A father and daughter from Monmouthshire were praised by the Archbishop of Canterbury when he presented prizes for the best stories, poems and plays in an annual writing competition organised by the University of Wales, Newport.

The Reverend David Prime and his daughter Becky were both highly commended for their short stories on the theme of conflict.

The entries were judged by the first National Poet of Wales, Gwyneth Lewis, composer of the words which adorn the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, and writer-in-residence for English and creative writing at the university's school of education.

Gwyneth Lewis described the story by Rev Prime, who is studying for an MA English Literature at UWN, as "a striking account of a pupil standing up against bullying teachers".

His daughter Becky, 18, who is studying A levels at Monmouth School for Girls, was praised for her "atmospheric story with a sinister setting".

"It was really nice that Dad and I both won a prize in the competition, and had the opportunity to meet up again with Dr Williams whom we both knew when he was the Bishop of Monmouth," said Becky, who has tasted writing success before when she won the prestigious Alexander Cordell Literature Competition.

Dr Williams, who was a member of the university's board of governors when he was Bishop of Monmouth, said: "One of the most important things a university can do is to nurture the creative spark and nourish people's imaginations. I've been honoured to ask to read from my poems, especially as I follow in a long line of very distinguished poets who have been here to present the prizes for this competition and read from their work."

12:29pm Tuesday 6th May 2008

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