WINNING ENTRIES
AUTUMN 2024
Congratulations to the winners of our Autumn 2024 competitions and thanks to everyone who entered. Please click on the highlighted entries below to read them and add a comment at the end if you wish.
SHORT FICTION
RUNNER-UP
JOHNNY IN AMBER By M.H. Rothery
Third place
20 YEARS OF SOLITUDE By Kevin Owen
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
RUNNER-UP
EMPTY CUP OF LONELINESS By Julian Cadman
Third place
I’M NOT SURE WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN ABOUT TEA By Hannah Retallick
POETRY
WINNER
RUNNER-UP
FROM RATTLE TO RATTLE By Cindy Pereira
Third place
AUTUMN SNOW By Oghenegare Alama Uduophori
SUMMER 2024
Congratulations to the winners of our Summer 2024 competitions and thanks to everyone who entered. Please click on the highlighted entries below to read them. You can add a comment below the work if you want to give your view about them.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
ANSWERING THE CALL By Rob Molan
RUNNER-UP
CHERRY TREES By Amanda Hill
Third place
THE METHOD By Rebecca Hurst
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
IT’S ALL BEEN ARRANGED By Taria Karillion
RUNNER-UP
BELINDA By Helen Roberts
Third place
JUST NATURE, THAT’S ALL By John K. Wilkins
POETRY
WINNER
FOUR AND ONE By Cindy Pereira
RUNNER-UP
LAST LOVE SONNET By Kevin Owen
Third place
LOOPS IN TIME By Matthew Shepherd
SPRING 2024
Congratulations to the winners of our Spring 2024 competitions and thanks to everyone who entered. Please click on the highlighted entries below to read them. You can add a comment below the work if you want to give your view about them.
We welcomed back our guest judge, author, Julian Anderson, to the selection process this season.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
SEAGULLS AND SEASHELLS By Denny Jace
RUNNER-UP
THE FIRST TIME By Colette Lynch
Third place
THE RAT SQUID OF CALAMARIS By Denarii Peters
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
UNMASKING THE TRUTH By Julian Cadman
RUNNER-UP
THE OLD BOHEMIA By Lynn Bushell
Third place
WET WEDNESDAYS By Duncan Gould
POETRY
WINNER
PLOT NIGHT By Catherine Charlotte Murray
RUNNER-UP
THREE LITTLE WORDS By Maggie Elliott
Third place
TAKE ME HOME By Cindy Pereira
WINTER 2023/24
Congratulations to the winners of our Winter 2023/24 competitions and thanks to everyone who entered. Please click on the highlighted entries below to read them. You can add a comment below the work if you want to give your view about them.
This season, our a guest judge, author, Julian Anderson, has been involved in the selection process. To read his thoughts about judging some of the winter intake, click HERE.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
MELODY’S TUNE By Cindy Pereira
RUNNER-UP
THE SPIDER By Hannah Ross
Third place
REMEMBERING MAISIE By Sinead Amirak
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
FLUFFY FURY By Claire L. Marsh
RUNNER-UP
PERCHANCE TO DREAM By Denarii Peters
Third place
BENEATH THE SURFACE By Larissa Thomson
POETRY
WINNER
PREDELICTION TO DARKNESS By Charles Kitching
RUNNER-UP
UNITS OF FORGETTING By Amit Shakar Saha
Third place
THE ENGLISH REFUGEE By Simon Beechinor
AUTUMN 2023
Congratulations to the winners of our Autumn 2023 competitions. Please click on the highlighted entries to read them. You can add a comment afterwards if you want to share your thoughts.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
KIRSTIN EXPECTS By Yvonne Birch
RUNNER-UP
AUTHENTICITY By Rob Molan
Third place
AN ACCIDENT By Holly-Mae Hancock
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
THE MAN WHO CAME TO BUY CATTLE By Ann Rhodes
RUNNER-UP
THE TREE By David Joseph
Third place
None awarded
POETRY
WINNER
FEAST By Rosie Arcane
RUNNER-UP
LAST LEGS By William Bean
Third place
WHO’S NEXT? By Stuart Byles
SUMMER 2023
Congratulations to the winners of our summer competitions. Please click on the highlighted entries to read them. You can add a comment afterwards if you want to share your thoughts.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
The Nine Lives of Billy Nightjar by Tony Kirwood
RUNNER-UP
What Goes Around by M.H.Rothery
Third place
His Story by Tom Quilter
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
Daydreamers Anonymous by Nikki Davison
RUNNER-UP
My Name is Blue by Gail Warrick Cox
Third place
The Sweetness of Plums by Larissa Thomson
POETRY
WINNER
The Tree is Still There by Sam Hendrian
RUNNER-UP
Feast by Lorna Meehan
Third place
Huo Guo by Julia Ongking
SPRING 2023
Congratulations to the winners of our spring competitions. Please click on the highlighted entries to read them. You can add a comment afterwards if you want to share your thoughts.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
Pulse by J.F.Dangarembizi
RUNNER-UP
A Long-Awaited Visit to the Square Delight by Taria Karillion
THIRD PLACE
The Deal by Michael Thompson
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
In Loving Memory by Helen Lawrence
RUNNER-UP
A Beachcomber’s Tale by Mairead Robinson
THIRD PLACE
A Woman of Virtue by Ruth Fabby
POETRY
WINNER
The Unfinished Letter by Nick Dring
RUNNER-UP
When by John Watts
THIRD PLACE
Camden in May by Abi Turner
WINTER 2022/23
Congratulations to the winners of our winter competitions. Please click on the highlighted entries to read them. You can add a comment afterwards if you want to share your thoughts.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
Find Me Here by Holly Hamp
RUNNER-UP
Where the Snowdrops Grow by Julia Wood
THIRD PLACE
Time of the Signs by M.H. Rothery
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
Liber Vetus by Harriet Watson
RUNNER-UP
You Bet Your Life! by Gail Warrick-Cox
THIRD PLACE
Lucky Escape by T.E. Samad
POETRY
WINNER
Oueuf by Fiona Dignan
RUNNER-UP
Cheshire Farm by Jennifer Phillips
THIRD PLACE
Warning Song of the Merfolk By Heather Haig
AUTUMN 2022
Congratulations to the winners of our autumn competitions. Please click on the highlighted entries to read them. You can add a comment afterwards if you want to share your thoughts.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
A Basket of Peonies by Denarii Peters
RUNNER-UP
Where I Belong by Gemma Hudson
THIRD PLACE
Karma by Zana Bonafe
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
It’s Collection Day by Lorraine Collins
RUNNER-UP
Maisie, a large Johnnie Walker and the Good Times Hotel by Maggie Sinclair
THIRD PLACE
The Reclining Buddha by Kez Wilkins
POETRY
WINNER
Waves Awake by Daniel Moreschi
RUNNER-UP
Out of Pain by Pauline Marie Santos
THIRD PLACE
Life as a pickled gherkin By Bev Aitcheson
SUMMER 2022
Congratulations to the winners of our summer competitions. Please click on the highlighted entries to read them. You can add a comment afterwards if you want to share your thoughts.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
The Bloodhead Trail by Elaine Rockett
RUNNER-UP
Confessions of a Clockwalker by Lucia Kali
THIRD PLACE
Social Shade by James Dwyer
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
Baby Love by Ellen Evers
RUNNER-UP
Jackson Creek by Gail Warrick Cox
THIRD PLACE
Okay teacher! by David Oluwatimilehin
POETRY
WINNER
Ode to Affliction by Aisling McEvoy
RUNNER-UP
The Littlest Witch by Dawn Rae
THIRD PLACE
Silence by Emily Raisin
SPRING 2022
Congratulations to the winners of our Spring competitions. Please click on the highlighted entries to read them. You can add a comment afterwards if you want to share your thoughts.
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
Show Me Where It Hurts by Adam Lock
RUNNER-UP
Just a Few Seconds by Isobel Copley
THIRD PLACE
The Life It Once Held by Marcelle Creak
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
The Proposal by Anna Ross
RUNNER-UP
The Releasing by Fiona Ritchie Walker
THIRD PLACE
Second-Best Husband by Chris Cottom
POETRY
WINNER
Full Moon by Junia Dia
RUNNER-UP
Counterpoint by B.C. Burnett
THIRD PLACE
Jasmine by Stephen Kingsnorth
WINTER 2021-22
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
GAMBLES AND BALANCES by Bruce Harris
RUNNER-UP
All The Things You Aren’t by Martin Phillips
THIRD PLACE
Sharp is the Thorn by Rachel Bedding
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
PAREIDOLIA by Rowan Evans
RUNNER-UP
Gap Year by Emma J. Myatt
THIRD PLACE
Dissonance by Darren Whitehouse
POETRY
WINNER
ENLIGHTENED CREATURES by Rachel Swabey
RUNNER-UP
Moon/ Moon’s Reply by Jeff Gallagher
THIRD PLACE
After You Encounter Loss, You Realise by Guilherme Levy Costa Cruz
AUTUMN 2021
SHORT FICTION
WINNER
Christmas Bizarre by H.B. O’Neill
RUNNER-UP
John Henry’s Fiddle by Norman Thomson
THIRD PLACE
The Boot
by Chris Kok
FLASH FICTION
WINNER
Gavin’s Thing by Susannah Cherry
RUNNER-UP
Virginia Woolf’s Reflection by Frances Valdes
THIRD PLACE
Doomsayer
By R.F. Marazas
POETRY
WINNER
RAGNAROK by Abi Turner
RUNNER-UP
Hope by Jessica Bath
THIRD PLACE
The Black Sabbath of the Carbons
By Kathy Tierney