The Ballina Salmon Festival Junior Literary Awards returned this year under the stewardship of local author Faith Hogan and creative writer Lizann Gorman.
The Awards, a feature of the festival in the past were revived in 2017, focusing initially on primary school writers. Inspired by the success of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), the awards are inspired by the HaHoLit (Half Hour Literary) Award, where children are challenged to set aside just half an hour to create a short story or poem in English or Irish.
Winners of the 2017 Ballina Salmon Festival Junior Literary Awards pictured with (back row, L-R) Jennifer Gorman, BSF Office; Billy Lewis, BSF Chairman; Paul Brennan, sponsor; Orla Slack, An Teanga Bheo; Faith Hogan, Author; Terry McDonagh, Judge; Lizann Gorman, Author and Cathy Ennis, BSF Office.
Prizewinners were presented with their prizes in Ballina Arts Centre by poet Terry McDonagh and the winners are as follows:
Ballina Salmon Festival Junior Literary Awards – Overall Winners
| Abigail McNulty | Age 12 | Finnegan’s Story |
| Laura Jackson | Age 8 | The Salmon Snatcher |
| Danny McDonald | Age 11 | No Title |
Each of the overall winners won a set of books for themselves and book vouchers for their schools.
Others to receive awards were:
| Caitlin Thompson | Age 12 | Priorities |
| Ann Kate Haugh | Age 12 | The knowledge of the Land |
| Lauren Comer | Age 8 | Beavis Learns a Lesson |
| Anna Maughan | Age 12 | Fledging |
| Ciara Finnerty | Age 12 | Stopping in Time |
| Aoibhe Donnelly | Age 9 | Friends |
| Liam Maughan | Sports | |
| Caoimhe Barrett | Age 12 | Leaves |
| Ultan Tuffy | Age 12 | The Spirit of Eaon |
| Kim Stadler | Age 11 | The Summer Holiday |
| Emma Pritchett | Age 12 | (Poem) No Title |
| Conor Murphy | Age 8 | Salmon |
| Laura Gallagher | Age 11 | The Salmon of Life Everlasting |
| Oliver Jackson | The Salmon of Knowledge | |
| Darragh Moore | The Salmon of Knowledge | |
| Emily McDonnell | Age 10 | The Salmon Festival |
| Liam O’Boyle | Salmon of Knowledge RAP | |
| Adam Foody | Age 9 | The Salmon of Knowledge |
| Niall Barrett | The Salmon of Knowledge | |
| Niamh Cassidy | Age 7 | My Class |
| Micheal O’Boyle | (Poem) No Title |
Other winners received book vouchers courtesy of Easons Ballina.
Congratulations to all the winners! The 2017 awards were very kindly sponsored by Paul Brennan, Solicitor (main sponsor), Eason Ballina, Creative Writing Mayo and An Teanga Bheo Irish Language School, Ballina.
Read more about the Ballina Salmon Festival Junior Literary Awards:
https://ballinasalmonfestival.ie/2017/06/08/junior-literary-awards-return-ballina-salmon-festival/
