Thanks to everyone that entered the first new themed competition for January. I really enjoyed reading all of the entries and the quality of writing was excellent.  I’m delighted to announce the first winners of the year are…

1st Place: First Time by Fiona Mackintosh

I loved how this story just jumped and crackled off the page with life, joy and hope. The imagery and sensory detail were done so well that I could taste the vinegar and feel the sea wind. A huge achievement in under 150 words.
Read It

Runner-Up: A Fresh Start by Fiona Kyle

This impressed me for how it took a story that initially seemed so full of hope and turned it into something so sad but never melodramatic. The repetition of the title in the opening and the closing lines is very poignant.
Read It

The Shortlisted Stories

• Begin Anew by Ani Popova
• Morning has broken by Emmaleene Leahy
• They said it would be a better life by Cath Barton
• The Great Escape by Sonya Oldwin
• Beginnings by Clare Dalkin
• Gooseyfoot by Sheila Blackburn
• The Weight by TL Sherwood

Many congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist. The next theme is Vanity. Send your stories by 28th February to be in with a chance of getting cash prizes and published on the website.  Enter here.