see me' launches inaugural creative writing competition

Pen your Support in a short story, poem or tweet

Today (Monday 11 October), ‘see me’ - Scotland’s national campaign to end the stigma and discrimination of mental ill-health - launched its first ever Creative Writing Competition and called on all Scots to pen their support and get involved.

The theme of the Creative Writing Competition is ‘support’ – for people with a mental health problem, seeking support from those around them can be a real turning point in putting them on the road to recovery.

The competition is open to anyone in Scotland, of any age, whether you write for your own enjoyment or are an experienced writer. The judges are children’s author Lari Don, Dundee Street Poet, Gary Robertson and well-known comedian and political activist, Mark Thomas.

There are three competition categories:
Short story  (1,500 words) – judged by Lari Don
Poetry (42 lines) – judged by Gary Robertson
Tweet (140 characters inc # seemescot) – judged by Mark Thomas

Three winners from each region in Scotland will be entered into the national final where they will be in with the chance to win £250 of Amazon vouchers and see their work showcased on the ‘see me’ website and in an anthology, to be published next year.

Suzie Vestri, ‘see me’ Campaign Director, says: “We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our first-ever creative writing competition and we’re calling on Scots of all ages to put pen to paper and share their thoughts on what support means to them.

“People often struggle to see how they could help or worry that they might say or do the wrong thing, the truth is that supporting someone with a mental health problem is actually very simple. We are keen to see short stories, poems and tweets that convey the theme of ‘support’ in a new and fresh way, so get writing!”

Children’s author, Lari Don said “The ‘see me’ Creative Writing Competition is a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages to convey their experiences of support through words. For me personally, the ongoing support I received from family and friends whilst I was unwell definitely aided my recovery and meant I always had people to turn to when I needed it”.