Mumbai: The Free Press Journal hosted the second edition of its 'Review Writing' contest for teenagers in Mumbai called 'Pen to Paper'. Hundreds of young authors participated in the contest, and on Saturday, April 6, 2024, The Free Press Journal felicitated the best teenage review writers.
The contest invited teenage writers from all across the globe to review anything they found interesting, showcasing their knowledge and creativity.
The felicitation ceremony was graced by Abhishek Talwar, a famous children's author, who also guided the participants through an FPJ exclusive ‘young authors writing boot camp'. It was a great opportunity for young writers to improve their writing skills.
The FPJ announced the names of the top 22 winning authors after the boot camp, which was selected from hundreds of participants.
All the authors were excited to write and review in addition to receiving the awards. They were ecstatic and promised that they would write next year as well.

Chief Guest - Abhishek Talwar, a famous children's author | File Photo
Part two of the Pen to Paper contest, which was first launched in 2023, was designed to engage with teenagers and also check how much they absorb and respond to their environment. The kind of entries that came in finally ranged from reviewing books to buildings and festivals, including songs, and some even wrote about the effects the books have had on their lives.
The kind of writing that came about in this contest was amazing, and it is good to know that teenagers are reading and writing good literature. In fact, this is starkly different from the general impression that the world has about the youth: the fear that the youth are engrossed in technology and mobiles and have little time to read and write.

young authors writing boot camp for the winners | File Photo
Sharing the experience of participating in the contest, Mohammad Ismail Palekar, one of the winners from Lodha World School, LSG Palava, said, “The pen-to-paper competition is a great way to start your writing journey. I’m a very reluctant writer, so when my teacher asked me to take part in it, I hopped into the opportunity, as I think it's a great space to practice your skills.”
The winning entries were chosen based on their creativity, style, vocabulary, and grammatical accuracy, among other factors. The second edition of Pen to Paper was a great success.

Winner felicitation | File Photo
The list of winners:
Shreya Arora, Dhirubhai Ambani International School
Manasvi Bajpai, G. D. Somani Memorial School
Geet Doshi, DY Patil International School
Dhruv Soni, Pravin Gandhi College of Law
Aanya Thakur, Dhirubhai Ambani International School
Archit Vimal, Gems Founder School, -Al Barsha
Mohammad Ismail Palekar, Lodha World School, LSG Palava
Myeishaa Chhablani, Dhirubhai Ambani International School
Annika Lohchab, Aditya Birla World Academy
Angad Singh Bachher, Step By Step School, Noida

Winner felicitation | File Photo
Felicia Rodrigues, Pinnacle High International School
Parushni Jathar, K.C. College
Aditya Madgavkar, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan International School, Malad
Zaid Khusro, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
Shravani Prashant Hegishte, Girton High School
Shreshtha Verma, Podar International School, Nerul

Winner felicitation | File Photo
Devanshi Jindal, AMNS International School
Akshara Dalan, D.Y. Patil International School, Nerul
Norla R Tashi, GD Somani School
Khushee Mangal, Dhirubhai Ambani International School
Chirantan Nataraj, CP Goenka International School, Ulwe
Matangi Gupta, International School Manila, Philippines