Judge Fiona Cooper has selected her winners for the May Global Short Story Competition and writers from England have taken the honours.
The £100 first place prize goes to Bernadette Keeling, of Leeds, for Street Cornered, of which Fiona says: “This astonishing story has more twists and turns than a corkscrew, all deftly executed and convincing. Somehow, the writer has managed to cover what, on TV, would be a double episode of suspense. It is rare to find such a pacy and densely packed tale, where atmosphere and character crackle to life, and the tension is completely sustained throughout. Excellent.”
Our highly commended runner up is Esther Newton, of Thatcham, Berkshire, who wins £25 for A Special Friend. Fiona says: “Well, talk about tugging heartstrings! This is a beautiful and clearly written story, evocative in some ways, of The Lovely Bones. Saying that, the plot is original and unique and engages the reader from the first challenging sentence. Adult wickedness is a true and abhorrent reality and the effect it has on a child is different in each case. Here, there is no judgement or unnecessary dwelling on detail, just the simple truth, and one of the best endings I’ve ever read. It does tug the heartstrings, but ultimately makes a joyous melody.”
The writers on the shortlist are:
Jack Frey, Westfield, New Jersey, United States
Juliet Hill, Madrid, Spain
Paul Freeman, United Arab Emirates
Charlotte Soares
Winning stories will be posted on www.inscribemedia.co.uk Well done to our successful writers. You can enter the July competition at the same address.
John Dean
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