Writer of the Year Competition: WOTY 2021 Winners

After another great field of entries we are delighted to announce the winners of WOTY 2021. Many thanks to our judge Russell Jones who has provided brief notes on each winning entry.
You can see the list of winners on the Writer of the Year Page.

Prose

1st: (And overall winner): The Maiden and the Hare, Margaret Evans
This was a compact, visceral story full of evocative details which felt real whilst also captivating with dark fairytale-like elements. The story gripped me from start to finish, combining the sensual with the sinister, the extraordinary with the everyday, hope with darkness. It does so much in a small space.


2nd: A Dream About a Snake, Yvonne Dalziel
This story was a masterclass in how to utilize evocative turns of phrase, consistently surprising the reader with remarkable details and characters, and a great sense of humour.


3rd: A Holiday Dip, Graham Leake
A structurally experimental story which forces the reader to consider their own bias, and the bias of perspective in storytelling, making it unique and memorable.

Poetry

1st: Mind Maps, Jock Stein 
A poem with an abundance of evocative language and imagery, this piece built to a meditation on the values of learning and nescience which invites the reader to reread and re-explore.


2nd Recognition, Mike Davenport 
This emotional piece surprised with its ability to maintain intensity and control, deftly combining personal experience with a philosophic tilt (on the nature of chaos and control) in the face of adversity.


 

We had another great response to our annual Writer of the Year Competition. 53 pieces were entered this year: 29 of fiction, and 24 of poetry. The competition was judged by Claire Askew and we thank her for all her hard work in this task. Calre said: “Judging the contest was a difficult – though deeply enjoyable – task. The overall standard of entries was very high, and I was reminded of the wealth of talent that Tyne & Esk Writers has always fostered.”

You can see the list of winners on the Writer of the Year Page.

Writer of the Year Competition: WOTY 2020 Winners…

Read all the winning entries in our special edition of Scrivens.

Prose

1st – Lorna Dixon “On the Beach”

2nd – George Cunningham “The Battle O’ the Bunnet”

3rd – Billy Graham “Grains of Truth”

Highly Commended – Julia Graves “A Difficult Daughter”

Highly Commended – Moira Cormack “Leaving”

Poetry

1st – Stella Hervey Birrell “I am Radical Self Care”

2nd – Mary Johnston “Tulip”

3rd – MIke Davenport “Japanese Garden”

Highly Commended – Jock Stein “Listen to the Wind”

Highly Commended – Jeff Kemp “Time-Space Continuum”

The winners of our 2019  WOTY were as follows:

Congratulations to Mike Davenport with his winning poetry entry of “Ravens on Cul Mor, Assynt“, and to Yvonne Dalziel for her winning prose entry, “Three Added Months“. Thanks to Brian Whittingham for judging all the entries.

Thank you!

Thank you to every writer who entered the competition, thank you to everyone who thought about it but might wait till next year (go on – just try it!), thank you to the co-ordinators of each group who have encouraged members to submit an entry, and thank you to our judge…..

There were 39 entries for the competition, 17 prose and 22 poetry. What an amazing testament to the talent and willingness of Tyne and Esk Writers!

Good Luck to all who entered.

Jane

Submissions are now open for the Tyne and Esk Writer of the Year 2018 Competition. Please see WOTY Poster 2018 for more information.

The winners ceremony will be held on the 1st October at 7pm in St. John’s Church, Whitecraig.