Two budding authors are among those to have been shortlisted for prizes at the ‘Young Muslim Writers Awards’.

The awards, which recognise young literary talent in the Muslim community, will be handed out in a ceremony on December 9.

Fatema Zahra Mithwani, from Stanmore, has been nominated in the Key Stage 2 Poetry category for her work ‘Al Mussawwir – The Artist’.

She is joined by Haadi Siddiqui, from Harrow, who is up for the Key Stage 2 Short Story prize with his piece ‘The Adventures of Super Strawberry’.

Syed Lakhte Hassanain, chairman of project organisers Muslim Hands, said: “This year’s entries are once again remarkable.

“Young people of all ages from different corners of the country have taken part in the competition.

“The pieces written for the competition have been truly inspiring. It is amazing to see young people write so skilfully and with such creativity.

“As the work of young people continuously improves in its quality, it becomes more challenging for our judges to select the best pieces of work.

“Young people and children are incredibly talented individuals and we must support them in their development of learning, as it will help them achieve more and also thrive.”

A total of 45 young writers were shortlisted this year after their submissions were assessed by a panel of judges including children’s author Patrice Lawrence, director of the Royal Society of Literature Tim Robertson and award-winning comic writer G Willow Wilson.

The ceremony will be broadcast on the Islam Channel, which has been the official media partner of the awards since 2006.