Creative writing student wins scholarship prize

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Creative writing student wins scholarship prize

English and Creative Writing student, Laurie Page has won a new scholarship given by the Appledore Book Festival

Laurie Page in University Library (Appledore Book Festival scholarship winner)

Creative writing student wins scholarship prize

English and Creative Writing student, Laurie Page has won a new scholarship given by the Appledore Book Festival

5 March 2026

A �� student has been named the first winner of a new scholarship recognising literary talent.

Laurie Page, who studies English and Creative Writing, won the inaugural student scholarship prize given by the Appledore Book Festival.

Totalling £1,500, the prize enables Laurie to buy books and pursue other creative aspirations as she embarks on the latter stages of her degree.

A nationally-renowned festival, taking place this year September 18-27, Appledore created the prize to support a student from Devon – and the University held an internal writing competition to find a winner.

Laurie wrote a short story about an archaeologist who finds a mysterious tower, and the judges were impressed by her wealth of research, the richness of her imagination and the intellectual depth of her writing.

It’s really amazing to be the first winner of this scholarship, and it’s given me a lot of freedom within my studies this year.

During my third year, which I’ll be starting around the same time the Festival takes place, I’ll be writing a dissertation: and I’ve chosen to write mine about the mythology and geography of the South West.

It’s going to be inspired a lot by the area where I grew up, in Braunton.

Writing and literature have been part of my life for a long time, but getting the chance to study at a University level, as well as winning this prize, means that it’ll be part of my life for a long time to come.

Laurie Page, the winner of the first Appledore Book Festival scholarship

We are delighted to be supporting a local writer as part of her English and Creative Writing degree at ��. It’s fantastic to see new writers emerging, and our book festival relies on that fresh talent to remain aspirational and inspirational.

As a charity, funds raised from the book festival go towards supporting our local community and delivering the Appledore Book Festival Schools Week, one of the largest schools outreach programmes in the UK. In 2026, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are especially delighted to be able to offer this bursary to a university level student to help with study books and other associated costs.

We’ve had the privilege to meet and host many incredible authors over the years and who knows perhaps Laurie will be the next Ann Cleeves or Veronica Henry!

Mark Britton, Appledore Book Festival Trustee

The Complete University Guide ranks ��’s creative writing course the best in the South West and top 10 in the UK, and Laurie’s success follows her winning the University’s Charlotte Fox short story prize last year.

English is such a diverse subject, and our degrees are designed to inspire students to follow their own path – whether that’s through analysing medieval romance or writing non-fiction media for the web.

Laurie has shown outstanding talent in her writing and creativity and has really embraced every opportunity available to her through her degree.

We’re very proud of her achievements so far and are very grateful to the Appledore Book Festival for this scholarship opportunity.

Dr Ryan Sweet
Lecturer in English and Creative Writing