The leading children’s charity Coram Voice announced the winners at a ceremony held in London.
For almost a decade Coram Voice have celebrated the talents of care experienced young people. The charity founded a writing competition, otherwise known as Voices, in 2016 which sees children and young people submit pieces of creative writing.
The competition spans four age categories and this year’s ceremony was hosted by TV presenter and author Ashley John-Baptiste and former Voices competition winner, Ira Hakim.
Image: Ashley John-Baptiste
‘I’m passionate about the outcomes for young people who have been through the care system and giving them opportunities to unlock their ambitions and potential,’ Ashley said. ‘That’s why I’m proud to support and host Voices. The competition is proof that there is immense untapped talent and that every child in care should dream big. It has been an honour to read their words and see so many young people performing live.’
While the competition is always considered special, this year’s event coincided with Corm Voices 50th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the theme of the contest was ‘My Voice’.
Aymen, aged just nine years old, was hailed as the winner of the Primary category. His piece, titled ‘My Voice’ was described by judges Patrice Lawrence and Deborah Maclaren as an ‘awesome, bright, imaginative piece full of wonder and emotion.’
‘We loved how the writer compares their voice to the sun with a positive, hopeful and clever use of metaphor that runs throughout the whole poem. We are sunstruck and delighted to announce this young writer as the winner of the primary category,’ they continued.
Elizabeth, aged 12, was awarded the win in the Lower Secondary category for her work ‘My Voice: a journey from silence to song’.
‘A journey from silence to song is stunningly metaphorical, capturing the transition from uncertainty to self-acceptance in a way that will deeply resonate with many care-experienced individuals,’ judges Emma Norry and Callen Martin said. ‘The writing skilfully portrays the duality of emotions – belongings and longing, silence and voice – with great sensitivity.’
Next, Mateo, aged 17, was named the winner of the Upper Secondary category. He wrote a poem called ‘at last, he speaks’ which the judges described as ‘deeply moving and thought-provoking’.
The poem has been so well received that the judges have agreed it should be shared with professionals across the children’s care sector to help them understand the impact trauma can have, and the work needed to begin the healing process.
Lastly, but by no means least, Kerry, aged 20, was named the champion of this year’s Care Leaver category. She crafted a poem called ‘The voice inside of me’.
Judges Baroness Lola Young and Chris Wild remarked: ‘This piece was intelligent, original, and beautifully crafted. The rhythm and rhyme flowed effortlessly, enhancing the emotional weight behind each word. With a poetic and layered approach, the writer explored voice in a way that felt both original and deeply intentional.’
As always, the competition was sponsored by UK management consultancy Cadence Innova – part of Transform.
Expressing their gratitude to be associated with such an empowering competition, Gita Singham-Willis, founding partner at Cadence Innova and trustee of Coram, said: ‘Huge congratulations to all the children and young people who entered the competition this year. As always, we’ve been amazed at the talent and standard of writing. We are especially proud to support the Voices competition this year as Coram Voice celebrates 50 years of giving children and young people in care a voice.
‘Voices is an inspiring competition that champions children’s creativity and enables them to express themselves – a purpose very close to our heart at Cadence Innova as we continue our mission drive positive change for individuals and society as a whole.’
The winning pieces from Voices 2025 can be read in full here.
Photo by Ambreen Hasan via UnSplash
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