AN ASPIRING young writer from North Berwick has seen success in a UK-wide competition.

Finlay McIlwraith, 18, was a runner-up in The Orwell Youth Prize with his essay 'A Nation of Shopkeepers? Britain through Orwell's eyes and mine'.

Open to young people aged 11-18, the contest challenges aspiring writers to use the works of George Orwell as a starting point to think and write about the world they live in.

The theme for the 2024 prize was 'Home', with entrants allowed to use various forms of writing including imaginative stories, essays and poems.

Following the deadline in early May, the public voted and chose a shortlist of 44 entries from 815 initial submissions.

All shortlisted writers were invited to an Orwell Youth Prize Celebration Day at University College London on July 6, where they took part in a creative writing workshop with John Bernard, met George Orwell’s son Richard Blair, and shared their work with the audience.

At the end of the event came the announcement of the winners where North Berwick resident Finley McIlwraith was named as one of the three runner ups in the Year 12 to 13 category.

Finlay said: "Entering the Orwell Youth Prize gave me a chance to get a lot of political thoughts off my chest. I was shocked to get a runner up prize as I thought my essay was still quite raw and unpolished!

“It's definitely encouraged me to get more political in the creative writing I do; I'm currently trying to write a novel.

“Receiving such positive feedback on the essay certainly helps my confidence for when I go to Glasgow University later this year to study history and politics."