According to data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, the fluctuation in the percentage of "adults aged 18 and over reporting a clinically significant level of psychological distress" has correlated with the national lockdowns. Despite the first lockdown having occurred nearly 2 years ago, there is still a lingering toll on adolescents' mental wellbeing that is being overlooked by most since restrictions have now eased. Nina, a student at Latymer Upper School, has recognised the pressure young people feel to revert back to their old way of life in spite of everything that has happened and decided to take action by initiating the Write Bright Competition. 

 

"It's a writing competition for people aged 15-18 to send in submissions about their experience of loneliness during lockdown," said Nina. "I know it was a while ago but I think for a lot of people it's had a lasting impact on… how they interact with people now because we were all isolated for so long and I think it's become a big issue." The top entries will then be published on the websites of mental health charities so that it "spreads awareness of the cause and people can see and relate to how others are feeling." 

 

Of course, there are also some highly coveted prizes up for grabs for the top 3 entries. The third place prize is a £20 book voucher and the second place prize is a £25 book voucher from the London Review Bookshop along with an exclusive tour of the store. The first prize is an hour's session with a Latymer alumnus, Dan Jude who contributed to publications the likes of The Telegraph, Stylist, Marie Claire, GQ, Esquire, Grazia, Cosmopolitan and Glamour when working as a journalist and editor. "He said he could devote an hour of his time to the winner to talk through any writing that they've done and provide any feedback or answer any questions," said Nina. This is definitely not an opportunity any aspiring writers out there would want to miss.

 

"I just wanted to provide an outlet for people to, I guess, think through their experiences in lockdown and process their feelings and also to make others who might not feel brave enough to speak up", explained Nina when asked what she set out to achieve through the Write Bright Scheme. "If they see the pieces online they might feel like they're not alone in their experience and their feelings are valid." As for what constitutes a prize-worthy submission, Nina does not have very stringent criteria that must be met. "It's completely open, like, I don't mind what you submit," said Nina.  "It could be like a poem, an essay, whatever you want. I want it to be creative but also quite truthful and something that people can relate to." 

 

The deadline is February 28th so there is still plenty of time to send something into the competition. There is no need for it to be the most articulate prose ever written; in fact, anyone interested should simply view it as a cathartic writing experience that will enable them to connect with others who share the same experiences. As Nina so eloquently put it, "Just put your thoughts down and send it across. It would just be great to see what people have to say."


Write Bright Website: https://sites.google.com/view/combatinglonelinessduringcovid/competition-details