Winter 50-Word Writing Competition 2024 – Results
Our latest free-to-enter writing competition had the loose theme of ‘Winter’ and attracted almost 300 entries, more than all our previous free-to-enter competitions combined. The range and quality of the entries, in both poetry and prose, were fantastic. Scores of entries only narrowly missed the shortlist, and we hope those who didn’t make it will find a home for their poems and stories.
We are very pleased to publish the winning entry, Circular by Stephen Ward.
Winner
Circular
by Stephen Ward
comes again, branches clawing at the cold, grey sky. Spring sneaks, then pounces. Little flowers, heads to the rising sun, rejoice. Golden summer stretches. A wisp of cloud curls listless through the endless azure. Autumn. Crispy, yellow autumn. Summoning sleep by a fire’s dwindling embers. Until, like a circle, winter
Runners-up
The judges selected the following two entries as runners-up:
Whispers of Winter by Le Huu Nguyen Vu
Proverbs 6:20-21 by L. A. Rouse
Shortlist
Here are the entries/poets that were selected for the shortlist:
Frozen Alive by Peter Kelly
Hibernation by Chris Cottom
It Happens Every Winter by Caro Robson
Snowbirds by Râna Campbell
Sparks From an Oak Log, Tumbling as The Fire Dies by Heather D Haigh
The Glass Dome by Desire Obah
The Season of Translucence by Anne Meale
The Stableyard by Letty Butler
This Christmas by Sam Ralph
Winter Happy Blue Smiles by Luckner Pierre
Thank you to everyone who entered, we didn’t anticipate so many entries. As with all our writing competitions, picking the winners and the shortlist was extremely challenging. The process is – at least to an extent – necessarily subjective and many of the entries that didn’t make it in this competition were very impressive.
If you’d like to find out about our upcoming writing competitions – both free-to-enter and those with an entry fee such as our annual Poetry Competition and Flash Fiction Competition (both with top prizes of more than £1,000) – as well as writing prompts, book recommendations and more, sign up to our newsletter. (We send one each month and will never share your email address or any other information with anyone else.)