06 May ST. PAUL’S INTERNATIONAL LITERARY PRIZE 2014
On Tuesday April 29th, 2014 we celebrated the prize-giving ceremony of the 17th edition of the St. Paul’s International Literary Prize.
This year, our guest speaker was Eduardo Martín de Pozuelo, one of the most important research journalists in Spain
Mr. Martin de Pozuelo’s speech was entertaining and educating; he illustrated the differences between literary style and journalistic style by pointing out how limits of space require journalists to reduce their narrative to a simpler form, but to one where the audience can still appreciate the meaning.
Countless anecdotes of a life devoted to journalism, full of all types of experiences; from a near glimpse of the world of the Italian mafia during research of «Cosa Nostra» to a touching call from a reader of his work linking Nazism to Spanish dictatorship. With a great sense of humor, he shared with us many years of passionate dedication to his work. Amongst the captive audience, the group of finalists listened spellbound and perhaps saw in him an inspiration for their own future.
This year we had 635 participants from 23 countries, with finalists from Spain, England, India, New Zealand, Malaysia, United States, Ireland, Russia and the Philippines.
During the ceremony we were able to connect with some of the winners by video conference, enabling us to share experiences and congratulate them personally on their work. This particular use of technology makes the world seem smaller and more interconnected and also proves to us that English is increasingly important for us to communicate; a clear reflection of the meaningfulness of the St. Paul’s School linguistic project and our aim to achieve excellence in English.
Once again, our competition has encouraged St. Paul’s School students to dedicate some time to the world of literature, and in turn, has inspired so many young people around the world to join us. Through the use of imagination and creativity they have all had the chance to experience the joys and rewards of writing.
On that note, let us say thank you to all participants and goodbye until next year, leaving you with the only real objective of the St. Paul’s International Literary Prize: to promote literature amongst our own students and amongst those around the world!
Patricia Carranza
Headteacher
