Annual creative competition celebrates 125 years of the University of Birmingham

Every year since 2015, the Department of Film and Creative Writing has held a One Minute Movie competition, expanding to include a short story strand in 2024. This year the competitions marked a special celebration for the University of Birmingham’s 125th birthday. We invited entries from UoB students, staff, and alumni, taking inspiration from the theme ‘125’. The entries and subsequent prizegiving event showcased an incredible display of talent, featuring more than sixty stories and fourteen films, including several international submissions.

As well as encouraging entrants to flex their creative muscles, the competitions provided an excellent opportunity to introduce creative prowess from the University of Birmingham to both industry professionals and academics. The judging panel included Jonathan Davidson, Chief Executive of Writing West Midlands; award-winning novelist and media practitioner Dr. Winnie M Li; renowned broadcaster and Professor of Public Engagement in Science Alice Roberts; and alumnus and award-winning filmmaker Bhulla Beghal. Rounding off the 2025 judges were Dr Richard Langley (Head of Film and Creative Writing), and Sandie Okoro OBE, our Chancellor who was also in attendance at the 125 Creative Competitions event held on 10 June.

In addition to judging the stories and films, Sandie presented the ‘125’ special commendation awards to Sama Eldesouki, a BSc Computer Science student, and Louis Wright, a recent alumnus of the MA Film & Television: Research & Production. Sama’s story, ‘Weight of Ink’, and Louis’ film ‘Old Joe, New World’ were nominated by the judges as the pieces that most strongly chimed with the history of the University.

As the Administrative and Marketing Assistant Intern, I worked under the supervision of Jemma Penny in FCW to help organise the competitions and showcase, encouraging entries through social media and collating them for judging. A peek behind the scenes allowed me to appreciate the importance of creative opportunities like this and also the 125^thanniversary even more deeply. In every story and film there was a clear indication of how instrumental the University of Birmingham has been in supporting young adults like me to grow into themselves. Alumni entries emphasised the enduring influence of life as a student here, while listening to staff read their words aloud at the event was further confirmation of the wide-reaching impact of our unique community.

Peter Leadbetter, who graduated from Birmingham in 1978, was a runner up in the alumni category and also read out his short story ahead of the prizegiving. Following the showcase, he reflected: "It was strange, indeed delightful, to sit in a UoB lecture theatre surrounded by such talented young people after decades since my graduation; I admired their enthusiasm, creativity and support for each other...it was so uplifting".

Uplifting is indeed an apt word for the way in which the competitions brought students, staff and alumni together, with judge Bhulla Beghal also commenting on how moving it was when writers read their work to the room. Hearing the voices behind the stories, so many of which incorporated personal resonances, was a pleasure, and there was a real sense of camaraderie and pride in the shared experience of watching, reading and hearing the submissions. Not all the winners could be present for the showcase, but Ilaria Sanzari, who lives in Australia and studied here as an exchange student in 2024, had entered in both categories and shared this with us afterwards:“Even though my time at UoB was short and temporary, it is undoubtably a major highlight of my undergraduate experience. I feel that UoB gave me everything I needed to live to the fullest as a university student, experiencing the best of academic and social life at once. So much so, that I felt compelled to write this short story and make this accompanying audiovisual movie in honour of that. So it really does mean a lot to have won this competition, I’m glad to have contributed to the long life of a university that added so much to my own growth!”

125 Word Story Winners:

One Minute Movie Winners:

125 Special Commendations: