The award ceremony for Write & Unite 2016, took place on Friday 18 November. Write and Unite is a writer’s competition for aspiring authors of children’s literature. This year’s Write and Unite theme was Colourful Equality: Dignity & equality for people of all races. 143 authors from across the Kindom of the Netherlands submitted stories intended for two age groups, 1-3 and 4-6.
Carolign Leisink won the prize for the age category 1-3, for her story ‘Braids’. Alieke Bruins won the prize for age category 4-6 with her story ‘The Treehut’. Both stories will be published with illustrations in Dutch and English.
This very celebratory ceremony took place in Place Royale Schiller Theater in Utrecht.
A video of the evening can be seen on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Inclusive-Works-258722727543654/
About the competition
The theme “Colourful Equality: Dignity and equality for people of all races”
Until recently, racism and other forms of discrimination based on skin colour were considered to be either non-existent or overstated by many people in the Netherlands. Like other countries party to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination – CERD, the Netherlands has adopted measures in the fields of education, culture and information in order to combat prejudices leading to racial discrimination, and to promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations and racial or ethnic groups (Article 7 of CERD). However, work still needs to be done. Hence the theme of this year's competition!
Write & Unite 2016 wishes to actively promote racial equality and celebrate the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 -2024). The winning stories will, therefore, contribute to creating more positive ideas, feelings, narratives and descriptions of people with different skin colours, in particular those of African descent, as well as promote inter-racial contact and friendships between children and also the adults reading to them.
The stories were judged on the following points:
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Takes into account the fact that everyone has the same intrinsic human value regardless of the colour of their skin, with a particular focus on people of African descent;
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Is written for children aged either 1 to 3 years old or 4 to 6 years;
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May be realistic or have elements of fantasy;
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Will have a maximum length of 600 words (1-3 years) or;
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Will have a maximum length of 900 words (4-6 years);
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Should not include context or character descriptions (e.g no page numbers or descriptions of setting or characters in brackets)
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Must be submitted in Dutch (original version or translation);
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Must be submitted before 1 September 2016 (deadline 23:59 on 31 August 2016 – GMT+1).
The Jury
Category 1-3 years old
Gerda Havertong (Chair) – Actress and singer
Karen Woets – is researcher, publicist, editor and advisor in the field of children's literature*
Murth Mossel – entertainer, comedian, presentator, mc and musician
Quinsy Gario – poet and performance actor who likes to read
Category 4-6 years old
Domenica Ghidei Biidu (Chair) – Human Rights solicitor, mother of three chilldren. Enjoys reading (children's) books
Gregor Walz – Researcher at Research centre on discrimination Art.1. He reads to the children of friends and to his partner.
Anne-Marijke Podt – City council member for D66 (Dutch social-liberal party) in the city of Utrecht; loves to read as often as possible to 5-year old daughter Neve.
Artwell Cain – Cultureal antropologist, researcher and consultant; he enjoys reading and writing (short) stories
Bella Makatini – Winner of the 2014 international children's story competition (age category 1-3 years) and mother of a two and a five-year-old.
*Deceased in October 2016