The Dorothy Dunnett Society / HWA Short Story Competition 2020
We are very excited to share the news! We have a shortlist. Many congratulations to the writers of these magnificent stories, and to all the longlisted authors.
The Shortlist
Lakshmi Will Return by Padmini B. Sankar
A powerful story of loss and yearning, war and division. Moving, thought-provoking and evocative.
Mavourneen by Annie Friedlein
The muse of artist James Tissot gains a voice full of subtle shading and vigorous life.
Pounds, Shillings and Pence by Valerie Thompson
A pair of sisters face a dilemma in a poised and quietly provoking morality tale.
The Pavilion of Enlightenment by Alison Lloyd
An atmospheric murder mystery, set in a beautifully rendered private world – an assured and memorable story.
The Race by Alice Fowler
A heart in your mouth portrait of bravery in a fully realised community.
The Sentinel Bird by Jacqui Scholes-Rhodes
A rich sense of place with convincing characters and beautifully constructed.
The final winner and two highly commended entries will be announced on 2 November. The winning story will be published online in Historia and in The Whispering Gallery – the magazine of the Dorothy Dunnett Society and the writer will receive £500. The writers of the winning and two highly commended short stories will also be offered craft and career mentoring sessions.
All six fantastic shortlisted stories will be published by the HWA/DDS as a kindle and print on demand anthology. Each writer will receive two author copies and £25.
Thank you so much to our judges who had to choose these stories from such a strong longlist: Matt Casbourne, Antonia Hodgson, Norah Perkins and Pamela Gordon.
