TALENTED writers from all over the world have had their work recognised in an annual competition celebrating creativity.
The Bridport Prize has been running for 46 years and attracted almost 10,000 entries from 74 countries this year.
Judges had a difficult choice in narrowing down the winners across four categories for the prestigious competition.
The winners have now been announced and will be welcomed at an event at the Bridport Arts Centre this weekend – which is set to further cement the town’s reputation as an arts hub.
The winners are:
- Poetry: Mary-Jane Holmes from Middleton-in-Teesdale
- Short story: Nicholas Ruddock, from Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Flash fiction: Terry Warren, from Bridport
- First novel: Deepa Anappara, from Colchester
Mr Warren also wins the Dorset Award as the highest-placed writer from Dorset in the competition. This award is sponsored by The Bookshop on South Street.
Mr Warren, 56, said he was thrilled with his win. He added: “It’s the first time I’ve entered anything like this. I’ve been writing for some time but it was some friends who said I should do something about it, and because it’s a local thing it seemed a good place to start.
“I had no idea how big an event it was.”
Mr Warren, who works part-time in marketing, said he was so shocked to get a phone call saying he had won the category that he refused to believe it until he saw it in writing.
He added: “It is amazing to have such a prestigious competition on our doorstep. There are so many creative people in Bridport, it is a real hub. There are so many great musicians and actors – my son is a film maker and my daughter works in television and theatre. I think competitions like this really encourage everyone to get out there and get more involved.”
Prize administrator Kate Wilson said she and the judges were ‘delighted’ with the standard of entries this year, and that so many entries were received from all over the world.
The event was founded by Peggy Chapman-Andrews as a fundraiser for the Bridport Arts Centre, which she also set up at the same time. The competition still fulfils that function today.
Kate said: “It’s become so much more than that, but the fundraiser is still its primary role.”
The nature of the event as an open competition, plus the prize money on offer, has helped drive its success, she believes. The first novel award also offers a year's worth of mentoring, which helps new writers develop their skills even further. The winning work of the short story, flash fiction and poetry categories will be published in an anthology, which goes on sale at the Arts Centre from next week.
There will also be a prize giving at the Arts Centre on Saturday.
Here are all the winners and judges
WINNERS 2017
POETRY WINNERS Judge | Lemn Sissay
1st Siren Call Mary-Jane Holmes, Middleton-in-Teesdale
2nd River Climber Simon Murphy, Bristol
3rd Resurrection Graham Burchell, Rattery, Devon
Highly Commended (alphabetical by title)
Advice for Daughters Claudia Daventry, St. Andrews, Fife
Ectopic pregnancy Maresa Sheehan, Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow, Ire.
Ghazal of Mourning Susan Zatland, Gerrards Cross, Bucks
I am pig Charlie Mountford, Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Niece comes out of the attic Michelle Lovric, London
Nightwalking Julia Bell, London
Painting a sun-room an off-white David Forest Hitchcock, Fayetteville, NY, USA
Rough Claire Williamson, Bristol
Stone Isabelle McNeill, Cambridge
Unthinkably I leave you Victoria Richards, London
SHORT STORY WINNERS Judge | Peter Hobbs
1st Esther Nicholas Ruddock, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
2nd Ends Chris Neilan, Manchester
3rd Queen of the Forest Ben Hinshaw, Davis, California, USA
Highly Commended (alphabetical by title)
Cooking a Wolf Nicholas Burbidge, London
Girvan Blues Karen Ashe, Glasgow
Grunion Running Kate Carne, Oxford
Must be true Stacey Swann, Austin, Texas, USA
Old Harbour Rebecca F. John, Swansea
Subjunctive Moods C.G. Menon, Trumpington, Cambridge
The Best Thing Colin Walsh, Brussels, Belgium
The Cockerel Ruth Figgest, Eastbourne
To Be Neal Moore, Taipei, Taiwan
Verichrome David Ye, Irvine, California, USA
FLASH FICTION WINNERS Judge | Kit de Waal
1st Buttercups Terry Warren, Bridport, Dorset
2nd Confirmation Class Joanna Campbell, Bisley, Gloucestershire
3rd Runaway Jacquelyn Shreeves-Lee, London
Highly Commended (alphabetical by title)
On the seventy-third day Gabriela Paloa, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Absence Michelle Wright, Eltham, Victoria, Australia
Sea bite Barbara Leahy, Cork, Ireland
Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award for a First Novel
1st Prize
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line Deepa Anappara, Colchester
Runner-up
The Sentence Stephanie Scott, London
Shortlist (alphabetical by title)
The Embalming Jo Browning Wroe, Cambridge
The Waiting Rooms Eve Carpenter, Witney, Oxfordshire
Sugar Bird Claire Bassi, Nantwich, Cheshire
Longlist (alphabetical by title)
A Crack in the Door Helen Ryan
A Dream of Something Falling Scott Lupasko
A Fancy-Dress Genocide Daniel Magnowski
A Fatal Mercy Thomas Moore
Albany Stephanie Artley
Al in Sarah Gee’s Head Nasser Hashmi
Billy Watkins Georgina McArthur
Here in Eden Elizabeth Loudon
May Never Steve Herrington
Nuance of Nothing Tammy Boyce
Skinned Peter Lewenstein
The Arrow Garden Andrew King
The Scribbler’s Tales Anna James
The Second Heart Mary Downes
The Passenger Ailsa Caine
THE DORSET PRIZE
Presented to the highest placed writer from Dorset in the competition each year.
Sponsored by The Book Shop, South Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3NQ
Buttercups (flash fiction) Terry Warren, Bridport, Dorset
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