City Lit announces winners of the 2023-24 Malorie Blackman ‘Unheard Voices’ Scholarships

City Lit Writing
Published: 22 June 2023
photo of Malorie Blackman

We are delighted to announce the winners of the Malorie Blackman ‘Unheard Voices’ Scholarships – Congratulations to Kashmini Shah, Dee Cooper and Rosy Ralph.

City Lit today announced the three winners of the 2023-24 Malorie Blackman Scholarships for ‘Unheard Voices’. City Lit provides three annual awards worth up to £1000 each to fund study within the City Lit Creative Writing department. The awards seek to support and encourage the creative and professional development of ‘unheard voices’. The final award winners have been carefully selected by acclaimed writer, City Lit Fellow and Patron of the School of Humanities & Sciences, Malorie Blackman OBE.

The three scholarship winners submitted excerpts from their writing entitled:

·       Galatea by Kashmini Shah

·       Romany Me by Dee Cooper 

·       Body At The Foot of the Stairs by Rosy Ralph

Kashmini Shah
Dee Cooper
Rosy Ralph
A stack of books and a stationery container neatly arranged next to a mini chalk board with the words 'Hablas Espanol?' written in white chalk.A stack of books and a stationery container neatly arranged next to a mini chalk board with the words 'Hablas Espanol?' written in white chalk.
photo of Malorie Blackman taken by Dominic Harris

Malorie Blackman said:

“Each year, picking the scholarship recipients is a huge challenge as every one of the shortlisted applications has been so enjoyable to read. The potential and sheer talent was evident across all entries, with some particularly evocative pieces. Congratulations to all those shortlisted and I wish every success to this year’s scholarship recipients. And to all those who entered, keep writing and don’t give up!”

City Lit CEO and Principal Mark Malcomson CBE said;

“We are thrilled to announce our winners for the Unheard Voices Scholarships and to have our dear friend Malorie personally selecting the winners. Malorie is a huge inspiration to all of us and her history with City Lit goes to show how important a creative writing course can be in a writer’s career. We’re so excited to uncover the next generation of story-tellers, bringing their unique perspectives to the fore.”

About Malorie Blackman

Malorie Blackman has a long connection with City Lit as a former student attending diverse courses since the late 1980s. Having written over fifty books, Malorie is acknowledged, as one of today’s most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers; works which further translate into captivating stories for fans of all ages on the small screen. She has been recognised with numerous honours for her work and in 2008 received an OBE for her services to children’s literature. Malorie was the Children’s Laureate between 2013 and 2015 and her autobiography will be published on Stormzy’s Merky Books imprint in 2022.

Learn more: Malorie Blackman Scholarships

Please check back in autumn 2023 for details of how to apply for next year’s scholarship programme.


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City Lit announces winners of the 2023-24 Malorie Blackman ‘Unheard Voices’ Scholarships