Students learnt about direct address and the way that plays, films, television and the internet all reflect back and involve the audience. The finalists were then challenged to write a 5-minute monologue that could be performed directly to camera and incorporated an element of surprise.

In previous years, students have worked in pairs to write a screenplay, with the winning entry filmed and produced on location at school. However – adapting to the circumstances of lockdown – in 2020, the winning monologue was filmed in private, performed by a professional actor (Susan Vidler) and produced remotely.

The competition entries were outstanding, but one script – by Jessica Shilton, The Bulwell Academy – stood out for its shifts in emotion, plot twists and character development. Her winning piece ‘Survivor’, about a medical waste assistant who rescues a baby from a toxic container, was an accomplished and impressive response to Harry’s competition brief criteria. Watch her gripping short film on the Creative Education Trust YouTube channel.