forgiarini and Jean-Marc Lantz (from BFP).
“What transpires from all the contributions,” comments Forgiarini in a press release, “is the writers’ great awareness of the world and the times we live in, coupled with their desire to explore and overcome the present through art.”
Publication
The winners’ compositions, alongside those of a further 12 young writers whose work was shortlisted for the top prizes, will be published in a single volume and released at the Walfer Bicherdeeg in November.
Those shortlisted authors are Zeynep Celik, Arnit Dey, Emma Machado Ferreira, Marie Necsa, Ipek Sen, Sujin Vongphanith, Aurelia Wells, Maia Wercollier, Angeliki Jennie Susan Xydakis, Delali Amegah, Flame Darinov, Natalia Pikna.