Young Story Contest Winner Donates Award to School Library

A nine-year-old girl, victorious in a story competition, has contributed her award to her school’s library. Pulan secured first place in the yearly children’s contest with her narrative, “Loki,” which details a young girl’s adoption of a stray cat. The competition, organized by the North Yorkshire entity Settle Stories, focused on the theme of kindness. Alex Falase-Koya, an author who served as a judge for the competition, commented that Pulan’s decision to relinquish the £100 book token “exemplifies the true spirit of kindness, proving that kindness is not just a theme in their stories but a value they live by”. He further stated: “Each story reminded me that kindness, when shared through the eyes of children, is not just an act but a way of seeing the world.” According to Pulan’s mother, Ying, the choice was made with the intention of enhancing her school library’s available resources. Her winning story portrays a young girl’s experience adopting a stray cat, extending patience, affection, and kindness to it, even when it exhibits sporadic wild tendencies. This contest was an element of the Yorkshire Festival of Story, which is scheduled to conclude on Sunday. Participants were instructed to submit stories of 500 words, and the competition garnered over 100 submissions. Sita Brand, the founder and artistic director of Settle Stories, explained that Pulan, who resides in London, was selected because her submission was a “gentle story that warmed your heart”. She remarked: “It made us all feel good. Times are hard for everyone and this story warming our hearts meant we felt it was the winning tale.” Brand further stated: “Pulan’s act is a fantastic act of generosity and kindness.”It’s a wonderful way of being able to share.” Settle Stories was established 15 years prior, following Ms Brand’s relocation to Settle and her subsequent decision to disseminate her passion for storytelling. Beyond its yearly festival, the organization engages with educational institutions and undertakes heritage initiatives. She articulated: “I wanted to share the power of stories to bring people together and to bring tourism to the area, because at that time lots of shops were closing.“We live in a world that is very divided and if you hear someone’s story you can’t hate them.” Ms Brand indicated that she selected kindness as the competition’s theme due to a “sense of desperation” she experienced while observing social media and international occurrences. She stated: “2024 has been a remarkable year, there have been elections around the world and there have been wars taking place and I needed a really positive thing – something to celebrate what each other has to offer.“Acts of kindness are acts of revolution.“Pulan’s gesture has made other people want to donate to the school, so it shows that acts of kindness can multiply.“Kindness is an act and not passive – it’s a way to make positive change.”