Jari Nuus wins Stijlvoltreffer 2025

Jari Nuus (6 VWO) from RSG Ter Apel has won the Stijlvoltreffer 2025 writing competition with his story Staatsvijand (Enemy of the State). On Monday, 1 December 2025, guest writer Joost Oomen announced the winners during a festive award ceremony in the Academy Building. Winner Jari wrote his story about the absurdity of an authoritarian regime, in which even a sock is declared an enemy of the state. The writing competition was organized by the Profielversterking Nederlands team of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen.

Preparation during Dutch Language Week
During Dutch Language Week, students from the north of the Netherlands were trained to become writers in a series of workshops. Among other things, they learned about their own writing approach, the genre, and the theme of this edition. This year, the students wrote their stories based on the theme ‘There's poetry in that!’. All entries also had to begin with an opening line from Oomen's poem Openingszinnen (Opening Lines). After the workshops, the students had a month to write their stories.

Humor, rhythm, and guts
More than seventy enthusiastic students from 21 schools in the region took part. The best fifteen stories were selected and submitted to a jury of experts. The jury consisted of Joost Oomen (guest writer at the University of Groningen 2025/26), Hans Das (Dutch teacher at Greijdanus Zwolle and Dutch subject teacher at the University of Amsterdam), Janneke Weijermars (lecturer in Modern Dutch Literature at the University of Groningen), Inge Kappert (general and artistic director at Poëziepaleis), and Gido Zeegers (student of Dutch Language and Culture at the University of Groningen).

The jury praised Jari for the joy of writing that radiates from his text and for his humorous, vivid style. According to the jury, he knows how to “evoke a fairy-tale-like, exceptionally funny world with a sense of rhythm and melody.” There was also praise for his courageous choice of a striking opening sentence. He received a cash prize of 200 euros and his story was published in the Dagblad van het Noorden on 3 December.

The second prize went to Kiki Maat (4 HAVO) from Parcival College in Groningen. Nastasia Orlova (4 Gymnasium) from Praedinius Gymnasium in Groningen came third with her story.

Encouraging writing talent
In addition to presenting the awards, Joost Oomen gave a College Tour lecture on writing that evening. De Stijlvoltreffer aims to encourage schools to focus on creative writing and offer talented students a platform - an initiative that showcases young writing talent in the north of the Netherlands and promises to continue next year.