Selby Young Writer Wins Gold In National Competition

A Selby schoolchild has been named the national winner of the Royal Mint Museum's annual short-story competition, beating nearly 5,000 entries from across the United Kingdom.

Seven-year-old Marlowe Askew-Smith won first prize for her story 'The Gold Fox', a charming tale about a girl who creates a golden fox that comes to life and captures the heart of a lonely king.

Marlowe was awarded a gold half-sovereign coin and a framed, professionally illustrated copy of her story, brought to life by illustrator and paper artist Laura K. Sayers. Her win also secured a £5,000 voucher for books and equipment, donated to a library or school of her choice through Peters, the specialist educational supplier.

The competition, now in its sixth year, invited children aged 7 to 11 in school or home education across the UK to write a 500-word story on the theme of Gold. This year saw 4,760 entries submitted between February and April.

King's Assay Master at The Royal Mint, Dan Thomas, who judged the competition, said: “I would read The Gold Fox to my own children. It is an incredibly uplifting story that shows gold is precious to us all for many reasons other than its value.”

Second prize went to 10-year-old Oakley Howe from Somerset and third prize to 11-year-old Lucas Zheng from Cardiff, each receiving a silver sovereign coin and a voucher worth £2,000 and £1,000 respectively for their nominated school or library.

Dr Kevin Clancy of the Royal Mint Museum said: “It has been wonderful to see the competition grow in popularity. Children from across the United Kingdom have written dramatic, joyful and amusing stories.”

All winning stories are available to read on the Royal Mint Museum website, where they will be preserved as part of the Museum's archive documenting over 1,100 years of coining history. The competition returns in 2027.