A SCHOOLBOY from Tonbridge has been -chosen as one of the 12 finalists in a national journalism competition.
Nathan Kahl, 12, was selected after he wrote an entry which entertainingly expressed his animosity towards noisy eaters.
The competition is sponsored by Stabilo, and the winner will be announced in October.
Nathan, who attends The Schools at Somerhill, said he was ‘delighted’ with the achievement, adding: “I enjoy letting my imagination run wild, but this competition allowed me to write from experience, even if it has put a few members of my family on the spot.
“I think adding comedy to this piece makes it fun to read but I wanted it to stay relatable too, especially for anyone out there like me who also has a pet hate.”
Nathan’s parents, Bruce and Samantha, said: “We are very proud that Nathan has written his way into the final 12, even if his article has now made us slightly self-conscious around the dinner table.”
They added: “Writing from the heart has certainly proved successful but we will be checking what other source material he has up his sleeve for future pieces.”
Here is an extract from his article:
“Now I understand that not everyone eats like a horse and makes peculiar squelchy, -disgusting noises every time they chew (I, myself, am one of those people who does not eat in this alien manner) but the thing that gets on my nerves is that the people who do, don’t even slightly understand how the way they eat tears me up inside and triggers -emotions that would have been left undiscovered if they ate like a normal human being, not like a zoo animal.”
The winner will write a column for the leading children’s newspaper First News and win £1,000 of Stabilo products for their class.
