Bayfield High School year 12 pupil Ben Pickering won the first prize of $500 and a one-year membership of the New Zealand Society of Authors in the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand Ida Gaskin Shakespeare Essay Competition for year 13 pupils.
Although he dedicated a lot of time to the essay, he did not take it too seriously, Ben said.
He and a friend would have phone calls and discuss ideas, he said.
"We weren’t too fussed about it and it was something to do at the start of the year.
"We would hop on a call and have a chat about it while writing it up. It was quite fun really."
After five hours of phone calls over three days, Ben completed his first-place essay.
The essay question was about the importance of timing in Shakespeare’s plays.
Ben said the main play he discussed in his essay was Romeo and Juliet.
"There were some good examples, especially towards the end, that shaped the result of the play."
He thought he had a good chance of winning the competition, Ben said.
"There was a big word count, so there was room to put in a lot of detail.
"We caught a few details that people might not pick up on but were of great relevance."
He found Shakespearean language interesting and he enjoyed writing, Ben said.
"I’ve always been a good English student. I know how to write up an essay quite well, so I thought we’d give it a go."
He jumped up and down a little bit when he found out he had won and he told his friend, who did not believe him.
