A TEENAGE fiction writer who rewrote his great-grandparents' past has been bestowed with a prestigious writing prize.

Oxford student Joe Bradley, 15, beamed as he was awarded the Young Walter Scott Prize for creative writing earlier this month.

The Abingdon School student collected a certificate and £500 travel grant at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose on June 18, after winning the 11-15 years-old category.

It is the first year the prize has been awarded and judges described his story A Most Unusual Childhood as an "exciting, compelling and fully-imagined story" about "well-rounded, complex characters whose relationships develop as the story progresses".

The story is set in China during the Boxer Rebellion and features a family of English missionaries, inspired by his own great-great-grandparents' story after he discovered artefacts and photographs belonging to his ancestors in an attic the family's old home.

As part of his prize he met published writers and toured historical sites, and joined authors for a brunch.

The Young Walter Scott Prize hails writers aged 11-19 years old, challenging young people to write a piece of short fiction set in a time before they were born.

The judging panel included two award-winning published writers, Elizabeth Laird and Ann Weisgarber, the Prize’s sponsor Duchess of Buccleuch, its director Alan Caig Wilson and literary agent Lindsey Fraser.

For details and to apply for the next round of entries visit ywsp.co.uk.