MEET THE 2022/2023 OXFORD BIG READ GLOBAL WINNERS
INSPIRED BY READING
This year, student champions participating in Oxford Big Read selected books of their choice from lists of qualifying OUP readers. The students’ reading selections reflect both classic and contemporary themes. Winning submissions demonstrated thoughtful design, well-crafted essays, and critical thinking.
Participating branches of Oxford University Press including Hong Kong, India, Turkey and Pakistan, received thousands of submissions through participating schools and institutions. The winners became semi-finalists in the regional Oxford Big Read Global Campaign. Below, you will meet the winners of our fourth annual regional campaign!
CATEGORIES FOR PARTICIPATION
CATEGORY 1: DESIGN A NEW BOOK JACKET
* For those aged 5 years old to 8 years old at the time of entry
All participants read an OUP book and then designed a new cover.
CATEGORY 2: TELL US WHAT YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THE BOOK OR WHAT YOU WOULD CHANGE
* For those aged 9 years old to 12 years old at the time of entry
All participants read an OUP book and wrote a response describing what they found interesting or what they would change about the book.
CATEGORY 3: WRITE A CRITICAL REVIEW OF AN OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS BOOK
* For those aged 13 years old to 15 years old at the time of entry
All participants read an OUP book and wrote a critical review describing the theme, plot, and characters.
Awards and Prizes
Three Winners will each receive:
- an Apple iPad
- an Official Award Certificate
Three Runners-up will each receive:
- a Cash Award or Gift Certificate (equivalent to £100.00 GBP)
- an Official Award Certificate
Announcing the official GLOBAL winners of the 2022/2023
Congratulations to all our champion artists and scholars!
Category 1
Design a New Book Jacket
Winner
Ages 5-8
Name: Vihana Raiswal
Entry: The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
Country: India
Well done on a terrific entry! I really enjoyed your explanation of the plot, your reasons for why you liked the story, and especially your thoughtful conclusions about the values illustrated by the story. Although you missed some marks when you forgot to include the ISBN and spine on the cover picture, your illustration of the front cover is gorgeous, with so much colour and life, and a real sense of the world around the statue.
Runner-up
Ages 5-8
Name: Simay Duven
Entry: The Enormous Turnip by Sue Arengo
Country: Turkey
Congratulations on a wonderful entry! I thought your description of the plot was very clear, and I really enjoyed the conclusion you drew from it! I really loved your cover too! It was very striking, bold and effective, and it made me smile! I especially liked the way the turnip was shaded in gold and purple, and the negative image of the turnip on your back page. Well done!
Category 2
TELL US WHAT YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THE BOOK OR WHAT YOU WOULD CHANGE
Winner
Ages 9-12
Name: Yiu Ho Yin, Sunny
Entry: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Country: Hong Kong
You explain the story very clearly and your sentence construction is good. I was impressed by your compassion for Scrooge and your thoughts about what made him so mean to begin with. Your idea for what could be changed in the story is inventive. In fact that could be a good beginning for a creative writing exercise. You draw some clear morals from this story, and your writing shows you have thought deeply about them. All in all, this is an effective review which would convince me to read the book. Good work!
Runner-up
Ages 9-12
Name: Amna Bilal
Entry: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Country: Pakistan
A lot of the vocabulary you have chosen to use is unusual, descriptive and interesting, which I enjoyed — but some of the words are not used in an exactly correct way, so be careful about that. You are clear in your admiration of Crusoe, but I would have liked to hear something about the other characters too, which could have made your review a bit longer. Also, your idea for which part of the story could be changed is promising, but I would like to hear the full details of your idea! Anyway this is a review which shows that you enjoyed the story and would recommend it to other readers, so well done.
Category 3
WRITE A CRITICAL REVIEW OF AN OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS BOOK
Winner
Ages 13-15
Name: Jayanti Yadav
Entry: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Country: India
This was a delight to read, and showed a sophisticated and enthusiastic appreciation of the book you chose. The first paragraph places your response in context, identifies a thematic focus (feminism) and shows awareness of your own place in a readership sustained over 200 years. Your comments on Jane’s character are rooted in the theme – strong values give rise to a rebellious nature and a determination to overcome adversity. You express your own opinions, and these are firmly connected to and rooted in the book. I was impressed by your grasp of complex ideas – misogyny, paternalism – and by your sensitivity to contemporary and current controversies. I loved your astute comment about Bronte having “the dangerously rare quality to kidnap readers…” and both to “stir” and “perplex” them. A writer and critic in the making!
Runner-up
Ages 13-15
Name: Sehrish Ashar
Entry: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
Country: Pakistan
It’s clear from the start of your review that you have a genuine and enthusiastic engagement with theme and character, and this draws the reader in to your review. I was impressed by your strong sense of Hardy’s view of the human condition as a losing struggle against what you describe as a “cruel” and “hostile nature”. (Though Hardy might have preferred “indifferent”.) You have made perceptive comments about character and interaction and, though there is some awkward phrasing, you are developing fluency, some precision in drawing on a widening vocabulary and, in places, a promising sense of style. It was a pleasure to read your review. Keep reading!