Bournemouth Writing Prize 2021 longlist

Please forgive a little trumpet blowing. It’s been quite a while since I’ve entered any competitions, and even longer since one of my entries placed, so it was a very nice surprise this evening to stumble across the longlist for the Bournemouth Writing Prize for Short Story 2021, only to discover a story of mine on it.

‘A Guide to Keeping Birds’ is a tale I’m particularly fond of, so I’m really chuffed it’s made it this far. Judging is ongoing to determine the shortlist and winner, with the results due next week.

The competition is run by Fresher Publishing, a small publishing press established at Bournemouth University. The judging team is made up of staff and students of the Faculty of Media and Communication, with shortlist judges including Picador commissioning editor Ansa Khan Khattak and literary agent Sophie Scard, United Agents. For anyone interested in entering the 2022 competition, it will open for entries in the autumn.

Meanwhile, congratulations to my fellow longlistees – all sixty five of us!

Photo: Thomas B/Pixabay