Give Sian Nissam an enormous magical library, a roomful of children from around the world and an impossible assignment, and the kid will come up with a plan to save humanity.
Or at least get everyone out of the library.
The Worcester Academy eighth-grader recently earned a Gold Award in the 2026 Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition for an imaginative essay in which students from different countries find themselves trapped inside a mysterious library. Their only way out? Agree on a new Commonwealth Charter that could make the world a better place.
Nissam’s solution included 16 rules covering everything from democracy and human rights to climate change, international cooperation and even the ownership of outer space. Pretty impressive for a young writer whose first language isn’t even English.
The recognition marks another milestone for Nissam, who received a Silver Award in the same competition last year and has since developed an increasingly ambitious interest in writing, history and world affairs. His latest project is a 23,500-word historical fiction novella about the Vietnam War, inspired in part by conversations with local veterans.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition, administered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883, is considered the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools. This year’s competition attracted approximately 53,840 entries, according to information provided by Nissam’s mother, Sherin Saheera.
Gold is the competition’s highest award category, with regional winners selected from eligible Gold Award recipients. Because the United States is not a Commonwealth member, Nissam was not eligible for regional winner consideration.
But that distinction doesn’t diminish what the achievement means to the young writer.
“Basically since my essay is all about how to make the world more peaceful, evolve faster, and be a better place for humanity. As someone who used to struggle with English, this achievement shows how far my writing has come and it showcases my personal growth”, Nissam told the Worcester Guardian.
A world of possibilities, one library at a time
This year’s competition theme was “Common ground: better together,” with participants choosing from several writing prompts.
Nissam selected one that imagined students from Commonwealth countries trapped in an enormous library, unable to leave until they created a new charter for international cooperation.
His story begins with the narrator awakening in a library where the books appear to be alive. Soon, a mysterious voice informs the assembled students that their freedom depends on working together.
What follows is part fantasy, part civics lesson and part blueprint for a more peaceful world.
Nissam’s proposed charter calls for fair elections, term limits for political leaders, government transparency and equal treatment under the law. It also prohibits war, protects the right to protest and guarantees access to food, water, housing and health care.
He proposes a youth assembly to give young people a voice in international decisions, an environmental task force to fight climate change and a rule prohibiting countries from claiming ownership of the moon or other planets.
When the students finally complete their charter, the library itself seems to celebrate.
“The books on the shelves started clapping their covers together, and for the first time since I woke up here, the air didn’t feel dusty; it felt full of hope,” Nissam writes.
The story closes with the students realizing that their cooperation has accomplished something adults have struggled with for centuries.
For Nissam, the assignment was more than an exercise in creative writing. It was an opportunity to explore questions about leadership, fairness and the kind of world his generation might inherit.
Finding his voice in Worcester
Nissam’s path to becoming an award-winning English-language writer began thousands of miles from Massachusetts.
His first language is Malayalam, spoken in Kerala, a state in southern India. He moved to the United States at age 4 and began learning English as a kindergartner at Lake View Elementary School in Worcester.
His mother credits the school’s English-language instruction with helping him become fluent in speaking and communicating within about two years.
But the classroom was only part of his education.
Frequent visits to the Worcester Public Library introduced him to a steady supply of books and helped expand his vocabulary. By third grade, he was participating in a library program that encouraged children to review books selected for the Massachusetts Book Awards.
That’s where he met youth librarian Rezarta Reso, who began recommending increasingly challenging reading material.
Reso remembers a young boy whose curiosity was difficult to contain.
“Sian was about seven or eight years old when he first started coming to our library,” Reso said. “Already a confident reader, he quickly became one of our librarians’ favorite young patrons. He never had just one favorite subject. His curiosity took him everywhere, and his library card was always full of books.”
His interests soon expanded from reading books to writing his own stories, summaries and graphic fiction.
His mother also credits Lake View educators Linda McSweeney and Mr. Tucker with nurturing his interest in science and history, subjects that would eventually become important elements of his writing.
At Worcester Academy, where Nissam attends as a Worcester Scholar, that interest continued to develop.
Saheera said his first substantial writing experience came while preparing three essays for his admission application. In 2024, he wrote a story and poem for a school magazine, which his family later published through Amazon under the title “Campground Chrononauts.”
His sixth- and seventh-grade English teachers, Cassie Spencer and Helen Collins, provided feedback that helped him sharpen his work.
Collins remembers a student who welcomed the opportunity to improve.
“Sian has demonstrated tremendous growth and natural talent in his creative writing abilities,” said Collins. “He enjoys receiving feedback and eagerly embraces it to improve his work. It’s been a pleasure to work with a young man who is so enthusiastic about writing.”
From the classroom to the Vietnam War
Nissam’s writing has also taken him into subjects considerably heavier than the magical libraries of children’s fiction.
His growing interest in politics, democracy and American history was encouraged by Worcester Academy American studies teacher Kevin McCarthy, according to his mother.
Earlier this year, Nissam won first place in a North South Foundation essay competition for a piece examining the effects of immigration enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on communities.
But a classroom study of the Vietnam War led to an even more ambitious undertaking.
After learning about the conflict and meeting local Vietnam veterans, including Phil Madaio, Nissam began writing a historical fiction novella about a young man whose plans to attend Harvard are upended when he is forced to go to war.
The result is a 16-chapter, 23,500-word manuscript exploring the emotional toll of combat.
For a student still in middle school, the subject presented a considerable challenge: imagining experiences he had never lived and capturing the memories of people who had.
His family sought feedback from local Vietnam veterans, including Madaio and Casey Polaski.
Polaski, who served with the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War, offered a particularly personal response.
“After reading the book I have to the young man hit the events on the head, there was nothing in the book that didn’t hit home for me,” Polaski wrote in an email shared with the Guardian.
He described the manuscript as bringing back memories, nightmares and occasional laughter, adding that its portrayal of the war would resonate with veterans and their families.
Polaski said he continues attending weekly PTSD classes 56 years after his wartime service.
The family is now hoping to find a publisher for the manuscript.
Reso, the Worcester Public Library librarian who watched Sian grow from an enthusiastic young reader into a writer, has already read it.
“Two months ago, he came to me with a manuscript, and it was so emotionally packed. I wondered how a 12-year-old could pen down the emotions of parents so beautifully. I am hoping to see it in a published version soon,” she said.
A gold award, and plenty more to write
Nissam’s success has not come without encouragement from his family and teachers.
Saheera said she and her family began seeking writing competitions after recognizing his ability to express complex ideas. Last year’s Silver Award in the Commonwealth competition encouraged him to enter again.
This year’s Gold Award was especially meaningful, although his parents were disappointed to learn that his U.S. residency made him ineligible for consideration as a regional winner.
The competition was conducted online, and Nissam received his award certificate electronically rather than at an in-person ceremony.
His achievements extend beyond the Commonwealth competition. He also received a $1,000 scholarship offer toward a John Locke Institute summer program, although financial constraints prevented him from attending.
For now, he continues to study, read and write, with the encouragement of teachers, librarians, veterans and family members who have helped him along the way.
And while his latest award recognizes an essay about creating a better world, his own story is also one of collaboration: a child learning a new language, discovering a love of books and finding people willing to help him develop his voice.
In the closing lines of his winning essay, Nissam imagines the library doors finally swinging open after the children complete their charter.
“As we stepped outside, I knew we weren’t just going home; we were going back to change the world’s future,” he writes.
For a young writer with a growing collection of awards and an unpublished novel-length project already under his belt, the next chapter should be worth reading.
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