Competitions

The Leeds Writers Circle runs three competitions a year. The competitions are open to all paid-up members of the circle, and are free to enter.

The current competition is for dialogue, limited to one entry per member. The deadline for entries is June 17th. The competition will be judged by the versatile poet and novelist, Mandy Sutter. The adjudication evening will be on Monday, July 8th. This is when results will be announced and members can also receive feedback from Mandy on the submitted pieces. All are welcome.

In 500 words or less, provide a scene from your novel, or an extract from a short story in which dialogue between two or more characters occurs. What is the context and relevance of this conversation? Can you make it realistic and interesting? What does it reveal about the protagonists? Mandy is looking for convincing dialogue that enlightens the overall narrative. It’s fine to add some contextual details if you like, but not strictly necessary as in the judging she is hoping to isolate dialogue as a novel/story mechanism. She’ll be looking at everything put over in that dialogue—character, atmosphere, plot—and also at how the dialogue sits within the prose.

Full details of the competition can be downloaded here.

The Annavation Award (named after veteran member Anna Sutcliffe) is presented at the discretion of the judge to one entry which, while not necessarily being a first/second/third prizewinner, shows originality and/or innovation in writing style, content, presentation or any other facet deemed pertinent by the judge.

2019

POETRY (judged by Angela Topping)

First: Gail Mosley – My Mother’s Things

Second: Stephanie Thornton – The Girl on the Bridge

Third: Andy Armitage – The Falling Man

Annavation Award:  Marg Greenwood – The bed of Machair

 

Highly Commended:

Gill Osborne – Continuum

Sandra Burnett – Note to Silence

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SHORT STORY (judged by Martyn Bedford)

First:  David Cundall – After Farsley

Second:  Graeme Hall – A History of Chinese Tea

Third: Stephanie Thornton – Getting On

Annavation Award:  Su Ryder – Bearing It

 

Highly Commended:

Jason – Daddy’s Girl

Linda Fulton – Take Home A Masterpiece

 

Back row, left to right: Graeme Hall, David Cundall (with winner’s trophy), Judge Martyn Bedford, Jason; Front: Sue Ryder (with Annavation trophy) and Linda Fulton. (With apologies to David from the photographer for inadvertently hiding his fine features from view!)

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2018

ANYTHING GOES (judged by Andy Humphrey)

First:  Sunyi Dean – Ice Cream and English Summers

Second:  Jason – The Woman in the Shoe

Third: Peter Richardson – The Last Door

Annavation Award:  Jason Heppell

 

Highly Commended:

David Cundall – Wiikwemkoong

 

Judge Andy Humphrey (centre) with winner Sunyi Dean and third placed Peter Richardson

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POETRY (judged by Sarah Corbett)

First:  Sandra Burnett – Mayday

Second:  Charlotte Eichler – Cephalophores

Third:  Emma Storr – Seascape

Annavation Award:  Peter White – A new day is not a child of midnight

 

Commended:

Andrew Lambeth – Why the Swan

Pat Belford – Module

Gail Mosley – Single Span

2017

MONOLOGUE (judged by Paul Ratcliffe)

First:  Andrew Lambeth

Second:  Joanna Bucktrout

Third:  Su Ryder

 

Highly Commended:

Ian Harker

 

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SHORT STORY (judged by Linda Lee Welch)

First:  Peter Richardson

Second:  Linda Fulton

Third:  Ian Harker

Annavation Award: Ian Harker

 

Highly Commended:

Andrew Lambeth

Tony Rymer

 

Winner Peter Richardson pictured above with our excellent judge, Linda Lee Welch.

Winners from left to right: Andrew Lambeth (Highly Commended), Linda Fulton (Second), Ian Harker (Third plus the Annavation award) and Peter Richardson (First).

2016

SPECULATIVE FICTION (judged by Justina Robson)

First:  Graeme Hall – Read Through

Second: Paul Al-Meshall – Nyaber

Third:  Dennis Clarkson – The Chair

Annavation Award: Sarah Dodd – The Winter Queen at the Fall of the Last Leaves

 

Highly Commended:

Joanne Bucktrout – The Spirit of Ymir

 

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POETRY

First:  Gail Mosley – After the Dialogue

Second: Paul Al-Meshall – Six Week Check

Third:  Anne Watson – Counting the Days

Annavation Award: Wolf White – Storm Variations

 

Highly Commended:

Pat Belford – Escape

 

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SHORT STORY

First:  Graeme Hall – A Photograph, Creased

Second: Suzanne McArdle – The Forward Friend

Third:  Madeleine Ritzker – It’ll be dark soon

Annavation Award Wolf White – Altars of Memory

 

Highly Commended:

Olga Munroe – Thief

Gill Osborne – Ferry ‘cross the Mersey

 

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