A business idea that sprang from a student’s passion for reading has earned a prestigious educational award.

The King Constantine Medal for 2023 was awarded to Marli Spriggs by Bermuda High School — which she attended — for BookSpace, a business providing affordable books to young people, and a book reviewing competition aimed at nurturing a love for reading in middle school students.

It also recognised her work in the Youth Parliament and Youth Policy Working Group.

The medal is presented to students within Round Square, a community of schools committed to character education and experiential learning, who have done unusual and outstanding service work.

Established in 2021, BookSpace earned Ms Spriggs the top prize of $1,000 in the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation’s Summer Student Entrepreneurship Programme.

She then expanded her idea to include the Extraordinary Book Report Competition aimed at middle school students. Entrants choose one book out of three selected by Ms Spriggs, and they must write a report on it.

The top five winners in the two age categories, 10 to 11 and 12 to 13, receive cash prizes.

Speaking on the medal, Ms Spriggs, 18, said: “It was very unexpected. I had no idea that BHS was aware of my BookSpace achievements, so hearing them explain why I had been awarded the medal at the prize-giving felt really rewarding.

“I started BookSpace in the summer of 2021 and cannot even quantify the number of hours that I spent on it.

“I enjoyed every second, but it was rather time consuming. Even during the eight-week SSEP with the BEDC, I spent time brainstorming ideas and planning initiatives before and after the sessions.

“Additionally, when I finished and won the SSEP, I spent quite a while preparing my presentation for the Rocket Pitch.”

Rocket Pitch is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

“However, I probably spent the most time on designing and actioning the EBRC for middle schoolers, as I spent around two months pitching the idea to a plethora of companies to secure sponsorship.

“After that, I selected books and contacted various institutions for maximum buy-in.”

Ms Spriggs struck up a business partnership with the Bermuda National Library, while EBRC has received sponsorship from Cohort, Blueprint Hair Studio, Helix Bermuda and Miles Market.

BookSpace sells around 15 book titles, three of which were featured in the first competition — Hatchet, A Long Walk to Water and Hidden Figures, Young Readers Edition.

While the first competition was aimed at middle schoolers across the island, Ms Spriggs aims to expand the next one to include ages 13 to 18 so that high school students can take part.

She said: “As I've talked to more and more young people about BookSpace, I've noticed how many high schoolers who strongly enjoy reading don't get a chance to write meaningful book reviews, so I'd like to bridge this gap and accept submissions from this group as well — for some more challenging books, of course.

“It's an excellent way for them to win great prizes and find a great read that they might not have been exposed to otherwise.”

The next competition begins in mid-December for which a marketing campaign will soon be under way

Ms Spriggs said that The Vegetarian by Han Kang and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy are among her favourite titles.

Career-wise, she has a strong interest in Bermuda's insurance and reinsurance industries, whether as a corporate lawyer or an actuary.

Her two primary interests of math and social sciences are part of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics degree she is undertaking at the University of Warwick in Britain. She intends on earning a Master's degree and doing a law conversion course.

Ms Spriggs had originally intended to write a book for the SSEP, but it turned out it was not the most commercially viable option.

However, she still hopes to fulfil that ambition.

“That's the plan,” she said. “Writing is one of my favourite pastimes, so I hope to start outlining a plot for a fun novella during the Christmas break.”

Anyone interested in participating in BookSpace or entering the EBRC competition can do so by following the BookSpace Instagram page @bookspacebda for updates.