Girl, 9, among six writers selected for Metro Éireann writing prize
A nine-year-old girl who won a special prize in the latest Metro Éireann Writing Award competition has said that she plans to write a few books, but has her sights set on a very different career.
“In future, I would like to write a few books about different types of things, not all real, but I would like to be a doctor,” Jacinta Odoemene told Metro Éireann following her success in the competition, which was judged by Roddy Doyle. Odoemene was one of six winners in the award scheme aimed at helping immigrant writers in Ireland, now in its second year.
Asked how she felt at the ceremony last week, when Doyle named her the winner of the special non-cash prize category, Odoemene – who is currently in fourth class at St Attractas Senior National School, in Ballinter, south Dublin – said: “I think it feels good to me to win.”
Odoemene, whose story was about a trip to Africa, continued: “It’s a kind of surprising for me to win a writing competition. I have [previously] won a drawing completion. I also won a certificate as the best student of the month last September. My plan is to go to Harvard Medical School in the USA.”
As reported in last week’s Metro Éireann, Melatu Okorie – who lives at the Mosney accommodation centre for refugees and asylum-seekers – won the first prize of €5,000 in this year’s Metro Éireann Writing Award for her short story Gathering Thoughts, an account inspired by the mundanity of life at reception centres in Ireland.
Adrian White and Pranjali Bhave received the second and third prizes of €1,000 and €2,000 respectively. Other awards in the competition went to under-21 winners Esohe Igunma and Cyril Teo, who received €500 each.
The awards ceremony was held at the Fighting Words writing workshop in Dublin’s north inner city.
