On Wednesday 29th November 2023. This year we again had a tremendous response to the French Creative Writing Competition created in 2016 by lecturer Sylvain Blanche for University students.

Twenty entries were short listed: fourteen from the University of Edinburgh, three from Edinburgh Napier University and three from the University of St Andrews.

The competition is a joint project supported by the Edinburgh Branch of the Franco Scottish Society who provides the judging panel and prizes, and the French Institute who also provides prizes, a venue for a public exhibition of the works and hosts the prize giving ceremony.

The event was extremely well attended with nearly 50 people coming, the numbers included Institute staff, Stéphane Pailler, consul général, Charlotte Hyvernaud education attaché, Louise Glen, Education Scotland, representatives of the Franco-Scottish Society, 16 out of 20 students who submitted their work, family members, friends and lecturers – a happy mix of the young and the young at heart.

The students’ works were printed as posters and displayed on the walls of the Jacques Tati room in the Institute together with the photographs which inspired the theme of each personal or imagined story in prose or poetry.

Prizes were presented by the Consul Général, Stéphane Pailler, the education attaché, Charlotte Hyvernaud and the chair of the FSS Edinburgh Branch, Anne-Colette Lequet.

First Prize went to Stéphanie Gregory for her piece L’aquatrip

Joint Second Prize went to James Bromfield and Clara Haessler for La fenêtre - le miroire and L’hiver à la mer baltique respectively.

Third Prize went to Natàlia Espachs for Comment te dire adieu.

There were also two prizes (Prix Coup de Coeur) based on votes cast by the audience and won by Rosie Paterson for her piece Les arbres en fleurs, and Alys Williamson for her piece Des mots pour mon jeune moi.

Once the formalities were concluded there was plenty of time to get to know each other over a glass of wine and snacks.

The evening was enjoyable for everyone involved and provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase the work of the Institut français and the Edinburgh Branch of the Franco-Scottish Society.

For those of you who couldn't attend on the day, the student's works will be on display untill the end of January 2024.

On Thursday 7th December 2023 Members from the Perth Branch of the Franco-Scottish Society were joined by members from Edinburgh for a joint Christmas lunch at the restaurant Côte in Fredrick Street, Edinburgh. 21 people enjoyed the excellent food and company.

Feedback from the event has been fantastic with attendees asking if we can host another social event, sometime in the New Year!