A Llandeilo born author has won a prestigious writing prize at the National Eisteddfod.

Meleri Wyn James, who now lives in Aberystwyth, won the Prose Medal for her composition on the subject of ‘porth’, or gate.

The subject of this year's competition was a volume of creative prose of no more than 40,000 words on the subject 'Porth'.

Meleri’s story, Hallt is a novel about a mother and her 16-year-old daughter with special needs.

The 'porth' here is the threshold between the world of a child and the world of an adult. The story is told by Elen, the mother, and Cari, the daughter, alternately.

As Cari matures physically and meets new people including a boy, Elen and her husband's dilemma is how much freedom to allow her.

“This is a gripping story from the beginning building to a dramatic climax,” said adjudicators Menna Baines, Lleucu Roberts and Ion Thomas.

“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.”

The medal and the cash prize of £750 were presented to Meleri in memory of Robyn and Gwenan Léwis by the family.

Meleri Wyn James is a writer and creative editor for Y Lolfa.

She was born and brought up 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 wrth 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 manage 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 started writing the novel Hallt immediately 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.

The full adjudication will be available in the Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau, published at the end of the Chairing Ceremony.