2017 Article Competition Results

RESULTS ARTICLE COMPETITION 2017 (2017-12-31 09:02:16)

Mike wins article competition for fourth consecutive year

Report by Lorraine Forrest-Turner

Mike Pearcy has beaten the odds and taken first place again in this year's article competition.

From left: Robert Kibble, Mike Pearcy, William Campbell and Edward Harte.

The theme of the competition was the world we are living in today, and his article Hunger In The Shadows (about food banks in the UK) was a clear winner with the highest number of first place rankings.

Two articles were awarded second place The Chains Of Convenience by Robert Kibble and You Have Never Had It So Good by Edward Harte.

Robert's article asked whether we are in danger of being ruled by the convenient world we have created, while Edward looked at rising student debt and the legacy his generation has left for the next.

Mike was both delighted and embarrassed to have won the competition four times in a row. Last year, he even ran an evening on how to write a winning article for the group.

But, while the standard of entries was exceptionally high this year, no-one matched Mike's ability to research an important modern-day subject and write a well-rounded, fact-filled article.

The competition was judged by all nine entrants, each one writing a short review of the other entries before ranking them from first to eighth place.

While Mike's article remained in top place throughout the ranking, every entrant received a first, second or third place by at least one other entrant.

Adjudicator William Campbell was keen to point out that "the value of entrant-judged competitions is not necessarily in the ranking but in the writing of the article, the reviewing of others' work and the assimilation of feedback on one 's own work."

The theme of the competition attracted a wide range of subjects, including technology, psychology, religion and education.

News of the next Slough Writers Group competition will be announced in January 2018.