We've had an overwhelming response this year - better than ever before. With nearly 3,000 entries of an extremely high standard, our judge has had her work cut out trying to narrow down so many great entries. Thank you to everyone who submitted their work!
However, tough as they were, decisions have had to be made.
The shortlist of writers whose stories are being considered for a cash prize of £500 and a place at an Arvon writing course are as follows:
The Visit by Nathan Indarsingh
Substitute by D J Prince
The Quack Seat by Jonathan Smith
Just Visiting by Kelly Snow
Fallen 1 by Bernadette Steadman
When Sleeping by Vanessa Wilson
A Visitor by Kevin Franke
Minute Music by Amanda Oosthuizen
Visit to the Oracle by Don Nixon
The Visit by Kate Sheehy
The winner and two runners-up will be announced here a week from today - on Friday 28th March. Good luck to everyone on the shortlist and again, thank you for such a positive response. It's a privilege for us to read the work of so many keen writers.
Hi all,
Thanks for your comments and lovely to read all of your best wishes going out to those on the shortlist. Unfortunately, however, only the winner and two runners up will be made available to read on the site. You'll be able to read them alongside comments from Roshi Fernando on Friday.
Thanks,
The W&A Team.
Congratulations all.
Leanne, I don't think training or university makes any difference to writing. It comes from the heart, not from academia.
Congratulations to all those who made it the short list. I thought I'd be disappointed that I didn't make it, but I am in the process of collecting enough short stories to make into a book, and entering competitions, gives me the drive to take time off from working on the second novel in my high fantasy Gulu Naami series. I already have seven published stories and my publisher wants 12 to make into a book. Now I have two more, that I entered for competitions. :)
The first book in my high fantasy Gulu Naami series got featured in the papers today, so that's a high!
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/a-different-journey/article5823519.ece