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Two Minute Tales - Judges

English language judges

The English languge categories for ages 5 - 8, 9 - 12 and 13 - 16 will be judged by Barry Falls, Lucy Caldwell, Kelly McCaughrain and David Monahan.

Barry Falls

Barry Falls is an award winning illustrator who has also written and illustrated three books for children: It's Your World Now!, Alone! and Dare We Be Dragons?

In 2022, his collaboration with Dara McAnulty, 'Wild Child: A journey Through Nature' was longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Kelly McCaughrain

Kelly McCaughrain is a YA (young adult) writer from Belfast and was the Children's Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland 2019-21.

She loves working with young people and leads a writing club open to all teen writers with Fighting Words NI.

Her novel, Flying Tips for Flightless Birds, won the Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year and the Northern Ireland Book Awards 2019 and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

Lucy Caldwell

Lucy Caldwell was born and grew up in East Belfast, where each day her walk to secondary school took her past CS Lewis's family house with the wardrobe said to have inspired his Narnia chronicles.

In what never ceases to feel like a fairytale twist, she now reads and writes her own stories for a living.

She won a writing competition on Teletext when she was 12, and hasn't looked back since.

In 2021, she won the 16th ±«Óãtv National Short Story Award for All the People Were Mean And Bad.

Her most recent novel, These Days, was published by Faber in March 2022

Irish language judges

The Irish language category for ages 5 - 11 will be judged by Máire Zepf, Caitríona Nic Sheáin and Roisin Kelleher.

Máire Zepf

Máire Zepf has written 16 books for children, from picture books to a YA verse novel. Winner of the KPMG/CBI Children’s Book of the Year, 4 LAI Children’s Book Awards and 2 international White Ravens among many others, her books appear in 10 languages worldwide. Her ‘Rita’ series of picture books with illustrator Mr. Ando is being adapted for television. The Co. Down author was the first Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland, based at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at QUB.


Is údar don aos óg í Máire Zepf. Tá sé leabhar déag scríofa aici, idir phictiúrleabhair do na leitheoirí is óige, úrscéalta staire agus úrscéal véarsaíochta do dhéagóirí. Tá go leor duaiseanna bainte aici, ina measc Gradam Leabhar na Bliana de chuid Leabhair Pháistí Éireann, 4 chinn de Gradam Chumann Litearthachta na hÉireann agus White Raven faoi dhó. Tá a cuid leabhair aistrithe anois go 10 dteanga ar fud an domhain.

Caitríona Nic Sheáin

Caitríona Nic Sheáin is an author, publisher and educator.

Is déantóir leabhar agus oideachasóir í Caitríona Nic Sheáin atá ag obair in earnáil na Gaelscolaíochta mar mhúinteoir ó bhí 1991 ann. Is comhstiúrthóir í fosta ar an teach foilistheoireachta An tSnáthaid Mhór. Is iomaí ról a bhíonn aici mar stiúrthóir an chomhlachta - eagarthóireacht, scríbhneoireacht, ag eagrú ócáidí agus le déanaí, ag obair mar léiritheoir ar an chlár Rita do Tg4 agus ILBF. Creideann Caitríona i gcumhacht na scéalaíochta.