THE Anne Pierson Award for Cumbria Young Writers has landed a top slot at Words by the Water, the annual two-week literature festival which attracts thousands of people to Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.

Anne’s main aim is to secure its financial future and putting CYW in the spotlight at the prestigious Keswick gathering in March should help raise the award’s profile and gain national recognition.

She has also brought on board as patron one of the nation’s finest ambassors for ‘the arts,’ Melvyn Bragg.

Introduced by Melvyn, the award's event at the festival will celebrate the extraordinary talent of the county’s outstanding young writers with excerpts from their work read by actors before the winners will be announced by guest speaker, award-winning author Blake Morrison.

Now in its tenth year, the award was established in recognition of Anne’s achievements as inspirational director of the Brewery Arts Centre.

Although opening a fresh chapter with a move to Theatre by the Lake, Anne says she will always be grateful to the Brewery trustees for allowing her to fulfill her dream of giving young people in Cumbria opportunities to develop their writing to be developed, recognised and celebrated, as in every other art form.

“My aim is now to secure the award’s future,” she adds. “Setting up a trust to attract grants and embedding the presentations ceremony within an established literature festival should achieve that.

“For the hundreds of young people who enter it can be a life-changing experience. Katie Hale, a former winner, is just one young writer who can’t overstate how important the award was for her, giving her courage and opportunity. She now has a degree in creative writing, is running New Writing Cumbria and working on her first collection.”

Cumbria’s most famous cultural son, Melvyn is firmly behind Anne’s writers award, which he asserts, reaches out to the creative instincts of young people.

“Again and again, in music, in art, in painting and dance, it has been proved that early encouragement and training is of the greatest importance,” he points out.

“It gives confidence and some expertise and often fosters an ambition which can lead to lifetime satisfaction for those who do this, as well as become audiences for the work.

“I’m proud to be a patron and look forward to more fine work coming from Cumbria in future generations.”

Next year’s awards are sponsored by Cumbria County Council and the Hadfield Trust.

Closing date for entries is Sunday, January 12.

Further information and entry forms are available from libraries, schools, the New Writing Cumbria website or email anne.pierson@btinternet.com.