The judges have finally surfaced from beneath a healthy covering of 133 poems and 66 short stories to announce the winners in both competitions, £200 first prize and £100 second prize in each.
Poetry Competition
1st prize to Pat Murgatroyd for ‘Ghazal: In Memory Of’
2nd prize to Neil Douglas for ‘1970 After Mark Rothko’
Highly commended
Mark Totterdell for ‘Hangman Grits’
Sue Proffitt for ‘Heart’
Sandra Noel for ‘Water accepts death, though not for itself’
Stella Hervey Birrell for ‘My mother: laughing’
Chris Warren-Adamson for ‘Not Orban’s City Szekesfehervar’
Katie Griffiths for ‘Nous’
Flash Fiction Competition
1st prize to Jacky Taylor for ‘At the Water’s Edge’
2nd prize to Sarah Leavesley for ‘The Crown’
Highly commended
Maria O’Brien for ‘A feather falls at her feet’
Shaun Aston for ‘All Hallows Eve’
Emma Mather for ‘First Love Metamorphosis’
Martin Barker for ‘The Cloud Cutter and the Painter of Butterflies’
Congratulations to everyone and thank you to everyone who entered. Both judges were very complimentary about the standard of entries.
Winning entries will be read out as part of The Vic Awards ceremony on the closing night of the Festival, Saturday 9th March.
All details for the festival can be found here https://www.thevictoriainstitute.com/literary-festival/