Marta Tejada Campaña

WRITING TASK:
THE SANT JORDI’S LITERARY CONTEST

Yesterday, April 23, was Sant Jordi's day here, in Catalonia.

As every year in our school, we organized a literary contest to celebrate it.
Everyone was invited. Teachers, students, mothers, fathers, brothers,
grandparents ...
Each year the event takes place in a different location. And this time a
wonderful place was chosen. The incredible "Parc de la Ciutadella" in
Barcelona.
In this literary contest, pupils have to write a text based on a theme that is
suggested on the same day at the event. That forces us to be creative and
improvise. The text must not exceed 700 words. The most important thing is
that it has to be a text of our own creation.
It doesn’t matter which text mode we choose. That is, we can make a poem, a
novel, a description...
After announcing the topic, participants have a maximum delivery time of two
hours. And once the time has elapsed, the judges will assess which text is the
winner.

This year more participants, in which I am included, had attended than ever. We
were no more and no less than 523 people!
Everyone was nervous to know what the topic would be.
At that moment, the director of the center came on stage and said: dear
students, mothers, fathers and all of you who have come, this year the theme is
about something we all love. Food!
And from that moment the countdown began.
All the students started to write down everything that came to mind.
The pencils were moving at supersonic speeds and we were crossing out more
than writing. Mountains of crumpled papers were piling up and time kept
running. At the same time, families could be heard cheering the contestants
from the stands.
There was a magical atmosphere. Excitement, tension, joy, companionship,
imagination, work… But time kept running and it was getting less and less; until
the alarm finally sounded.
We all put the hands up and stopped writing. The judges collected all the texts.
Nothing else could be done. It was only time to wait. But don’t think that while
the judges were reading the texts we were sitting and bored.
While they were making up their minds, we went to some huge picnic tables
filled with delicious food. There, there was even a live music band! We all
danced, sang and had a great time all together.
After an hour, the judges already had a final verdict. They said that it was
difficult for them to decide on just one, since there was a very high level. But
finally, they decided that the winning text of the literary contest was ... "How big
you are, little carrot"! Written by my great friend John.
The text told the story of a carrot named Polly as if it had a life of its own.
It spoke of Polly's experiences from birth, continuing through childhood,
puberty, and adult life.
Marta Tejada Campaña

But the story takes a twist to the script when, after creating her family
underground, one day, some beings kidnap the poor carrot and end up killing
her along with her best friend, the celery.
The judges said it was one of the most original and creative texts and that’s why
it was the winner of the contest. As a reward, my friend John received a trip to
Paris, a spa voucher, a massage, and a beauty session.

This time I couldn’t win the contest, but I am very happy for John.
Also, it was an unforgettable experience and I think I couldn't have had a better
time.
Thanks to this contest, I met new people from my school with whom I hadn’t
spoken, and now they are my friends.
So, I hope that next year this wonderful contest will be held again so that we
can have a great time doing fun activities with amazing people.