THE WRITERS' COLLEGE
Short Story Competition
Proudly Supporting Emerging Writers
Now Closed for Entries.
Winners will be Announced 15 November.
Winners Announced!
THEME FOR 2025
All the things we didn't learn
THEME FOR 2025
All the things we didn't learn
Calling All Emerging Writers From Around the World!
Think you’ve got a story worth telling?
The Writers' College Short Story Competition is your chance to prove it! We're on the lookout for fresh, original voices in fiction.
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Open to unpublished writers or those with fewer than four publications, from any country.
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Win cash prizes, industry recognition, and a chance to impress our expert judges.
THE LONGLIST
We are thrilled to announce our longlisted entrants. With almost 700 entries received, our judges have worked extremely hard to select our top 25. Congratulations to these talented writers who now advance to the final judging round with award-winning authors Alex Smith, Sonny Whitelaw and Lorraine Forrest-Turner.
Visit our website on 15 November to see the winners and the lists for Highest Honours, Honours, Honourable Mentions, and ‘More Stories We Loved,’ where we celebrate an additional 70 remarkable writers.
In no particular order, here are our top 25 stories:
‘Tally’ – by Helen le Roux
‘Deirfiúracha’ – by Annie Archer
‘The Perfection of Galatea’ – by Zac Sherman
‘Exit Stage Left’ – by Tristan Grant-Preece
‘i am who i am’ – by Ross Ian Fleming
‘What Comes Next’ – by Emily Charlton
‘As We Wind Down the Road’ – by Juliet Slattery
‘Inside and Out’ – by Chris Hedley
‘Fern-based Existentialism’ – by Imogen Rimmer
‘Eucharist’ – by Haley Vuleta
‘You Alright, Boy?’ – by Joseph Janiszewski
‘Something Like Guilt’ – by Christian Emecheta
‘Teddy’ – by Temara Randell
‘Cigarette Kingdom’ – by Sarah Benton
‘Gangland’ – by Katharina Kischisch
‘Dear You’ – by Alisha Khan
‘You Are So Beautiful’ – by Kate Southwood
‘Protocol Unknown’ – by Stephanie Hurley
‘Seeking Heaven’ – by Fungai Muswerakuenda
‘Ohio Calling’ – by Jamila Toussaint
‘Passing Through’ – by Gillian Breckell
‘Six Red’ – by Jody Kim Fortuin
‘Adrift’ – by Taryn Hochstrasser
‘The Milk Carton’ – by Yuri Nakamura
‘After the Bloom’ – by Trey Montgomery
THE WINNERS
Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Writers College Short Story Competition!
This year’s theme, ‘All the things we didn’t learn’, inspired remarkable and diverse stories from around the world.
The top stories displayed an exceptional range of originality and emotional depth. They combined authentic character development with inventive plots that drew in their readers.
FIRST PLACE:
‘You Alright, Boy?’ – by Joseph Janiszewski
RUNNER-UP:
‘As We Wind Down the Road’ – by Juliet Slattery
THIRD PLACE:
‘The Perfection of Galatea’ – by Zac Sherman
In fourth place is ‘Deirfiúracha’, written by Annie Archer
In fifth place is ‘Tally’, written by Helen le Roux
And in sixth place is ‘‘i am who i am’ – by Ross Ian Fleming
Read the judges’ comments below, as well as the top three stories, the Highest Honours, Honours, Honourable Mention and ‘More Stories We Loved’ results lists. We look forward to seeing these writers rise up in the rankings in competitions to come.
A huge well done to everyone who entered this year. See you in 2026!
HIGHEST HONOURS
These stories stood out for their originality, depth and emotional impact. They combined strong narrative structure, innovative plots and complex character development, fully realising the theme.
In no particular order:
‘Exit Stage Left’ – by Tristan Grant-Preece
‘What Comes Next’ – by Emily Charlton
‘Inside and Out’ – by Chris Hedley
‘Fern-based Existentialism’ – by Imogen Rimmer
‘Eucharist’ – by Haley Vuleta
‘Something Like Guilt’ – by Christian Emecheta
‘Teddy’ – by Temara Randell
‘Cigarette Kingdom’ – by Sarah Benton
‘Gangland’ – by Katharina Kischisch
‘Dear You’ – by Alisha Khan
‘You Are So Beautiful’ – by Kate Southwood
‘Protocol Unknown’ – by Stephanie Hurley
‘Seeking Heaven’ – by Fungai Muswerakuenda
‘Ohio Calling’ – by Jamila Toussaint
‘Passing Through’ – by Gillian Breckell
‘Six Red’ – by Jody Kim Fortuin
‘Adrift’ – by Taryn Hochstrasser
‘The Milk Carton’ – by Yuri Nakamura
‘After the Bloom’ – by Trey Montgomery
HONOURS
The following stories stood out for their clear prose, compelling characters and a strong command of literary techniques.
In no particular order:
‘The Inheritance of What Stays’ – by Philip Luke
‘Remembering the River Cam’ – by François Wiid
‘In the Dark’ – by Chanté le Roux
‘Smokin’ Sadie’ – by Rosemary Cole
‘Who Holy Fools’ – by David Thesen
‘From Wellington with Love’ – by Damilola Oyindamola Afolayan
‘Laika’ – by Alice E. Bennett
‘The Dust Beneath Our Desks’ – by Natasha Gurure
‘It Wasn’t Like in the Movies’ – by Catriona Findlay
‘Arthur Biddleston’s Lucky Break’ – by Hilary Feeney
‘Membrane’ – by Lily Bland
‘To Love a Crooked Thing’ – by Kamogelo Tselane Mashilo
‘Mr Swipe Right’ – by Mary Murray Bartolomé
‘Something Happens When You Are 10’ – by Tshegofatso Kunene
‘Fringe’ – by MJ Skinner
‘The Girl in the Mirror’ – by Hunter Morris-McCauley
‘Morning Star’ – by Hannah Higginson
‘Tuesday’ – by Maheshwari Panchavaktra
‘The Last Lesson’ – by John Keith Anderson Holland
‘Watching Paint Die’ – by Asanda Mthethwa
‘Everything’s Unfair in Love and War’ – by Hana Jain
‘The Letters He Never Sent’ – by A. C. Kumar
‘Appu’ – by Niranjana A. V.
‘What the House Knew’ – by Sumana Brahman
‘The Archivist’s Silence’ – by Wapalwa Macaria Musaba
‘Seasonal Societal Norms vs Counter Culture Living’ – by J. Hamilton
‘The 57’ – by Omolayo Olamilekan
‘Help Wanted’ – by Jax Graybill
HONOURABLE MENTION
Stories in this category exhibited potential, showcasing promise in imagination, character dynamics and thematic exploration.
In no particular order:
‘Let’s Forget Tonight’ – by Nicolette Nieuwoudt
‘Stare’ – by Tara Thor
‘Back to School’ – by William Watt
‘Thaw’ – by Belle Biscotti
‘The Box in the Loft’ – by Dimakatso Lin Maphoso
‘Family Legacy’ – by Liezl van Rooyen
‘Therese and the Dragon’ – by C. Lewis Rees
‘A Pocketful of Coins, a Heart Full of Butterflies’ – by Angela Wu
‘In the Space Where a Name Was Erased’ – by Luke Liu
‘Chair Tombs on the Hill: What We Buried, What We Broke’ – by Zhonghan
‘Blinding Starlight’ – by Joyce Onyemuche
‘The Prequel’ – by Finnegan Sol
‘What the Shards Remember’ – by Oisin Wren
‘Imprints’ – by Alice Shaw
‘A Dead Cert’ – by A. D. Anderson
‘What We Inherit’ – by Lamees Rahaman
‘Judgement Day’ – by Catherine Ferguson
‘The New Life’ – by Haley Kelsey
‘Backstroke’ – by Ahana Nayak
‘Keep Holding My Hand’ – by Jenna Titmus
‘Seeds We Never Planted’ – by Mwewa Mwaba Kashell
‘The Boy’s Petal’ – by Mes Nice
‘The Maple Leaf’ – by Joshua Kepfer
‘Julian and Phillip’ – by Heather Holdaway
‘I Never Was’ – by Samantha Maposa
‘When the Comet Comes’ – by Solmaz Rezaei
‘The Silent’ – by Jessica Hayward
‘To Be Seen’ – by Tehreem Anwar
‘The Flag That Once Was’ – by Adam Borzik
‘The Four O’clock Tram’ – by Ahmad Azzam
‘Home-coming’ – by Vinay Khandelwal
‘To Dust: The Last Days of Gyanati (Prologue)’ – by Emmanuella Adams Odeje
‘The Art to Handling Grief’ – by Trinity Bryson
‘Stuck on Repeat’ – by Frances Harrison
‘Summer Girls’ – by Anna Grady
‘Animal’ – by Grace Forsyth
‘Baby Blues’ – by Nellie Cook
MORE STORIES WE LOVED
These stories resonated with the judges for unique perspectives, unusual settings, or unexpected emotional impact. While they may need further polishing, they captured the judges’ attention with undeniable charm.
In no particular order:
‘We Who Bear the Unspoken’ – by Katie Everest
‘The Pearl Club’ – by J. V. Favarulo
‘Cryptodepression’ – by Dandar Rampilov
‘Tides’ – by Fatimah Akanbi
‘The Butterfly Sanctuary’ – by Nondumiso Zondi
‘Arabesque and Erie’ – by Ellen Bernstein
‘The Orphan’ – by Jess Boyd
‘His Black Box’ – by Claire Maley
‘The Last Rhino’ – by Olive Shaw
‘The Syllabus of Missing Lessons’ – by Bella Chacha
‘Where the Dust Settles’ – by Sakariyah Ridwanullah
‘The Question Game’ – by Annelies Ondersma
‘Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus!’ – by Faye Khoushinsky
‘The Suitcase’ – by Lomso Mvunelo
‘The Aviator’s Dream’ – by Niran Zuo
‘A Story of Kade & Mohun’ – by Liaam Rose
‘Like It’s That Simple’ – by Morgan Barraclough
‘Every Evening, I Die’ – by Pooja Poudel
‘Every Act Returns’ – by Helen Thompson
‘Paper Cranes’ – by Isobel Brook
‘The Parent-Teacher Conference’ – by Marina Kozareva
‘Why Must Things End?’ – by Henry Grace
‘Bike Burn’ – by T. J. Diedrick
‘Before the Forgetting’ – by Brianna Smith
‘Seconds’ – by Vaughan Hoy
‘Beautiful Bones’ – by Zoe Lelevich
‘Fallen Star, Hateful Sun: A Woman’s Life That Had Just Begun’ – by Lilah Kuhia
‘Red Flags’ – by Rugare Nyamhunga
‘Faces: A City That Swallowed Its Own’ – by Scelo Mdladla
‘Luck at a Cost’ – by Sekutupu Pretty Kubayi
‘The Night Treatment’ – by Jacques Smith
‘The Floating Man’ – by A. J. Coates
‘By Omission’ – by Kwazi Zondo
‘This is Not a Metaphor’ – by Meghan Brown
‘The Inherited Hand’ – by Daniel William Scott
‘When the Ice Thaws’ – by Isabella Dondero
‘Melodies of the Downpour’ – by Jesly Joseph
‘Aituā’s Lesson’ – by Rosalie Matthews
‘Ever Seeing, Never Perceiving’ – by Murunwa Masipala
‘Beyond Knowledge’ – by Priscilla Eisner
‘703’ – by Alfonsina Muñoz
‘Something Like Recognition’ – by Maeve Solva
‘Things I’ll Never Forget’ – by Bek López
‘When I Lost My Crown’ – by Nnedimma Okoli
‘A House Without Mae’ – by Sofia Read
‘Public Transport’ – by Tom Clayton
‘UnGhost Girl’ – by Aliye Okay
‘Beneath the Skin’ – by Zara Pearce
‘Love and What Else?’ – by Hannah Hoyle
‘The Cabin’ – by Hoda Jebellie
‘And the Last Petal Falls’ – by Contrite Standtrue
‘The Jar in the Crawl Space’ – by Liam Cohen
A huge thank you to our judges Karen Jeynes, Alex Smith, Lorraine Forrest-Turner and Sonny Whitelaw, for their hard work, passion and dedication to the art of writing.
Our 2026 competition will open in February. Please check this page for more details then.
The judges’ ratings and comments for the top three stories
First Place
'You Alright, Boy?'
by Joseph Janiszewski
Judges’ comments
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This remarkable story stayed with me long after I’d read it. While I have no personal experience of Manny’s life, the writing is so immersive that I was totally involved from the first sentence to the last. I was particularly impressed with the author’s economic use of language. Simple statements such as “Toaster don’t work too good after dad swung it at mum once. By the cord.” and “We leave her alone on Fridays.” say so much in so few words. Genius. Often even exceptional stories have disappointing endings. This ending was bang on right for this all too true tale. Lorraine Forrest-Turner
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A compelling window into the world of a physically and emotionally bruised teen. Wonderful characterisation. And congratulations on nailing Manny’s voice without losing the reader. Any ‘unfamiliar’ (to my generation) words or phrases don’t throw the reader from the story because they are easy to understand in context. The ending is unexpected, and yet, it’s that camaraderie of broken lives that works so well. Sonny Whitelaw
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Vivid and gritty, with brilliant detailing. Puts the reader into the narrator’s head and life. Memorable creation of the kid’s point of view through language and phrasing that recreate his headspace. Alex Smith
The Runner-up
'As We Wind Down the Road'
by Juliet Slattery
Judges’ comments
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This is a beautifully written story about a subject I can easily relate to. The author perfectly captured Ted’s frustration with his friends ‘selling out’ before coming to realise that his poor life choices lost him the things that were most dear to him. I loved the way we felt the exhaustion in Ted without the writer having to say “Ted was exhausted”. Perfect example of show don’t tell. Lorraine Forrest-Turner
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Story is about people, and this is a very human story. Ted stays in character throughout. Sad, depressing, in some ways, but an exceptional character piece that grabbed me on multiple levels. The complex aspirations of my (Baby Boomer) generation, often abandoned for the practical realities of living an economics-driven society. The moments of joy in their child’s wonder of the world, not recognised. Stories don’t need to have happy endings, but they do need to grab the reader’s emotions. This does that in spades. Sonny Whitelaw
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The beautiful descriptions and melancholic atmosphere draw the reader in to this series of memories of lessons not learned with a poignant ending. The moon on the sea is a memorable image. Alex Smith
Third Place
'The Perfection of Galatea'
by Zac Sherman
Judges’ comments
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This is a clever take on the original Greek myth of Pygmalion becoming obsessed by the statue of a woman he created. The opening was intriguing and the story kept me engaged throughout. I particularly enjoyed the references to the crab and its shell. The ending too worked extremely well. Did our protagonist want to save or destroy her creator? Lorraine Forrest-Turner
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A beautifully crafted spec fic story with excellent characterisation. I love how you have taken one of Ovid’s poems, using the tropes of Greek mythology and with it, Speculative Fiction (and increasing real-world fear of robots and AI becoming self-aware) and merged it with a flawed human love that’s based on power and dominance. It’s a very human/flawed attribute that all creators have: to continuously seek perfection. Thus, Galatea must inherit the same human attributes. One of the failings I have as a spec fic writer and judge is that I found the ending predictable. That is in no way a criticism because all the elements to reach that ending were crafted as finely as the story itself. Sonny Whitelaw
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A very original, somewhat grizzly, reflection on creation and creativity with a fascinating narrator. Alex Smith
Win cash prizes for unforgettable storytelling!
SECOND PRIZE
NZ$ 500
And publication in an anthology of winning stories
FIRST PRIZE
NZ$ 1 000
And publication in an anthology of winning stories
THIRD PRIZE
NZ$ 250
And publication in an anthology of winning stories
FIRST PRIZE
NZ$ 1 000
And publication in an anthology of winning stories
SECOND PRIZE
NZ$ 500
And publication in an anthology of winning stories
THIRD PRIZE
NZ$ 250
And publication in an anthology of winning stories
The top three winners receive editorial comments on their submitted works.
THE JUDGES:
Our team of award-winning authors who are judging the 2025 Short Story Competition are:
Tania Hutley
Tania Hutley started her literary career by writing short stories and has been a runner up in New Zealand’s two most prestigious short story competitions, the Katherine Mansfield Awards and the Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition. In 2010 she won the Page and Blackmore National Short Story Award.
After branching out into novel writing, she published two middle-grade chapter books for children. Then she wrote the Skin Hunter science fiction trilogy, and co-wrote The Trouble With Witches urban fantasy series. Under the pen name Talia Hunter, she has also published eleven contemporary romance and romantic comedy novels and even made the USA Today Bestsellers List.
Though Tania started off with traditional publishers, she’s now enthusiastic about self-publishing and the control it gives to authors.
She was born in New Zealand, but has recently moved to Australia where she’s constantly amazed and not at all freaked out by the weird and wonderful critters. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her with a glass of wine, a good book, and a jumbo-sized can of bug spray.
Sonny Whitelaw
Sonny Whitelaw has enjoyed a successful career as a writer for over 30 years. Her work as a photojournalist has appeared in dozens of international magazines, including National Geographic.
She won a Draco Award for her first novel, The Rhesus Factor, and all eight of her novels, including five based on the television series Stargate, have been international bestsellers.
A qualified adult educator with an MA in Creative Writing, Sonny taught writing courses to adults and teenagers in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. In 2008, she moved with her teenage son to a small lifestyle property in Oxford, Canterbury.
When she’s not having an enormous amount of fun exploring the South Island, Sonny splits her time between researching and writing scientific reports, editing fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, and working on her own exciting young adult science fantasy series called The Runes of Creation. Find out more about this series on her website.
Sonny tutors the Write a Novel Course, the Literary Short and Flash Fiction Course and the Advanced Novel Writing Course.
Andrew Salomon
Andrew Salomon is an award-winning author. His debut novel Tokoloshe Song was shortlisted for the Terry Pratchett First Novel Award.
Additionally, his short fiction has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. He has also received the PEN Literary Award for African Fiction and the Short.Sharp.Stories Award.
Andrew is the author of the young adult thrillers The Chrysalis and Wonderbear. His latest novel is the dark fantasy thriller The Equilibrist. He completed an MA at the Institute for Archaeology at University College London. Some of his most memorable experiences have been at rock painting and engraving sites in subterranean caves and shelters across the world. These often find their way into his fiction.
Andrew tutors several courses at The Writers College, including the Write a Novel Course, the Advanced Novel Writing Course and the Advanced Short Story Writing Course.
Alex Smith
Alex Smith is the award-winning author of five novels: Algeria’s Way, Drinking from the Dragon’s Well, Four Drunk Beauties, Devilskein & Dearlove (published by Random House/Umuzi) and Agency Blue (published by Tafelberg).
Her work has received widespread acclaim. Drinking from the Dragon’s Well was longlisted for the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award and Devilskein & Dearlove was nominated for the 2015 CILIP Carnegie Medal in the UK. Agency Blue won a Sanlam Youth Literature Award, while Four Drunk Beauties won the Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award.
Alex tutors the Novel Writing Course, the Advanced Novel Writing Course, the Advanced Short Story Writing Course and the Grammar Skills Course, sharing her knowledge and expertise with students of all skill levels.
Karen Jeynes
Karen has won numerous awards and nominations for her co-writing of TV series, including two Emmy nominations for Best TV Comedy. Currently, she is the head writer for Both Worlds Productions, overseeing ZANews: Puppet Nation (winner of 22 South African Film and Television Awards and two Writer’s Guild of South Africa Awards for Best TV Comedy), as well as Point of Order (SAFTA winner for Best Game Show in 2017), Comedy Central News and Parlement Parlement.
Lorraine Forrest-Turner
Lorraine Forrest-Turner has been writing professionally for over 30 years. As well as writing PR and marketing content for business, she also writes short stories and stage plays.
Two of her plays (Seven Stages of an Affair and To Have and to Hold) are published by Samuel French and three (Dear Lily, Bank Holiday Mondays and Other Ways to Kill a Marriage and Three’s Company) are published by Lazy Bee Scripts.
Many of her short stories have been published in fiction and women’s magazines. These include Planting Primroses in Potholes in Yours Fiction, Getting on with Freya in Take a Moment, and First Dance in Royal Marsden Hospital Magazine.
Her stage plays have won numerous awards and have been performed throughout the UK. These include Sparks at the Cockpit Theatre, London, Isosceles at the ABC Theatre in Cambridge, and Spin at the Kenton Theatre in Henley.
Lorraine has recently rewritten her stage play To Have and to Hold as a film script. It is currently in production. Her book of short stories 13:22 and other stories is published on Amazon.
Competition Rules
Who Can Enter
This competition is designed to support beginner writers aged 16 and up from any country. We accept entries from writers who:
- Have never been published or
- Have been published four or fewer times in any genre (fiction or non-fiction), in any publication (paid or unpaid).
If you have had more than four pieces published, you are not eligible to enter.
Not eligible:
- Journalists, copywriters, web writers, or content writers.
- Writers who have ever earned a living from writing, even if it was decades ago.
Exceptions:
- Unpaid articles for community or workplace newsletters or blogs with a circulation of under 5,000 do not count as published work.
What to Submit
- Story length: Maximum 2,000 words.
- Word count limit: If your story exceeds the word count by more than 50 words, it will not be considered.
- Theme for 2025: All the things we didn’t learn.
- Writers are free to interpret the theme in any way they choose.
- The exact phrase “All the things we didn’t learn” must appear somewhere in the story.
- Writers must create their own title.
- Genres accepted: All genres are welcome (literary, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction). However, literary fiction tends to perform best with our judges.
Entry Requirements
- Only one story per entrant.
- Entries must be written in English.
- Stories must be original and unpublished (including online).
- Entrants must have written the story 100% themselves.
Competition Timeline
- Free entry deadline: 30 June 2025 (midnight, UTC).
- Paid entry period: After 30 June, a $15 entry fee applies.
- Final deadline: 30 September 2025.
- Longlist announcement: 31 October 2025.
- Winners announced: 15 November 2025 (published on our website).
Prizes and Publication
- Winners will be notified by email and announced on our website.
- Prize money will be paid via electronic transfer or PayPal.
- Writers retain copyright but grant permission for their story to be published on our website and in an anthology.
Important Notes
- The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
- If you do not receive an entry confirmation within three working days, please re-send it. Your submission may have been lost in transit.
- No generative AI (ChatGPT, etc.) may be used. If a story appears to be AI-generated, it will be disqualified, and the author will be banned from future competitions.
- Submission fees are non-refundable. Please ensure you wish to enter before submitting.
How to Submit Your Entry
We only accept email submissions. Follow these steps to ensure your entry is correctly formatted and considered for judging.
- Email Submission Guidelines
- Copy and paste your story into the body of the email AND attach it as a Word document (.doc or .docx).
- Use the subject line: The 2025 Writers’ College Short Story Competition.
- Once you have paid the entry fee, you will receive the submission email address.
- Entry Requirements
- Title your story uniquely – do not use the competition theme as your title.
- In your email, include:
- Your story’s title and your name (e.g. Once Upon a Time – by John Smith).
- The following declaration:
“I declare that this is my own work, 100% unassisted by generative AI (such as ChatGPT etc.), and I have been published in a mainstream print or online publication fewer than four times.”
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- Your word count.
- Your word count.
- Formatting Guidelines
- Do not include your name anywhere in the story document – entries are judged blind.
- Use a readable font (Arial or Times New Roman, size 12 or larger).
- Line spacing should be 1.5 or double.
- Instead of indenting paragraphs, leave a clear line between them.
- If a formatting detail is not specified here, it means we’re flexible – story quality matters most.
- Winners will be required to provide valid proof of identity.
- Make sure your story has been edited and polished according to tips and guidelines provided on our college site under “Writing Resources”, or on our webzine. Read these:
Entry Fee
Earlybird Concession
Entry is free up until 30 June 2025. Thereafter, a $15 fee will be charged per entry.
Fee
Blurb here.
You will be directed to the Submissions page once your transaction has been completed. Remember to make a note of your transaction number or proof of payment, this is required when you make your submission.
Alternatively, you can pay via bank transfer:
- Bank – TSB
- Account name: NZ Writers College Limited
- Account number: 15-3978-0102938-80
Please use the name that will appear on your entry as a reference. We will then contact you with the submission details.
Download our Free Anthologies
Click on a cover to download our free anthologies that showcase the winning stories from past competitions in South Africa and New Zealand (+/- 1MB). Since 2023, the competition has opened to international entries.
Past Winners of the The Writers College Short Story Competition
We would like to acknowledge the past winners of our Short Story Competitions.
2025
First Place: ‘You Alright, Boy?’ – by Joseph Janiszewski
Runner-up: ‘As We Wind Down the Road’ – by Juliet Slattery
Third place: ‘The Perfection of Galatea’ – by Zac Sherman
2024
First Place: ‘The Hypotheticals’ – by Risima Mashila
Runner-up: ‘The Keeper of Knowledge’ – by Karla Harris
Third place: ‘Lego Baby’ – by David Missen
2023
First Place: ‘Return to Court’ – by Taki Scordis
Runner-up: ‘The People of Colour’ – by Ross Fleming
Third place: ‘The Time Love Was Good to Me, or: How I Came to Grow Apples’– by Travis Inglis
2021
First Place: ‘The Trolley Ladies’ by Jess Aitken
Runner-up: ‘The Bridge’ by John Tipper
Third place: ‘With Love: From Me to You’ by Christopher Reed
2020
First Place: ‘Drainpipe’ by Akshata Rao
Runner-up: ‘let it be. waiho’ by Christopher Reed
Third place: ‘Paper Planes’ by Hannah Woolhouse
2019
First Place: ‘Meat’ by Nicky Taylor
Runner-up: ‘The Long White Cloud’ by Toakahu Pere
Third place: ‘Truth-Telling’ by Nicola Bentley
2018
First Place: ‘Crabs’ by Moira Lomas
Runner-up: ‘Golden’ by R. L. Jeffs
Third place: ‘Thunderstorm’ by Mary Francis
2017
First Place: ‘White Boy Wonder’ by Victoria Louise Lawrence
Runner-up: ‘The Hole’ by Regan Drew Barsdell
Third place: ‘Alan Matsumoto’ by Paul M. Clark
2016
First Place: ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ by Suzanne Main
Runner-up: ‘Moving Patterns’ by Nicholas Buck
Third place: ‘A Handful of Dust’ by Madeline Dew
2015
First Place: ‘Aroha’ by Jeff Taylor
Runner-up: ‘Out to Sea’ by James MacTaggart
Third place: ‘Contractual Remedies’ by Barnaby McIntosh
2014
First Place: ‘Norman’s Letter’ by Lizzie Nelson
Runner-up: ‘Being a Ghost’ by Abby Jackson
Third place: ‘Other People’s Lives’ by Ruth L. Jeffs
2013
First Place: ‘The President, the Ski-Instructor and the Watermelon’ by Jade du Preez
Runner-up: ‘The Invisible Woman’ by Lizzie Nelson
Third place: ‘Not My Daughter’ by Monique Reymer
2012
First Place: ‘The Barrier’ by Timothy McGiven
Runner-up: ‘A Certain Hardness’ by Collin Minnaar
Third place: ‘Gravity’ by Andy Evans
2011
First Place: ‘Regrets’ by Aaron Ure
Runner-up: ‘The Effects of Cancellation’ by Sacha Norrie
Joint Third place: ‘Careless Driving’ by Stephanie Attwood, and ‘Milk and Two Sugars’ by David Hamilton
2010
First Place: ‘Tell Me About the Love of Your Life’ by Feby Idrus
Runner-up: ‘Expunge’ by John Drennan
Third place: ‘The Bridge’ by Tony Wi