The time has come to announce our runners-up and our overall winner!
Here's what our judge, author Ashley Hickson-Lovence, had to say about the selected stories.
Runner-up #2: The Archer by Fraser Currie
Yusuf’s inner world comes through really clearly and overall it feels really assured, emotionally sharp and full of atmosphere, with a strong sense of character and place.
Runner-up #1: Spooky Bitch by Stephanie Torrance
The piece is confident and full of pace. It feels real, raw and strangely relatable. There is something genuinely distinctive about this.
The concept is strange in a compelling way. The narrative voice carries the reader through the somewhat surreal but still emotionally grounded. What works especially well is the domestic realism such as the fag packets, the 50ps for the telly and Gran’s swearing, with the uncanny elements of microwaving shirts, dead bodies in the living room and wings growing back. That tension between the ordinary and the extraordinary is where the piece feels most successful. The concept is strong, the voice is strong.
Winner: To Whom Am I Becoming by Aisha Okorie
The writing feels intimate, reflective and emotionally grounded, so much of this I admired. The second-person (not everyone’s favourite perspective) creates immediacy and vulnerability, especially in moments like standing barefoot in the rain or trying to sleep in snippets These small domestic details boosts the emotional stakes and adds texture. The dynamic with Yemi is handled with subtlety and warmth. The dialogue is good too. The voice is assured and compassionate which makes this a project with a lot of potential… I’m sure it has a future.
Congratulations, Aisha!
As the prize winner, Aisha will receive:
- A fully-catered 5-day Little Goat Barn writing retreat in North Wales hosted by the Ruppin Agency, with return travel included
- Mentoring sessions with judge Ashley Hickson-Lovence and OU Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing Emily Bullock
- One-to-one with Jonathan Ruppin, director of the Ruppin Agency Writers’ Studio and former literary agent
- A year-long membership to The Society of Authors
- A £200 cash prize
- A place at a Writers & Artists writing and publishing event
- A bundle of creative writing books, including the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook
Runners-up Stephanie and Fraser will also receive mentoring support from Emily Bullock and a one-to-one with Jonathan Ruppin. All shortlisted writers will be gifted a year-long membership to The Society of Authors.
Many congratulations to those writers who have been longlisted and a thank you to everyone who entered. Every will receive feedback and we are aiming to deliver this to all entrants by 18th May 2026.
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