YOUNG literary talent was in the spotlight at the Anne Pierson Award for Young Writers with last year's winner coming up trumps for the second time.

Seventeen-year old Luke Roberts, from Brampton, took the countywide competition's first prize of £400.

One of the trio of judges, author Janni Howker, described him as an enormous talent and praised his winning short story A Beach: "It was worthy of a Chekhov, Lawrence or H.E. Bates. I was stunned by it," she told a packed Brewery Arts Centre at Kendal during last week's awards ceremony.

Runners-up were Kendal's Queen Katherine School sixth former Tim Oates with The Man With No Name and 16-year-old Rosemary Simpson from Wigton, who both received £200.

Extracts from the 16 shortlisted entries on the competition's theme of the Last Time were read out by eminent local actors Simon Yaxley, Sean Lee, Rosie Wates, Guy Pocock and Bridie McEntegart, with each young scribe receiving £20 worth of book tokens.

Presenting the cheques and tokens was Cumbrian writer Sarah Hall, who was nominated for the Booker Prize this year for her novel Electric Michaelangelo.

Rising star of the poetry world Jacob Polley and Shakespeare expert professor Phillip Edwards completed the judging panel for the literary award, which was set up by the Trustees of the Brewery as a tribute to the Kendal arts centre's former director, Anne Pierson, reflecting her particular interest in the creative development of young people during her 25-year reign.