Jeanette Winterson to present EU-funded writing prize

11 November 2008

Lincoln's The Collection is delighted to welcome back the prestigious author Jeanette Winterson to present the awards for its latest writing competition on Wednesday 12 November.

A selection of stories inspired by historical objects at The Collection have been received and judged over the past year by a panel of judges including the Brunswick Arts educational team. There will be a winner in each of the four age groups : primary (5-11); secondary (11-18); 18 to 40 years and 40 years plus. Competition is high, as more than 100 entries were submitted.

Jeanette's most famous works include Oranges are not the only fruit and The Passion. In 1987, after publishing The Passion, Jeanette became a full-time writer and has since won various awards around the world for her fiction and adaptations, including the prestigious Whitbread Prize. She was awarded an OBE in 2006.

She said: "The Collection is a fantastic museum. It's a very attractive place and laid out well, I didn't know it was going to be so good.

"I get so much electricity and energy from objects - they have been the inspiration for my story."

The competition has been part funded by Lincolnshire County Council, Arts Council England and the European Union, European Regional Development Fund.

Jeremy Webster, District Manager at The Collection was struck by the fact that archaeologists and writers have something unique in common.

He said: "Just as writers create stories, so archaeologists who discover historical treasures have to build stories about the origins of the objects and the people that owned them to explain their relevance and use.

"With that thought in mind, I invited Jeanette to come up to Lincoln in December, and she had chance to marvel at some of the museum's wonders.

"She also wrote a short story of her own to launch the competition.

"It is fitting that she is there to give out the awards, as she has been involved throughout the competition."