Young Writers

𝗧𝗮𝗹’𝘀 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

12.06.2026

Tal Berke wrote his first creative piece at the age of just five.
And, 10 years later, the Prestwich teenager is excelling in the written word.
For the Manchester Grammar School pupil has been awarded a certificate of merit for a piece of creative writing that has been selected for publication in a forthcoming Young Writers anthology.
What is more impressive is that Tal, the son of Carmel and Daniel Berke, was only allowed to use around 100 words.
He told the Jewish Telegraph: “My piece was about how times change faster than people, leaving people living in a world that no longer exists.
“I was only allowed to use around 100 words, so it was a real struggle to fit all the themes and ideas I wanted to write about.
“You have to think carefully about each word.
“I decided that I wanted my piece to focus on older generations and feelings of gentrification, which was inspired following a long conversation with my grandfather during a car ride home from school.”
Tal, who is currently sitting his GCSEs, was a five-year-old pupil at King David Primary School when he began crafting stories.
“I wrote something on bits of paper that I had found in the classroom, although I was not supposed to be writing at all as it was a maths lesson,” he recalled.
“I have been brought up in a home that values reading and we have bookshelves all over the house.
“Being exposed to it combined with my passion for writing has been an integral part of my journey so far.”
Two years ago, a story he wrote was chosen from thousands of entries to be featured in a new book from Young Writers.
And, four years ago, he finished third in a national Cambridge classics competition for writing a poem about Greek mythological characters Baucis and Philemon.
He also won the Sherborne Sustainability Prize for a factual piece on whether planting trees can save the planet.
The news that he had received a certificate of merit came just one day before he was due to sit his English creative writing IGCSE exam.
Tal said: “It gave me such a confident boost. I also feel that this award will give me a head start in the writing world.”
Inspired by many things, he said if he had to pick one it would be his sister Millie, and her early passion for writing poetry and the arts.
Other inspirations, he said, include his grandfather Tony, “who I have such great conversations with”, and the writing style of Ernest Hemingway.
He explained: “Another inspiration has been my excellent English teachers who have always encouraged me to go that extra mile and push boundaries when I write.”
Tal, who plans to study A-levels in history, politics, English literature and philosophy, lists Hemingway as one of his most loved authors, with For Whom The Bell Tolls his favourite of his books, and The Old Man and the Sea a close second.
Tal added: “I also love reading books by John Steinbeck.
“Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, as well as East of Eden, are great pieces by him.
“Steinbeck's books have taught me to show how the world and situation shape the characters presented and to slow down and describe the environment with its smells and sounds, not just visual things.
“One of my favourite poets is Kipling and I try to live by one of his most famous quotes: ‘If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same . . . ‘
“That quote has always resonated with me as it reminds me that both triumph and disaster are temporary.
“Neither should define you.”

A huge congratulations to our KS1 pupils who entered the Young Writers ‘Recipe Poems’ competition earlier this year! Out of 260 schools who entered, Hall Orchard achieved 1st place and won £1000, which will be used to buy new reading books.

Unbeknownst to us, one of the judges on the panel was none other than poet Mark Grist, who many of our pupils will remember from the fantastic Villains Poetry Workshop he delivered on World Book Day earlier this year!

What a wonderful achievement and a brilliant example of our school value of aspiration!

WINNERS!

Prizes have now been sent out to the top entries from the autumn term creative competitions - Monster Mayhem, The Adventures Of and Stranger Sagas

We can't wait to see your happy winner photos with your prizes, remember to tag us!

You can see all the winning pieces here: www.youngwriters.co.uk/comp/winners