Short Story Competition
Imaginative, amusing and page-turning stories poured in from writers for this year’s Short Story competition.
First prize is £750, with £300 and £200 for second and third-placed entrants.
There is also £100 for the best local author.
We are delighted to announce the 2025 Short Story Shortlist
A Casual Dismemberment – Lynn Bushell
Developing in the Dark – Timothy Collyer
My Father The Contortionist – Matt Thomas
No Pit Pony – David Mathews
Cooped – Sara Sheldrake
Along Came A Spider – Myra Scott
Belongings – Nicky Denovan
Huffer Puffer – Fiona Anderson
Tigerskin – Maddy Casey
Without Her Here – Lucille Agapov
An Interview with Tommy Flint – Tim Schofield
Dancing with Tanks – Paul Barnett
Homo Errata – Sharjes Mohammed
Snafu – Lior Blum
The Blue Note – Gerwyn Moseley
Hard to Know – Edell Dwyer
The Last Dictionary of Living Things – Joshua Sang
Mortgaging Your Castle In The Air – Jon Gowlland
The Cade Lamb – Issy Halpin
Courgette Soup – Paul Toolan
Life In These Bays – David Missen
Elvira Says – Simon Rowe
The View From The Window – Lynda Pearce
The Executioners – Louise Brakspear
True Blue – Terry Lowell
Prize Giving and Poetry Reading take place on Monday 20 October starting at 2pm as part of the Festival.
Tickets to this event are free but seats can be reserved through Cedars Hall.
Short Story Judge 2025
Judith Heneghan
Judith is a writer and lecturer. In her early twenties she lived and worked in a community alongside people with learning disabilities near Dover. Later she worked as a commissioning editor before spending several years in Ukraine and Russia.
Judith currently leads the MA Creative Writing at the University of Winchester. Her first novel for adults, Snegurochka is set in Kyiv and was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards. Her second novel, Birdeye is set in upstate New York. She has also written extensively for young readers.