A Norwich author is celebrating today after winning an international writing award which aims to challenge preconceived ideas about mental health.

Kris Holt, 35, entered the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival earlier this year with his short story Crowning Glory.

The festival is one of Scotland's most diverse cultural events, covering everything from music, film and visual art to theatre, dance, and literature - Mr Holt said it was 'inspiring'.

'This year's theme for the writing competition was power,' he said.

'I won the event with a short story called Crowning Glory - this was a bittersweet tale about a young couple engaged in a power struggle over which of them has ultimate responsibility for topping up their electricity meter.

'I was inspired to enter the festival as many of my friends and relatives have suffered with mental illness and it's great to see an event that raises awareness of mental health issues and promotes support for sufferers.

'I'm enthused by Norwich's status as a City of Literature too and was pleased to be able to contribute to that.'

Mr Holt is a regular competitor in November's National Novel Writing Month - NaNoWriMo - led in Norfolk by his partner, author and municipal liaison officer Melissa Brown, who was a featured poet at Norwich's recent City of Stories event.

He is also currently writing his novel What Comes From The Earth.

The novel is a political thriller set in South Africa about two brothers caught on opposing sides of a mining dispute.

• For more information about Mr Holt and his writing visit his website at www.4thousandwords.blogspot.co.uk.

• For more information on the NaNoWriMo challenge or to sign-up to it visit the website nanowrimo.org.

• Have you achieved success in a competition? Contact reporter Polly Grice by emailing polly.grice@archant.co.uk.