The Creative Writing Competition 2021 was staged by the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research (OCBR), in partnership with the Faculty of Classics, and offered cash prizes to the top three pieces of creative writing inspired by images from the Manar al-Athar Photo Archive.
The Manar al-Athar collection comprises 80,000 images of archaeological sites, buildings and artefacts from the area formerly occupied by the Roman Empire and neighbouring territories, and from the time of Alexander all the way into the Islamic age.
No fewer than 140 school students, aged between 14 and 18, were inspired by these images to enter the competition, and a judging panel from the OCBR and Classics Faculty, comprising staff and students, took a lot of pleasure reading the excellent submissions, and less pleasure whittling them down, with great difficulty, to a shortlist of 13 and then three winners.
The quality of entries was exceptionally high, and we offer our thanks and congratulations to all the entrants.
Prof Llewelyn Morgan, Schools’ Liaison Officer, Faculty of Classics
