We're delighted to host the BBC Young Writers’ Award Cambridge Experience Day once again this year. 

The shortlist for the 2025 BBC Young Writers’ Award with the University of Cambridge, featuring five talented young female writers from across the country, was announced live on BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks yesterday (Sunday 14 September).

The stories – varied in setting, character and voice – explore contemporary themes of toxic masculinity, inter-generational relations, climate change, power and responsibility with humour and originality. From a dark tale told from the perspective of a black cat, to a mythological understanding of the climate crisis and its impact on fairy tale creatures; from a lyrical, but tense, tale of three generations of women cooking together, to a ‘housewife’s revenge’ story, and a fun but thought-provoking look at peer pressure, this year’s shortlist showcases five ’beautifully subversive,’ ‘nuanced’ and ‘mature’ stories.

Dr Elizabeth Rawlinson-Mills, University Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Fellow of Robinson College Cambridge, says:

“It's a pleasure once again to read these remarkable and often startling stories. We have become accustomed to the shortlisted stories for the YWA offering us reassuring evidence of young writers' skill and ambition. This year's shortlist, with work that experiments with voice and violence, bodies and gender, things unspoken and unspeakable, feels especially timely. These are stories that look both outwards and inwards, and which confront the reader powerfully. The University of Cambridge is extremely proud to support the Young Writers Award.”

It is our pleasure to host the five young writers as part of their Cambridge Experience Day on Friday 26 September. Details of the 2024 experience day can be found here.

The BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University 2025 is open to all writers between the ages of 14 –18 and was created to discover and inspire the next generation of writers. It is a cross-network collaboration between BBC Radio 4 and Radio 1. The winner will receive a personalised mentoring session with an author to enhance their writing skills.

The 2025 BBC Young Writers’ Award shortlist with Cambridge University is:
·    ‘Wildfolk Report 2025’ by Holly Dye, 17, from Tunbridge Wells
·    ‘Adu, Lasun and Marcha’ by Anoushka Patel, 18, from Leicester 
·    ‘Roast Beef’ by Edith Taussig, 17, from New Malden, Greater London 
·    ‘The Omen’ by Anna Tuchinda, 17, from Thailand, an international student in Edinburgh 
·    ‘Scouse’s Run’ by Rebecca Smith, 17, from Sheffield

Poet, writer, former Children’s Laureate and BBC YWA 2025 judge Joseph Coelho said: 
"The talent and strength of voice present in the entries we had the privilege to read were beyond astounding. There were stories that chilled, delighted and had us gasping. I cannot wait to see what heights these brilliant writers are sure to achieve."  
They will be available to listen to on BBC Sounds and to read on the BBC Radio 1 website. The winner will be announced live from the award ceremony at BBC Broadcasting House on Radio 4’s Front Row on Tuesday 30 September.

The BBC National Short Story Award is being supported by the School of Arts and Humanities, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculties of English and Education, Downing and Robinson College, University Library, Fitzwilliam Museum and the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Professional and Continuing Education. Learn more here