Wordsmiths as young as six have become published writers after winning a Hampstead bookshop’s short story contest.

The fifteen winners of an annual story writing competition for under-15s held by Daunt Books saw their words in print for the first time at a prize-giving on Thursday.

The six to 14-year-olds were each presented with book tokens and a copy of the volume by acclaimed children’s author Marcus Sedgwick at the shop’s South End Road branch in South End Green.

Manager Chris Adlington said: “It’s a nice thing to do to encourage creativity.

“The standard of the stories was amazingly high. Some of them are really amazing, you really can see real talent.”