• Thu. Jun 26th, 2025

North East Connected

Hopping Across The North East From Hub To Hub

The search for the UK’s most inspiring stories is underway!

ByCartridge Save

May 19, 2020

A competition has been launched in a bid to celebrate the written word and get the nation writing again.

For a chance to win a £1,000 writing grant, entrants are invited to submit two pictures along with 1,000 words, based on the adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.

Celebrating the power of the printed photo, budding writers must use the word count to unite the two images, either through fact or fiction.

Entrants are asked to tell the story using one image to mark the beginning of a life defining moment and another to represent the happy ending.

The tales can be fact or fiction and be based around humans, animals, children, parents, grandparents or even aliens.

The winner, judged by a panel of experts, will be in line to receive a writing grant of up to £1,000.

The competition will be split into three categories: under 18s, 18-50, and over 50s.

Up to 25 stories will be shortlisted. These entries will then be made available for public vote, which will account for 25% of the final judging. The judging panel will then make their final decision, selecting a winner of each category as well as an overall winner with grant funding for each.

Judging the national competition – which opens on 18th May – are esteemed journalist and writer Deborah Linton and National press photographer Mark Waugh.

The stories will be judged on the story, the compositional style and the images used. The top 25 will be published on the Cartridge Save website and made available to print via a free download.

Deborah Linton regularly has work published in Guardian Weekend and has written for The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, Grazia and the Huffington Post. Deborah also teaches the journalists of the future at Manchester Metropolitan University.

She said: “Inspiration for stories can be found all around us, even now, when it feels like the world is a little out of reach – and it is true that a picture can summon a whole tale. Those moments that define people’s lives, real, imagined or a blend of both, can produce some of the most powerful and compelling writing; the kind which really grabs at readers’ own experiences and emotions. I’m looking forward to seeing what writers come up with and helping to choose worthy winners to share in this grant to further their work.

“My top tip for anyone looking to take part is to draw on your own experience or one that you know well and find the thing about it that readers will most relate to. That should be your starting point as you sit down to write.”

Mark Waugh – who has his pictures regularly published in national press – said: “My career has been built on a very simple formula: that the most captivating stories are the ones that unite photos with words. Everyday, journalists bring those two disciplines together to communicate the stories we need to know.

“I love the essence of this competition, which celebrates the power of photography in adding intricate levels to storytelling.

“My advice for anyone looking to take part is to use photos that work as an extension of the story. Do they reinforce an emotion? Describe the people? Give you everything you need to know about the setting? Use photos as the powerful tool they are: to immediately immerse you in a story.“

With the nation in lockdown it is feared a mental health crisis looms with stress and anxiety rising and charities fear people with depression are failing to reach out for help for fear of using up NHS resources.

Writing is a tool often used in therapy to help focus thoughts or release feelings from personal trauma and psychologists point to it creating a sense of control on emotions.

This is something Ian Cowley, managing director of cartridgesave.co.uk, is keen to promote. He said: “Writing has proven health benefits and we often find that simply jotting down your thoughts can give you a clearer mentality when it comes to tackling the day ahead. It might be planning for a meeting, a job interview, or taking emotions out of your head and onto paper in an attempt to process them.

“We’d love to get the nation writing and letting their creativity flow. Whether they choose to use their imagination with work of fiction or tell an emotional story of discovery between two moments in their life. I love the idea of using images to ‘bookmark’ the stories beginning and end. It’s so visual and really lends itself to a huge range of topics and short stories.

“One thousand words does paint a picture and that’s exactly what we want people to do here. I’m really excited to see what people come up with and to help eventual winners continue on their writing journey.”

The online ink cartridge retailer, who’s higher purpose is to promote ‘print what matters’, has been behind a number of campaigns celebrating the written word including the Gift of Books campaign.

After it was revealed by the National Literacy Trust that 40,000 children in Greater Manchester didn’t own a book, Cartridge Save set up a the Gift of a Book scheme encouraging school children to donate their favourite stores to those who are growing up without books, with a note inside to say why they enjoyed it so much.

Turn to 2020 and the firm are backing the ‘1000 words’ campaign to help get the nation’s creative juices’ flowing.

Entries can be submitted through cartridgesave.co.uk/printwhatmatters/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words and will close on the 20th July. Entrants in the under 18s category, will need to submit their entry with written parental permission.

You missed

BYD announces voestalpine as major supplier to its first European car factoryAustrian company will produce steel for plant in Szeged, Hungary Facility will be ready to start manufacturing vehicles by end of 2025 Regional supply base key to policy of localised production New V2H pilot project also confirmed for Austria BYD, the world’s leading manufacturer of new-energy vehicles, is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement with voestalpine, a globally leading steel and technology group, to supply its new passenger-car factory in Hungary. Confirmed by BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li in Vienna, alongside voestalpine CEO Herbert Eibensteiner, the agreement covers sheet steel, and makes voestalpine one of the first confirmed supply partners for the Szeged facility. The company was chosen by BYD because of its geographical proximity to the factory in Hungary, and the high quality and excellent reputation of Austrian steel. The agreement marks a significant step in BYD’s localisation policy, as the brand continues to expand its operations across Europe. BYD will be on sale in 29 European countries by the end of 2025, and its sales network will comprise more than 1000 retail stores. In addition, BYD recently committed to a new European headquarters in Budapest, along with its first bespoke European R&D centre, also in Hungary. The announcement of voestalpine as a supplier demonstrates how BYD is committed to sourcing high-quality, competitive local suppliers to support its stated goal of producing cars in Europe, for Europe. It continues to meet with hundreds of potential suppliers in key markets as it ramps up preparations for the start of European production. BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li commented: “BYD has always been clear that we have come to Europe to stay in Europe – and to produce here. Our commitment to the European market is strong and as we’re showing here, it goes far beyond pure car sales. We’re applying a long-term vision here, with the goal of being seen by consumers, within the next five years, as a European manufacturer. Our factory in Hungary is at the heart of this process, of course, so every local supplier we announce is another significant step. I’m delighted that we will be working with voestalpine, a company that has a long history of innovation and a commitment to decarbonisation and sustainable CO2 reduction.” Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO voestalpine, said: “With its high-quality steel products, voestalpine is an important partner for the global automotive industry. We offer renowned automotive manufacturers and suppliers reliable and sustainable solutions, thanks to our unique combination of technology and materials expertise. Our products can be found in almost all automotive assemblies – from the body and powertrain to safety-critical components. Starting this fall, we will be supplying BYD – a Chinese technology company that manufactures in Europe – from our location in Linz. We are confident that this initial order for the production of high-quality flat steel for car bodies and outer panels will lay the foundation for a long-term partnership.” BYD has been enjoying strong progress in Austria, becoming the number one brand with private BEV buyers (and enjoying a 15% share of that market). Its overall market share in the country now sits at 2.5%. To further support this success, BYD has also announced that Austria will become the European Union pilot market for the implementation of V2H (Vehicle to Home) technology in its vehicles. Austria has been chosen for this project, which will be managed in conjunction with a local partner, because of the country’s high penetration of solar energy (more than half of all Austrian households are supplied with solar-panel energy). Customer demand is also strong, with BYD dealerships reporting that half of customers are already asking when V2H will become available, to help them maximise the efficiency of solar and reduce their energy costs. More specific details of the project, including a timeline, will be announced shortly.