Historic run of female wins as Urdd Eisteddfod announces Crown winner

Nation Cymru staff

Elin Undeg Williams has won the coveted Urdd Eisteddfod Crown today, marking a run of female winners of the three main prizes for the last three years.

At the Main Ceremony on the final day of Eisteddfod yr Urdd Ynys Môn (Friday, 29 May), Elin Undeg Williams from Betws Gwerful Goch, Denbighshire was announced as the festival’s Crown winner.

19-year-old Elin was the winner of the Drama Medal at last year’s Eisteddfod yr Urdd Dur a Môr, Parc Margam a’r Fro. She is the first to have won both the Drama Medal and the Crown since Llŷr Titus (Crown 2011 and Medal 2012), who is one of today’s judges.

Lowri Bebb from Caernarfon came second, and Ffion Eleri Thomas from Bangor took third place. The ceremony was sponsored by the James Pantyfedwen Foundation.

The requirement of this year’s Crown competition was to compose a piece or pieces of prose over 2,500 words on the theme ‘Lloches’ (shelter). Fourteen entries were received and the judges, Llŷr Titus and Sonia Edwards, saw “something worth praising in each of them.”

The judges said of the winning work: “What we have here are the reflections of a village hall, a hall that sees the events of the community around it and what goes on inside it. This is a clever example of ‘walls talking’. There is satire, criticism, affection, genuine scrutiny and a vivid, original portrayal of a rural community.”

A former pupil of Ysgol Betws Gwerful Goch and Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Rhuthun, Elin is in her first year studying Law and Professional Welsh at Aberystwyth University.

She is a keen member of Uwchaled Young Farmers Club and Aelwyd Pantycelyn and enjoyed competing with them earlier this week.

Elin has thanked her former teachers for their support and, in particular, Dr Eurig Salisbury from the Welsh Department at Aberystwyth for his encouragement, as well as her family for everything.

The Crown has been created by jeweller Myfanwy Jones who is originally from Llanfairpwll, with kind sponsorship by Eiddo Cyf. Made of brass, it includes two opal stones, as well as small jade stones, with soft green velvet on the inside: all echoing the colours of Anglesey’s beaches.

Myfanwy said: “What an amazing opportunity to create the crown for the Eisteddfod this year – my first ever Crown. Before I started designing, I put a poll up on Instagram to ask people what came to their minds when they thought about Ynys Môn, and the most popular answer by far was beaches.

“Then I went off to research the island’s beaches, as well as the Celtic symbols used across the island, and the final crown embodies both themes.”

Elin’s victory today means that women have won the three main literary prizes for the past three years.

The top three winners in this week’s main literary competitions will be invited to take part in a course at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre, Literature Wales, held in memory of Olwen Dafydd. This opportunity is made possible through the Olwen Griffith Trust.

Elin’s work will be published by Cyhoeddiadau’r Stamp Publications immediately after the ceremony. The three winning works of the Main literary competitions are available to buy at the Eisteddfod, from the Urdd shop, Awen Menai stalls or from local bookshops across Wales.

The week’s highlights can be watched on S4C Clic and all of the results can be found on S4C’s website: s4c.cymru/urdd