Once again, a big thank you to the 725 writers who entered our 2024 short story competition this year.
Decisions had to be made, though, and here is this year's shortlist, made up of six entries, followed by two runner-up entries and our overall winner as selected by this year's judge, the brilliant Kirsty Logan.
Shortlist:
Service by Lauren Archer
Old Bones by Perdita Stott
Scrimshaw by RJ Franz
Bone Broth by Megan Jones
Sand and Spinach by Anne Aylor
Life Drawing by Alice Goodrich
Runners-up:
Service by Lauren Archer
What Kirsty loved about this story: The sense of a simmering, suppressed rage. I was drawn in by the setting, which felt unique but also like somewhere I've been. The characters are surprising and vividly drawn. I'd love to read more from this writer.
Old Bones by Perdita Stott
What Kirsty loved about this story: The enticing build of mystery! What will the protagonist choose? I really like the play on the selkie myth, and it's one I haven't seen before.
Winner:
Bone Broth by Megan Jones
What Kirsty loved about this story: It kept me guessing. The ending feels entirely inevitable, but also a beautiful and bittersweet surprise. It's modern, dealing with issues we're all familiar with, but also has a timeless quality. It's vividly described with a great attention to language. It feels like a modern horror story, and I loved it.
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Huge congratulations to our overall winner, Megan, who receives the fantastic prize of a place on an Arvon Foundation Writing Retreat (worth £850), our runners-up Lauren and Perdita, and also to each of the writers that made it onto the shortlist.
You'll be able to read each of the runner-up entries and this year's winning story in full by clicking on the story titles below.
And for those of you that weren't selected for this year's longlist (or have designs on entering a future competition), do keep an eye on the site for further opportunities. We run a variety of different competitions and prizes throughout the year, so be sure to check back to our Competitions page: https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/competitions
With thanks once again for trusting us with your words,
The W&A Team
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Read our winning story, Bone Broth
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