A Tuam mother of two has been shortlisted for the annual Munch Time story writing competition. Francesca Murphy, a full time mother, has been chosen as one of 10 Irish finalists whose short stories for under-fives have been selected for the national final.
You can read Francesca Murphy’s story – ‘A Winning Friend’ – at www.munchtimeireland.com where all 10 stories are now available for the public to read and vote on. Voting commenced on July 1 and continues until midnight on July 31.
The Munch Time Ireland competition is now in its third year, and this year has seen a record number of entries from around the country with budding authors vying for a top prize of €1,000. Two runners-up will also be selected from the public vote and will receive a cash prize of €500 each.
Munch Time Ireland, created by Munch Bunch® yogurt, aims to highlight and celebrate the importance of parents bonding with their toddlers and young children over story time and give burgeoning writers the opportunity to shine.
Ms Murphy’s story was chosen from a huge volume of entries by a judging panel which included Dr Gerry Shiel from the Reading Association of Ireland, and director of MyKidsTime.ie, Jill Holtz.
“As a family, one of our most precious times of is bedtime story time,” Ms Murphy said. “My children love to hear stories and after reading hundreds of children’s books over the years, I began creating my own adventures for my kids.
“On hearing about the Munch Bunch® short story writing competition, I thought that this was my chance to put pen to paper. Munch the cow was a great character to work with and she took the starring role in the story that I regularly make up for my children. Both Rhianna, aged seven, and Lucah, three, are thrilled that I have been shortlisted and I’m hoping that all of my family and friends will vote for ‘A Winning Friend’ at www.munchtimeireland.com”
