We are now in the ninth year of our partnership with The Writers' Prize, through which talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from The Folio …
Alumni
Young Creatives Collective update
By Alfie Wilson, YCC member Being part of the First Story Young Creatives Collective (YCC) is one of the best parts of all our First Story journeys. Not only does this new alumni initiative give …
Folio Academy Mentorships Showcase 2025
On Saturday 5 July, we celebrated the achievements of the 2024/25 Folio Academy Mentorship recipients at a showcase event hosted by the London Library. This was the eighth year of First …
Winners of the 2025 Philip Pyke Memorial Prize announced
Open to writers of poetry and prose who have completed our Young Writers Programme, the Prize is awarded in memory of Philip Pyke to support young writers as they continue their writing journey. …
Young Creatives Collective
The Young Creatives Collective is an exciting part of First Story's new Young Creatives Programme, which will nurture progression opportunities for people interested in writing and other creative …
First Story Young Creatives
First Story is delighted to have secured funding to deliver a new Young Creatives Programme over the next three years. This is an exciting opportunity for us to develop new progression routes for our …
First Story Alumni Event at the London Library
We invited First Story Alumni to an in-person event at The London Library on 8 November. It was a chance for those who'd taken part in the Young Writers Programme to meet each other, and us, and take …
Fair Education Alliance Youth Summit 2024
By Tilly Wiggins, First Story Alumnus The 2024 Fair Education Youth Summit took place on Tuesday 29 October and brought together 200 young people passionate about reducing inequalities in …
Announcing: Folio Academy Mentorships 2024/25
We are now in the eighth year of our partnership with The Writers' Prize, through which talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from The Folio …
Folio Academy Mentorships 2024 showcase
The Folio Academy Mentorship scheme gives talented First Story alumni the opportunity to be mentored for one year by experienced, acclaimed writers from the Folio Academy. On 13 July our 2023/24 …
Winners of the inaugural Philip Pyke Memorial Prize announced
Open to writers of poetry and prose who have completed our Young Writers Programme, the Prize is awarded in memory of Philip Pyke to support young writers as they continue their writing journey. …
Young Writers Festival Highlights 2024
On 27 March 2024, nearly 300 First Story participants from across England came together at Downing College, University of Cambridge, to take part in our annual Young Writers Festival. It was a day …
Announcing: Folio Prize Mentorships 2023/24
We are now in the seventh year of our partnership with the prestigious Folio Prize, through which talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from the Folio …
Folio mentorships 2023 showcase
The Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships scheme gives talented First Story alumni the opportunity to be mentored for one year by experienced, acclaimed writers from the Folio Academy. On 15 July our …
Young Writers Festival Highlights 2023
On 30 March 2023, more than 240 First Story participants from across England came together at the University of Cambridge to take part in our annual Young Writers Festival. Held for the first time at …
Announcing: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2022/23
We are now in the sixth year of our partnership with the prestigious Rathbones Folio Prize, through which talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from …
Folio mentorships 2022 showcase
The Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships scheme gives talented First Story alumni the opportunity to be mentored for one year by experienced, acclaimed writers from the Folio Academy. On a hot summer …
Announcing: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2021/22
This is the fifth year of our partnership with the prestigious Rathbones Folio Prize, through which talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from the …
WATCH: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2020-21 Showcase
Now in its fifth year, our exclusive partnership with the Rathbones Folio Prize offers a unique opportunity for talented First Story alumni to be mentored for an academic year by five acclaimed Folio …
Summer 2021 residential highlights: another digital success
Our annual summer residential programme is usually hosted at Lumb Bank, Arvon's idyllic venue in rural West Yorkshire. The pandemic kept us away for a second consecutive year. But after last year's …
WATCH: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2019/20 Showcase
Now in its fourth year, our exclusive partnership with the Rathbones Folio Prize offers a unique opportunity for five talented First Story alumni to be mentored for an academic year by five acclaimed …
New First Story Young Ambassadors Programme
Young writers who complete our flagship programme constantly tell us that they enjoyed it so much, they just want to keep going. We are keen to develop new pathways for our alumni to continue creative …
Announcing: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2020/21
This is the fourth year of our partnership with the prestigious Rathbones Folio Prize, through which four talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from …
Summer 2020 Virtual Residential
Our annual summer residential programme provides an incredible opportunity for a small number of First Story participants who've shown great promise during the academic year, to further develop their …

