Former A-level Student Wins the Urdd Drama Medal

A former Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor A-level student has been awarded the prestigious Urdd Drama Medal.

Miriam Elin Sautin from Llanbedrog on the Llŷn Peninsula is the winner of the ‘Urdd Eisteddfod Drama Medal’ for 2020-21.

Miriam studied A-levels in French, History, Welsh and English at the college’s Pwllheli campus, before going on to complete a degree in French and Spanish at Durham University.

Following her university studies, Miriam spent two years teaching English at the universities of Limoges and Lyon in France, where she also taught creative writing. She now lives in Cardiff and works for Literature Wales.

Throughout this week, the Urdd Eisteddfod has been awarding creative work that was submitted in 2020, before having to postpone their national youth festival on two occasions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor had double cause for celebration, as in the same competition, one of its current students, Elis Siôn Pari from Aberdaron, came third.

As part of the prize, Miriam and Elis will be invited to take part in the Olwen Course at Tŷ Newydd, the National Writing Centre of Wales. This course is for the main literary competition winners at the Urdd Eisteddfod, and its aim is to encourage the young writers to continue with their writing under the tutelage of a professional author or poet.

Critiquing Miriam’s winning entry, competition judges Llinos Gerallt and Sian Naiomi commented: "This play gained our attention from the first page. The relationship between two friends is complex and rich, with the plot developing skilfully as we delve into their past.

“A drama full of mystery and amenity with a strong finale. The complexity and messiness of life is all here. The playwright is also a poet, but takes care that the poetry does not interfere with the flow and tempo of the play."

Bryn Hughes-Parry, assistant principal, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, said: “Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor has a long and honourable history of nurturing national winners in some of our country's major literary competitions. The successes of Miriam and Elis is part of this fine tradition.

"We extend our warm congratulations to them both, and thank all the staff at Pwllheli’s A-level department for their support and guidance."

Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s first on-site Open Events for nearly two years will be held in the coming weeks. Open Events are an opportunity to see our great campuses and facilities, meet the tutors and find out more about the wide range of courses we offer.

To book a place at any of the Open Events, go to https://www.gllm.ac.uk/open-events