Wendover: Short Story Competition 2024
What does change mean to you? Read some stories created by the finalists of our Short Story Competition 2024 and find out who the winners were.
In September 2024, the Wendover Community Library marked a new chapter in its history with the start of building renovations that will transform it into a more modern and welcoming library. To celebrate this memorable moment, we have joined forces with the Friends of the Wendover Community Library (FOWL) to kick off the first edition of the Short Story Competition. We invited all aspiring novelists and short story writers to dive in and create their own fictional worlds and characters around the theme "Changes".
About the competition
The competition successfully received numerous stories, showcasing the creativity and talent of the participants.
The competition was free to enter and invited participants to use their creativity and submit stories based on the theme "Changes". The maximum word count for entries was 1,000 words, and it featured four categories based on age: up to 12 years; 13-15 years; 15-18 years; and adults over 18 years.
Participants were required to submit original, unpublished work, either typed or handwritten for those under 12 years old. Entries were to be submitted via email or dropped off at the library by 30 September 2024.
With the competition entry deadline now behind us, it’s time to dive into tales sparked by the theme—where courage, leadership, and love intertwine with dreams of making a difference, and maybe even crafting a better world. Discover these inspired stories right here!
And the winners were...
On Tuesday 21 November 2024, the first annual Wendover Community Library Award Ceremony, affectionately known as the WAFTAs (Wendover Author and 'Fotography' Top Awards), took place at Real Magic Books, in Wendover.
The evening was a resounding success. Following a delightful round of refreshments, the winners of the Short Story Competition (across all categories) and the Photography Competition were announced. Prizes were presented, and Will Burns, Chair of the evening, enthralled the audience by reading the winning adult Short Story.
The special event to announce the best stories was met with much enthusiasm and joy. The stories were judged by freelance writer/editor Sandra Smith, owner of Real Magic Books Sophie Green, and retired head teacher Phil Mitchell. The winners in each category received book tokens from the Real Magic Books, and the results will be announced in Shelf Life and other local media.
Read a selection of the submitted stories and discover the winners
Ron Melville, representing FOWL, concluded the event with the following remarks:
'Congratulations to all the budding authors who submitted their short stories to our Wendover Library Short Story Competition. You are all winners! We were thrilled to receive so many entries, and the standard was astounding. There were contributions from age 4 up to... Well, much older! The judges for the competition had an impossibly difficult job of deciding on the winners. This competition will be an annual event, open to all ages, so if you think you can produce a literary masterpiece for 2025, start writing now!'
This year's Short Story Competition aimed to encourage participants to tap into their imagination and to envision a world where they have the power to make positive changes, however small.
We are looking forward to preparing the next edition of our WAFTAs!