In early September, 20 of our 16+ students took part in an exceptional opportunity with the BBC and Cambridge University Student Critics Panel. Each student received an anthology of the five shortlisted stories, which they read and discussed before selecting the story they believed should win the Short Story of the Year Award.
The students were then invited to attend the live BBC4 awards programme, where the winner was announced. Before the recording, they had the opportunity to visit the BBC Media Centre, observe live news programmes being broadcast, and meet and speak with shortlisted authors — including the eventual winner, Cherise Saywell, before the result was announced.
The experience gave students a unique insight into the literary world, the judging process and the BBC, while encouraging thoughtful discussion and critical engagement with contemporary writing.
As one student reflected:
“Being inside the BBC studio was an exceptional experience... The understanding of how various people can like completely different stories and concepts... Thank you so much for this experience, it will definitely be one that I will never forget!”
Another commented:
“I fortunately got to actually ask [the author] a question and found her response to be very interesting... I enjoyed every aspect of the trip and would totally suggest making this a yearly thing if possible.”
I have to say, the students were an absolute pleasure. They were polite, receptive to discussions, and confident enough to put their thoughts forward.
For our students, this was far more than a visit to the BBC: it was a rare opportunity to engage directly with leading writers, experience national broadcasting behind the scenes, and have their own literary opinions form part of a professional critical conversation.