Mullingar teenager nominated for prestigious writing award

A Mullingar teenager has been nominated for one of the country's most prestigious competitions for young writers.

Maolíosa Ní Léannacháin, who is a fifth year student at Loreto College, has been picked as one of the finalists in the Second Level section of the Hot Press Write Here Write Now competition. The judges for this year's competition include Booker Prize winner DBC Pierre, acclaimed crime writer Tana French and the award-winning poet Rita Anne Higgins.

The theme of this year's competition was 'Social Media: A Writer's Tale'. According to the Hot Press website, entrants were invited to “explore the many ways in which social media can make us laugh, cry, shudder or throw our hands up in the air”.

In her entry, Housing Reality, Maolíosa looked at the negative impact that social media can have on young people's self esteem. While filters and other features allow users to present their digitally enhanced selves to their social media friends, in Housing Reality Maolíosa says that “no more shall I shelter my imperfections from the world”.

“Perfection does not exist. Social media acts as a platform in which we pretend it does.”

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Maolíosa revealed that she was shocked to have been named as a finalist and hadn't realised what a prestigious competition it was when she entered.

Maolíosa, who has a keen interest in music and plays the harp, says that although she uses social media she has made a commitment to herself to portray herself as she appears in the real world.

“I try to be myself, a lot of people aren't the same person online,” she said.

In addition to the main prize, there is a special prize for the most popular shortlisted entry, that is the one most read by people and most shared on social media.

To help Maolíosa visit www.hotpress.com/22106838.html