Members' Competitions Results 2025

Kevin Machin • 6 September 2025

Here are the results of the members' competitions 2025


Navigation

  • Open poetry
  • Sestina
  • Short story
  • Historical fiction
  • Ghost/horror story
  • Sci-fi/fantasy
  • Romantic fiction
  • Comedy writing
  • Science and nature
  • "How to" guide
  • Crime fiction
  • Memoir
  • 10 minute play/monologue
  • Children's prize
  • Group anthology

    • Open Poetry

    Winner

    Searchlight by Alison Ringrose – Northumbrian Writers.

    Runners Up

    Bluebells for Remembrance by Jan Huntley – Holmfirth Writers' Group.

    In the Woods by Susan Nutall – Northumbrian Writers.

    The Captain by Vincent Bernard – Holmfirth Writers' Group.

    Highly Commended

    Tyne Green by Geof Keys – Northumbrian Writers' Group.

    Sestina

    Winner

    Witness (St Wystan's Church, Repton) by Shelagh Wain – Burton Monday Writers.

    Second

    Sutton Scarsdale Hill, Bolsover by Gary Carr – Runaway Writers.

    Third

    Nature and Nurture by Jo Roberts – Writers' Hub, Coventry.

    Highly Commended

    An Early Spring Walk by Orian Norfolk – Northumbrian Writers' Group.

    Toshie by Robert Rayner – Northumbrian Writers' Group.

    Short Story (with a clock)

    Winner

    Electric Clocks Tick by John Glander – Harlow Writers.

    Runners Up

    The Trouble with Dave by Janine Duncan – Hexham Writers.

    F.I.S.H. by Penny Ellis – Ross Writers @ the Royal.

    Keeping Time by Nick Brigham – Hexham Writers.

    Historical Fiction

    Winner

    Cooking for 3 by Alana Beth Davies – Swansea and District Writers' Circle.

    Runners Up

    An Exchange of Thoughts by Jerry Sutton – Hinckley Scribblers.

    1962 Cuban Missile Crisis by David Lake – Writers in Somerset.

    Portrait of Vermeer by Judith Roberts – SWit'CH.

    Ghost/Horror Story

    Winner

    Jasmine by Andy Humphrey – Independent.

    Runners Up

    Night at the Mystery Museum by Emma Finlayson-Palmer – Wombourne Writers.

    Who's A Pretty Boy Then? by William Liggins – Writers' Hub, Coventry.

    Cry Wolf by Alison Ringrose – Northumbrian Writers.

    Sci-Fi/Fantasy

    Winner

    Beyond the Blue Planet by Graeme Hunter – Northumbrian Writers.

    Runners Up

    Marcus by Yvonne Hutchinson-Ruff – Llanelli Writers' Circle.

    Sword and Senility by Mark Pattison – Northumbrian Writers.

    I'm Not a Robot by Richard Layton – Derbyshire Script Writers.

    Highly Commended

    Flight 365 by Lynda Turner – Burton Monday Writers.

    Romantic Fiction

    Winner

    Mr Papadopoulis Returns to Greece by Chris Raetschus – Hexham Writers @ the Abbey.

    Runners Up

    Lost Connection by James Edwards – Northumbrian Writers.

    A Crack in the Stone by Alana Beth Davies – Swansea and District Writers' Circle.

    That Boy! By Kerri Simpson – Northumbrian Writers.

    Comedy Writing

    Winner

    Don't Tell Anyone by John Hope – Fellowship of the Pen.

    Second

    Mr Unwin Instead by Bob Crockett – Hinckley Scribblers.

    Third

    Butyllithium by Andy Humphrey – Independent.

    Highly Commended

    Return to Sender by Bob Shepherd – Yeovil Creative Writers.

    Science and Nature

    Winner

    Whalefall by Penny Ellis – Ross Writers @ the Royal.

    Runner Up

    A Rose by Any Other Name by Peter Pool – Northumbrian Writers.

    Highly Commended

    The Other Net Zero by Shelagh Wain – Burton Monday Writers.

    "How To" Guide

    Winner

    A Guide For How To Succeed at Target Archery by David Walton – Runaway Writers.

    Runners Up

    How to Cook for One by Graeme Hunter – Northumbrian Writers.

    How to be the Hero of Your Own Story by Victoria White – Saturday Sentence.

    How to Survive A Pony Club Rally in 10 Easy Steps by Alison Hallett – Runaway Writers.

    Crime Fiction

    Winner

    A Smell in the Basement by Nick Brigham – Hexham Writers.

    Runners Up

    A Sunset in Sorrento by Helen Jane Somers – Writers in Somerset.

    A Lust of the Eyes by David Potter – Hinckley Scribblers.

    Trapped by James Edwards – Northumbrian Writers.

    Countdown to Murder by Ian Johnson – Tyldesley Creative Writers.

    Highly Commended

    7:32 by John Glander – Harlow Writers.

    Foolproof by Alison Ringrose – Northumbrian Writers.

    Memoir

    Winner

    Fracture by Melanie Oliver-Trotter – Northumbrian Writers.

    Runners Up

    Growing Up With Fossils by Orian Norfolk – Northumbrian Writers.

    On The Step by Carol Hurley – Wombourne Writers.

    Rita's Untold Story by Bob Crockett – Hinckley Scribblers.

    Shortbread by Sam Davey – Hastings Writers' Group.

    Highly Commended

    Ian by Karen Evans – Wombourne Writers.

    Having Your Cake and Not Eating It by Jo Roberts – Writers' Hub, Coventry.

    10 Minute Play/Monologue

    Winner

    The End Game by Stephen Palmer – Carlisle Writers' Group.

    Runner Up

    What is the Point? by Yvonne Hutchinson-Ruff – Llanelli Writers' Group.

    Highly Commended

    When Bobby Baxter Came to Call by Jan Keegan – Northumbrian Writers.

    Hinterland 2 by Hilary Feeney – Northumbrian Writers.

    Children's Prize

    Joint Winners

    Easter by Sylvi Cabaniuk (Jan Huntley).

    The Break In by Elijah Robinson (Helen Jane Somers).

    Group Anthology

    Winner

    Entanglement – Burton Runaway Writers.

    Second

    Through the Writer's Eye – Burnley and District Writers' Circle.

    Third

    Three's a Crowd – Bold Writers.

    Fourth

    The Outline of Memory – Carlisle Writers' Group.

    Membership Special Offer 2026

    by Vanessa Lester • 16 December 2025
    Join before 31st January 2026 and get a special membership deal. Want to write that novel, poetry collection or script? If so join us. We help to set up and run writing groups and provide support for individual writers, to help writers develop and improve their work. For this year only, join early for a reduced price – £30 for groups, £15 for individual membership, and £10 for students. Membership runs until 30th June 2026. See the joining page for details. Benefits include: 15 free members only writing competitions. Group anthology competition. Discounts on workshops and writing events. Support for new writing groups. Monthly online meet ups for individual writer members. Members' magazine. E-Newsletter. Members only website area. Support for self-publishing. Join by 31st January to take advantage of this special offer.

    Xmas with NAWG

    by Henry Curry • 2 December 2025
    (Friday 19th December 8PM online) 

    Open Competitions 2025 Results

    by Liz Ashcroft • 1 December 2025
    Results of the 2025 OPEN competitions - Short Story & Poetry

    Post-Xmas General Knowledge QUIZ

    by Henry Curry • 30 November 2025
    Tuesday 30th December 7PM online 

    Autumn 250 competition

    by Susan Cartwright Smith • 16 November 2025
    Here is the winner of our spooky ghost / horror story NAWG 2025 Autumn 250-word Flash Fiction competition . It ran from Friday 3rd to Friday 31st October, First, second, and third place entries will also be published in Link magazine. See the website HERE The prize of £25 for the winning entry goes to SUSAN KING for her story: RUSSIAN ROULETTE. I dread this day. Pumpkins with grinning faces and kids running about dressed as ghosts. Ghosts don’t wear costumes, they’d know that if they’d seen one. I can cope with all that – it’s the knocking on doors blackmailing adults into giving them treats that frightens me. Don’t they know how dangerous this is? Agnes has a bucket of Cadbury Heroes by the door. Her children have grown up and left home which is a relief to me, I can tell you I want to yell at the little ones who stand with expectant faces when she opens the door. Bugger off, I want to shout. But of course, I can’t. You can’t imagine the horror of watching her fill her syringe and pierce the wrapper of a chocolate bar, plunging the needle into the gooey inside and withdrawing it empty. You don’t know what it’s like to watch helpless as she smiles and hands out the sweets. She’s not daft enough to poison each one. For her it’s a game of Russian roulette. She waits for the post on the village Facebook page. She reads the hundreds of messages of sympathy with glee, scrolls slowly through emojis of crying faces, pink hearts and praying hands. She notes the date of the funeral and gets out her dark clothes. It’s the same black dress and coat she wore my cremation. A human black widow spider, she dispensed with me after our children were born. It’s just other people’s children she dislikes.

    Dame Jilly Cooper

    by Henry Curry • 8 October 2025
    We're sad to hear that one of our patrons dies, aged 88

    Long Link Specials

    by Steve Bowkett • 17 September 2025
    Members can go to the Members Only page (you'll need the password) and read stories that were a little too long to fit in the normal Link magazine - see the section marked 'Fiction Special' --> HERE

    AGM and Competitions Awards Ceremony

    by Kevin Machin • 3 September 2025
    The 30th AGM is on Saturday 6th September at 2:00 pm.

    Meet the Committee

    by Kevin Machin • 3 September 2025
    Regular Zoom Sessions for NAWG Members 7 pm on the first Tuesday of every month.

    Membership Subscriptions

    by Penny Ellis • 14 August 2025
    The deadline date for paying 2025-26 subscriptions to NAWG is 31st August 2025. Any groups or individuals who have not paid by this date will be removed from the active database and will not be sent publications in future, able to vote in the AGM, allowed to enter the 2026 members' competitions, or be listed on the website. The groups and individual members who have not yet paid are being advised of the deadline. Groups and Individuals who fail to pay up may of course re-join. New groups and individuals joining the association will pay the full subscription (group £50, individual £25, student £15) and with their joining pack will be sent access to all the Link magazines published since 1st July 2025. They will be encouraged to enter the Members' competitions 2026 (closing date 31st March 2026.) After 31st March, new joiners subscriptions will cover them until 30th June 2027 i.e. they get their first period of up to three months free.