Fresher Writing Prize 2020: Best Student Writer

The Fresher Best Student Writer prize is awarded each year to the best short story submitted by a BU student. We are delighted to announce that the winner of Fresher Best Student Writer 2020 is Jason Blackburn, for his short story, ‘The Gulf Between Us’

Of The Gulf Between Us, the judges said:
“This is a well crafted story. Jason convincingly tackles some very big and topical themes in this short story, yet does so in a way that is as intimate as it is dramatic.”
Jason Blackburn was born in Bradford, although he’s lived in Wiltshire since he was 10. He is graduating from Bournemouth University this year with a BA in English and hopes to go on to study an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Sussex. He was inspired to write The Gulf Between Us when listening to Black Sabbath’s Planet Caravan, and took written inspiration from Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting.

If you would like to read Jason’s winning story, click here.

There was some truly exceptional work submitted this year and selecting one was a difficult task. Judges also highly commended Olivia Gilchrist and Patrick Bird on their stories.

The following students were also shortlisted:

  • Chloe Hales
  • Jessica Allen
  • Megan Crookes
  • Kia Mooney
  • Erin Banks
  • Megan Strong
  • Hayley Butler
  • Georgia Cartwright
  • India Dear
  • Liberty Dodgson-Hatto
  • Anoushka Chauhan