10/03/2026
Writing Competition 2017
This year, we linked the competition to the 500th anniversary of Luther’s publication of his 95 theses that sparked the Reformation. It was the participants’ turn to put themselves in the shoes of a time-travelling spy and overhear a conversation between Luther or one of his German, Austrian or Swiss contemporaries (real or imagined) and a figure from public life in 2017 Britain. Is the German-speaking 16th-century time traveller debating Brexit with Boris Johnson or comparing sporting skills with Andy Murray? Does Jamie Oliver try to revolutionise the culinary culture of Reformation Germany? The only two rules were: the dialogue had to be written in German and it could not be longer than 350 words.
The prize-giving event took place on Monday, 11 December 2017, in the Knowledge Centre of the British Library.
Winners and Runners-up
Secondary schools
(1) Victoria Adjei, North London Collegiate School
(2) Panayotis Galatis, City of London School
(3) Alex Davies, King’s College School Wimbledon
Undergraduates
(1) Chris Dobson, University of Edinburgh
(2) Abbie Gordon, Durham University
(3) Annie Davies, University of Exeter
(4) May Wall, Durham University
Others
(1) Dr Cyril de Beun, University of Leuven, Belgium
(2) Taimia Mahmoud
Congratulations to all winners and runners-up, and a big thank you to all who took on the challenge!
Download our brochure: Chatting with Luther - Winning Competition Entries [PDF 2.54 MB]
Prizes
- A pair of tickets for the Harry Potter exhibition in the British Library on Thursday 11th Jan, 6.30 pm
- A pair of tickets for a behind-the-scenes guided tour through the British Library (including the Reformation exhibition): date to be arranged with the exhibition curator
- A pair of tickets for a behind the scenes-tour through the National archives and a private view of some of the original documents relating to Luther and the Reformation: date to be arranged with the exhibition curator
- Book prizes
The competition has been organised by the DAAD London, the Institute of Modern Languages Research (IMLR) and was supported by the German and the Swiss Embassies in London, the Goethe Institute London, the Austrian Cultural Forum and the British Library and the National Archives.
