We are proud to congratulate Year 12 student Constance, for winning first place in her age group at the Oxford University Faculty of Classics Creative Writing Competition 2026.
This is a prestigious competition run by Oxford University in co-ordination with the Ashmolean Museum. Pupils were asked to choose an artefact from the museum, research it and complete a piece of creative writing from the perspective of, or about, the artefact.
Constance’s story is written from the point of view of a rag doll found at the burial site of a young girl, over 2000 years ago. Made from woven wool, flax and human hair, the short tale follows the dolls journey from Hawara, Egypt to being primed for museum display many years later.
Knowing that Constance wants to read Classics at university, our Head of Classics, signposted her to the esteemed competition.
“Doing the Oxford University Faculty of Classics Creative Writing Competition has been such a great help as well as very enjoyable! Whilst researching, I learnt so much regarding the study of archaeology and its development over time, as well as developed my creative writing skills and confidence in my own work. It was overall a very valuable experience.”
Read Constance’s award winning essay HERE