At last! Our congratulations, and thanks to everyone from all around the world, who supported our competition. You can hear an audio recording of the announcement here…

The results were as follows.

First Place

Hashmi-al-Haseeb Faisal – We only Had One Religion

Hashmi-al-Haseeb Faisal is a Pakistani poet and multi-disciplinary artist of Arab-Persian descent, born and raised in Multan—a city renowned for its Sufi heritage. He writes in both English and Urdu, blending archaic diction, classical imagery, and philosophical depth with contemporary themes. A student of Human Nutrition and Dietetics in Bahauddin Zakariya University, he has won more than 25 national literary competitions. His influences include Iqbal, Ghalib, Tennyson, and Eliot.

Second Place

Stuart Wilks-Heeg – Sniggery Wood

Stuart Wilks-Heeg has recently begun writing fiction. In his other life, he is a Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool. He lives in Crosby, Merseyside and, from 2023-25, he was the stadium announcer for Marine Football Club.

Shortlisted

Fay Dickinson – Austentatious Dames

Fay has had a number of writing successes and a much greater number of rejections!  She has now retired and wonders how she ever had time to go to work.  Fay is concerned about environmental issues and is keenly green.

Celia Gatward – Missing

Celia Gatward is a passionate writer who loves crafting worlds and bringing characters to life. With a professional background in marketing and media, she has always found time to immerse herself in storytelling. Her writing has been featured in The Swan Theatre’s New Playwright Festival, and she has written three radio plays for Upstage Surrey Theatre Company, with another currently in production and a live stage play scheduled for 2026. Alongside her dramatic writing, Celia enjoys exploring short stories and poetry and continues to develop a children’s novel that she hopes will one day find its way to publication.

Benjamin Graham – Why Don’t You Just Keep Going

Born in a former mining community in Durham, England, Ben’s love of literature grew from reading the works of Joyce, Hemingway, Ginsberg and several other writers a teenage boy should really have no interest in reading.

After several years struggling to pay rent as a freelance journalist, Ben became a copywriter and editor in Edinburgh. He now divides his time between writing, reading, and frequenting the drinking establishments of renowned Edinburgh authors in the hope of finding some clue to their genius or, failing that, a good dram of whisky.

Katie Weatherford – Dust to Dust

Katie Weatherford is an actress, writer, and director. She has been telling stories since she was a child. In 2023, she wrote and directed an award-winning short film, “The Murder Party: Offering Unconventional Solutions to Heartbreak.”

Katie is passionate about the art of creation and creating with kindness.

Read some of the stories here.