A writing competition is being held to celebrate the 160th anniversary of a Manx author.
Sophia Morrison was born in Peel on May 24, 1859. The
Manx branch of the Celtic Congress is holding a Manx Gaelic original
short-story competition for Aundyr Sophia Morrison, the Sophia Morrison
Award.There is a cash prize of £100 for the winning entry. The competition is for an original short-story in Manx Gaelic on any subject, with a minimum of 600 words and a maximum of 1,000 words.
This is an open competition for any age of Manx writer. There is no entry fee or limit on the number of stories which may be submitted by any one author.
Entries should be submitted by May 1, and the winner will be announced on May 24 at ’A Manks Concert for Sophia Morrison’ at the Centenary Centre in Peel. The concert is being organised by the Manx branch of the Celtic Congress. An entry form can be found on the website of the Manx branch of the Celtic Congress - www.celticcongressmannin.com
Sophia Morrison had already established Manx Gaelic classes in Peel by the time she became a founder member and later secretary of the Manx Language Society (Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh).
She was an important figure in Manx and pan-Celtic cultural activity.
She collected and published Manx folklore of all kinds - stories, songs, sayings - and shared information about it with a wide range of academics and other interested parties.
She was enthusiastically involved in the pan-Celtic movement, which led to the Celtic Congress in 1917, some months after her own death in January of that year.
