A 17-YEAR-old student from Droitwich Spa High School has won a national screenwriting competition.

Olivia Wagstaff, who is in year 12 at the school, entered the Pitch@Act2Cam competition with a pitch for a film called ‘Nothing to See Here’.

Lead judge and competition organiser Steven Woods commented on the pitch, calling it “fantastically surreal [with] a lot of symbolism and humour” and adding “It was clearly written, visual and funny. It stood out.”

As winner, Olivia now gets to go to Newcastle over the summer holiday to attend a week-long course in screenwriting being led by writer John Hickman, as well as being presented with £300 for the Droitwich High drama department.

She will also have her pitch turned into a short film, which will be screened across the country.

She said: “I saw the competition advertised online and was pleased with the pitch that I put together but I never thought I would win. I’m really chuffed and am really looking forward to going to Newcastle during the summer. It’ll be weird to see my ideas brought to life by actors.”

In addition to the competition, Olivia has also won the school’s drama prize.

Head of drama at Droitwich Spa High School, Laura Jones, said: “We are all hugely proud of Olivia, she is a very talented student as she has demonstrated by not just being an excellent actress but showing that she knows how to write for the screen, a rare talent at her age.”

Drama teacher Keira Lapsley, added: “We will use Olivia’s prize money to bring a theatre company into school to lead a workshop for the students. It’s the kind of thing we can rarely do because of cost, so it great that her talent can provide this opportunity for all our drama students.”