Notts Children Win Archives Awards!

On Monday evening 28 June nine winners of a diary competition for children were presented with their prizes by County Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Culture and Community at Nottinghamshire Archives. The competition was for children aged 7 - 16, with separate categories for ages 7 - 10 years, 11 - 13 and 14 - 16. Children were asked to submit written or film entries based on a single day in their lives between 8 February and 31 March. The aim of the competition was to engage children with the Archives and Library service, to encourage them to value their own lives and place in their local communities and provide an outlet for their creative energies.

The winners were:

Category A: Aged 7 - 10 years

First prize: Lucy Brown

Second prize: Ellie Holland

Third prize: Freya Sellers

Category B: Aged 11 - 13 years

First prize: Dani Ball

Second prize: Luke Riceman

Third prize: Charlotte Morley

Category C: Aged 14 - 16 years

First prize: Emma Cross

Second prize: Laura Sellars

Third prize: Rachael Smedley

The winners were given special My Life! certificates with first prizes in each category receiving £300, second prizes £200 and third prizes £100. The prize money was donated by the Nottinghamshire Local History Association.

The competition was promoted through the local media, web marketing and workshop sessions organised at local libraries through Storyfest.

For future generations

The entries covered may aspects of Nottinghamshire life. Written entries recorded visits to Rufford Abbey, birthdays, using Nintendo Wiis, listening to iPods, what it's like as a young person and school days. Two films won prizes; one that highlighted the threat of a housing development on their village while the other recorded events on the day of a rap competition. All the entries will be put together as a collection for deposit in the Archives so that future generations will be able to look back on life for young people in Nottinghamshire at the end of the first decade of the 21st century.

Award

The My Life! diary competition has won the Renaissance East Midlands Nottinghamshire Heritage Award 2010 for Work with Children and Young People. The award was made at an event at Thoresby Hall on 20 July 2010.

Evaluations proved very positive with the children feeling it was 'something new and exciting', 'it was fun' and 'it was good to be part of something'. Some had ideas for future projects - perhaps this venture is just the start of new directions for Archives.