18/06/2026
The PSMAwards' year is almost a wrap!
Last Thursday, 11th of June, we held this year's PSMAwards' presentation event at The Portico Library where we celebrated the winners and highly commended in this year’s Portico Sadie Massey Awards Reading and Writing Competitions.
Out of 440 entries, 8 winners and 8 highly commended from key stages 2,3,4 & 5 were invited to the Presentation event. 14 attended with their guests, meeting the judges, Curtis Jobling, Josh Silver, Matthew Cornford and Susan Brownrigg. MC Martin Griffin guided the proceeds and MBE Oliver Sykes spoke as the Special Guest.
The Portico Library’s Librarian, Dr Thom Keep welcomed everyone, a number of students read out their short story or book review and there were some extremely proud parents and families!
Other guests attending came from the Arts Council, the Chair of CILIP, Carnegie and the Kate Greenaway Medals, Manchester Metropolitan University’s English Department, First Story, Portico Library Trustees, the PSMAwards’ Group and one of the anthology’s two illustrators.
This year’s notebook design co-ordinated with the library’s Reunited Project and was also used as the cover for our first ever Anthology of Winners, titled, Breathing In, Breathing Out.
We thank all who came, from North Yorkshire to Buckinghamshire on a rainy Manchester afternoon, but there were only warm, sunny smiles in the building!
Photographs from this year's PSMA presentation event, are on the website - https://www.theportico.org.uk/portico-sadie-massey-awards-news
Next year's competitions open 9th October 2027
https://www.theportico.org.uk/portico-sadie-massey-awards
Professional photographs by Lucy Cartwright
Additional photographs by various contributors.
The Portico Library Manchester Histories Manchester Libraries Manchester Evening News MCRCityofLit Manchester Metropolitan University Susan Brownrigg author Susan Brownrigg Oli Sykes
More about the Reunited Project here: https://www.theportico.org.uk/reuniting
