Gabriela Frost, College Alumna, shortlisted for the BBC Student Journalism Award

Lucy Writers are thrilled to announce that Gabriela Frost, a regular arts writer for the platform, has been shortlisted for the prestigious BBC Radio 4 Today Programme Student Journalism Awards, under the category of ‘Criticism’. This is the second year the Today Programme has held the competition, which looks to recognise the best journalism written by students in universities across the UK. Categories range from Student Journalist of the Year to Student Programme of the Year, usually with no more than five to three applicants shortlisted for each one. The Today Programme attracts a high intake of entries every year, with the Student Critic of the Year being one of the most applied for categories in the whole competition. Gabriela has done exceedingly well to be shortlisted in a year where the judges have been ‘hugely impressed by the high quality and variety of the entries received’.

Gabriela is one of three applicants shortlisted for the Student Critic of the Year 2019 award. Judging the category are Martha Kearney (of the Today Programme), Andrew O’Hagan (Editor-at-Large at the London Review of Books) and Sathnam Sanghera (award-winning journalist with The Times), all of whom were looking for student criticism that provided a ‘fresh and illuminating perspective on a chosen subject, laced with large doses of wit and creativity’. Gabriela submitted her shortlisted entries in the summer, all of which were originally published on the Lucy Writers website earlier this year. You can read her shortlisted entries on William Henry Searle’s book Threads, the Dorothea Tanning Exhibition and Natalia Goncharova retrospective, both shown at Tate Modern earlier this year, here.

Dr Isobel Maddison, previous Vice President of Lucy Cavendish College and Director of Studies for English, has said of Gabriela’s shortlisting:

"Lucy Writers is a wonderful resource, launched and supported by Lucy Cavendish College. The brain-child of alumna Hannah Hutchings-Georgiou, the platform has gone from strength-to-strength under her direction and with her brilliant team of editors. We’re delighted it has developed into a third space for our Alumni and beyond, allowing women and non-binary writers to publish and air their ideas. That Gabriela has been shortlisted for Student Critic of the Year 2019 is a fine achievement. We’re cheering her on for the awards. Many congratulations to Gaby and those working on the platform."

Hannah Hutchings-Georgiou, Founding Editor-in-Chief of Lucy Writers, said:

"I’m incredibly proud of Gaby. She’s a brilliant writer and definitely deserves to be in the top three shortlisted candidates for criticism. Her writing is intelligently written, perceptive, passionate, creatively realised and demonstrates that arts criticism can be an art in itself. It’s writing like Gaby’s that has shaped and made Lucy Writers what it is, and will continue to be, raising the standard higher with each and every submission. I feel very honoured to be working with Gaby and cannot wait to see what the future holds for her. In my eyes she’s already a winner. She’s achieved so much with her writing in such a short space of time. I hope this brings hope to current and future contributors."

Gabriela, who recently completed her MPhil in European, Latin American and Comparative Literatures and Cultures at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, remarked of her being shortlisted:

"I am absolutely delighted and very surprised to be shortlisted for the award! I had never written critique until this year, and I really think that this achievement is testament to the brilliant work and support of the Lucy Writers Platform, and its inspiring founder Hannah Hutchings-Georgiou. I've always loved writing which combines the academic and the creative, and found that reviewing was the perfect outlet for this. Every piece has been a total pleasure to write, and an opportunity to gain great experiences and learn new things. I would never have done any of it without LWP, which has provided me with an open, supportive space to experiment, push myself, meet wonderful people and ultimately have a lot of fun! I am extremely proud of the work of the Lucy Writers, and I am now the second LWP to be shortlisted for the prize in as many years. I feel very lucky to be representing the platform on the Today Programme Student Critic of the Year shortlist."

Sarah Sands, Editor of the Today Programme, Chair of the judges and an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, said:

"The future of the Today programme depends on the intelligence, curiosity and integrity that we are discovering in our universities. We are so cheered by the standard of entries for the Today programme student media awards. This is progress in action and I am impatient to see this new generation of journalism on our show."

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in the BBC’s Radio Theatre in London on the 28th October.

About Lucy Writers

Lucy Writers is an online platform showcasing the very best writing and art work from women and non-binary creatives all over the world. In collaboration with Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, the platform brings together Lucy students, alumnae and fellows, as well as creatives from outside the college community. Lucy Writers welcomes submissions from women and non-binary writers irrespective of whether they’re an established or new-to-the-writing-desk writer. If you’d like to write for Lucy Writers, contact us on: lucywritersplatformlcc@gmail.com