A CEREDIGION author has won the Prose Medal at this year’s National Eisteddfod.

Meleri Wyn James, who has lived in Aberystwyth for 20 years, was named as the winner on Wednesday afternoon in a competition that attracted 16 candidates.

The subject of this year's competition was a volume of creative prose not exceeding 40,000 words on the subject ' Porth '.

The judges were Menna Baines, Lleucu Roberts and Ion Thomas. The Medal and the cash prize of £750, in memory of Robyn and Gwenan Léwis, were presented by the family.

Meleri, won the award for her novel, Hallt, which is about a mother and her 16-year-old daughter who has special needs.

Hallt – or Salty in English – is told by Elen, the mother and Cari, the daughter, alternately.

Delivering the adjudication from the stage on behalf of her fellow judges, Menna Baines said: “This is a gripping story from the beginning building to a dramatic climax. The portrait of Cari is a lovely one.

“Yes, there is a certain inherent awkwardness related to her which makes socialising difficult, but gradually we come to see past that to her affection and her honest, open nature.

“Sometimes, indeed, her honesty wears us down. Like every young person she looks to the future and like every parent her mother has to learn to let go.”

Meleri has published books for children, young people and adults, including the popular series Na, Nel!

She was born and raised in Llandeilo and the family moved to Beulah near Newcastle Emlyn and then to Aberporth. She graduated in Welsh from Aberystwyth University and studied an MA in Creative Writing at Trinity College, Carmarthen.

She published her first book, a collection of short stories called Mwydyn yn yr Afal , after winning the Urdd Eisteddfod Literature Medal in Taf Elái in 1991. In recent years, she published the novel Blaidd dir y Drws for adults and Cors Caron , a novel for young people.

She has lived in Aberystwyth for over twenty years with her husband, Sion Ilar and their daughters, Mia Seren and Esther Alys.

Meleri and Sion keep holiday accommodation called Cae Bach and use it to support other local businesses. She is a member of Aberystwyth Athletics Club, and thanks to the support of her fellow runners in the club she has completed several half marathons. She enjoys horse riding along the lands of Cwm Rheidol in the company of her daughters. She is very interested in fashion and likes to sew clothes. She also enjoys socializing with family and friends.

She started writing the novel Hallt straight after the Ceredigion National Eisteddfod with the intention of trying to give a voice to children and parents who live with challenges and all the pleasure of navigating life's journey with additional needs.