Abdul Adil
Fifteen entries were awarded as winners of the Young Muslim Writers Awards in an awards ceremony on December 2 in London. 14 category awards were presented, which included Short Story, Poetry, Screenplay, Journalism, and Play Script, as well as the coveted Writer of the Year.
Receiving the Writer of the Year 2023 award, young poet Paromita Jouiria Islam said: “My poem, Human, was inspired by essentially just looking at all of us from time to time. We go through so many emotions every single day, and I really wanted to capture that in a poem. I believe that writing is something that’s very beautiful and very important in all our lives.
Writing just for the sake of it is something that’s very understated and, I think, lost in meaning to the wider society today. Writing can be the footsteps that we leave behind as we go to school on a Monday. Writing is different for everyone, and to someone, it might mean something, and to someone else, it will mean something different, but to each of us it should be something that we treasure.”
Over two hundred guests gathered to celebrate young, inspiring writers with a Muslim Hands project presented in association with the Institute of English Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London.
Speaking at the ceremony, Yasrab Shah, UK Director of Fundraising, Muslim Hands, said, “When we first set up the YMWA back in 2010, it was a natural step for us to take as a humanitarian aid organisation.
Our charity’s work is driven by the compelling desire to help and empower communities here in the UK and, of course, worldwide, and enable them to live their lives with a sense of dignity.”
Professor Clare Lees, Director, Institute of English Studies, supporting the event, said, “It’s one of the highlights of our year’s work. What matters to us are the things we share with you. Reading, writing, and listening.
Using our words. Remembering that our words and communication are the way we connect to each other, to the world, and to our future. This is a great honour, and it puts you at the heart of our work in literature in England now and in the future.”
Jazzmine Breary, COO, of Jacaranda Books, spoke of the importance of young voices. “Every young writer in this room has a unique perspective that is valuable. A voice that can inspire, uplift, influence, and indeed change the course of history.
Today, I want every one of you and your families to celebrate your revolutionary and much-needed act of exercising your right to tell your stories and use your voice. Through your stories, poems, and essays, you’ve claimed a place in the world and in history. You are letting us know that you are here and that you have something to say.”
Writer and director Raisah Ahmed encouraged children to explore careers in writing for TV and film.
“It’s really important that we become a part of the film and TV industry, that we create characters, and that we show people what Muslim communities look like, the things that we love, and the journeys that we go through.”
London-based poet and former Hackney Poet Laureate, Adisa the Verbaliser, entertained the audience with an interactive poetry performance. Adisa’s poetry has earned him a national Apple and Snakes New Performance Poet Award and has taken him to stages across Europe and Africa.
The Young Muslim Writers Awards was set up as a standalone project for 5–16-year-olds in 2010, following its success as part of Muslim Hands’ Muslim Writers Awards.
Winners of the Young Muslim Writers Awards 2023
KS 1 Poetry (ages 5-7 yrs) Everyday Superhero (Musa Binyamin Ali)
KS 1 Short Story (ages 5-7) Hide and Seek (Nusaybah Hanifah Shannon)
KS 2 Poetry (ages 7-11) Just Because I’m A Refugee (Saarah Imaani Alum)
KS 2 Short Story (ages 7-11) The House with the Room of Doom (Eesa Shannon)
KS 3 Poetry (ages 11-14) Human (Paromita Jouiria Islam)
KS 3 Short Story [joint winners] (ages 11-14) Organised Chaos (Sameena Kalik)
KS 3 Journalism (ages 11-14) Global Warming: Will It Be the End of Our Earth? (Norah Tafraouti)
KS 4 Poetry (ages 14-16) The Shed in the Woods (Inayah Ahmed)
KS 4 Short Story (ages 14-16) Ebb and Flow (Ameenah Hussain)
Mom, I Swear I Did Not Burn Down The House – The Very True Story Of How The Dog Ate My Homework (Hafsah Ayesha Ismail)
KS 4 Journalism (ages 14-16) Towel Head (Aishah Begum)
KS 3 Screenplay (ages 11-14) Judged For Mercy (Zoya Vindhani and Ameera Ibrahim)
KS 4 Screenplay (ages 14-6) Soul Man (Numa Tasneem Karnachi)
KS 3 Playscript (ages 11-14) The Misfit’s Guide to Surviving Detention (Thalia S.A.)
KS 4 Playscript (ages 14-16) The Lollipop Lady (Muhammed Amin)
Writer of the Year 2023 Paromita Jouiria Islam for ‘Human’
Photo: Yasrab Shah, Director of Fundraising for Muslim Hands with Writer of the Year , young poet Paromita Jouiria Islam.
(Credit: Young Muslim Writers Awards)
