RTL Group | Neuilly-sur-Seine, 07/11/2018

The Winners Of The ‘Au-Delà Des Lignes’ Writing Competition

The 14 members of the panel of judges, among them M6 presenter Nathalie Renoux (front row, second from left)
Presentation of the award to one of the winners

Subject: Society
Country: France
Category: Project

The writing competition “Au-delà des lignes” sponsored by Fondation M6 has come to an end with the announcement of the winners. More than 200 French prisoners participated in the competition’s third round and wrote essays about a common theme. The initiative aims to help with their return to normal life after prison.

In March, the third round of “Au-delà des lignes” was launched in French prisons, and now the winners of the writing competition have been announced. This year, 207 imprisoned men, women and youths participated in the initiative according to Fondation M6, which is the initiative’s patron. Together with the French Ministry of Education and the country’s central prison administration, the foundation of the M6 broadcasting group organized the competition in 26 penitentiaries across France. “Au-delà des lignes” aims to make a contribution to combat the social marginalization of prisoners, facilitate their return to society, and avoid recidivism after release from custody.

The main theme of the 2018 competition was “Demain” (Tomorrow). Participants were able to put their thoughts about how they envision the future in general or for themselves down on paper. While writing the essays, they were supported by professional writing and creative coaches. The contributions were divided into four categories depending on the skill level of the participants. In the end, there was one winner in the beginner’s group, one in the group with medium skills, and two in the group of advanced writers – one for minors, and one for adults. If you are interested in reading the winning essays – naturally in French – you can find them by following this link. 

Anthology for all participants

The winners were selected by a panel of 14 judges comprised of people from the education, culture and media sectors as well as the penitentiary system in France. Nathalie Renoux, M6 presenter and patron of Fondation M6, was one of them. Members of the panel had visited several prisons in the spring and spoke with the prisoners about their circumstances. The winners of the competition will receive special and comprehensive support for reintegration into society after release from prison. All of the participants received an anthology with all of the texts written over the course of the third “Au-delà des lignes” competition. Fondation M6 emphasized in an announcement that it will continue its commitment to creative educational offerings in prisons in order to increase literacy among prisoners and facilitate their return to normal social life.