Theme: Weather
Prose Judge: Michael Johnstone
Winning Prose Piece
The Violet Letters by Alfie Fox
Prose Runners-up
Mistral by Georgia Boon
Elements by Jacob Parker
Survivor Guilt, 2023 by Marilyn A. Timms
Prose Highly Commended
Grand Times by Joanna Campbell
The Weather Man by Kayte Ferris
Whipped Cream by Steven John
Whether or Not by Gwenda Mitchell
A Lovely Sunny Day by Katie Waters
Poetry Judge: David Ashbee
Winning Poem
Tent in Antarctica by Marilyn A. Timms
Poetry Runners-up
Stormbound by Liz Carew
Rain on the Island by Christine Griffin
Reverberations by Frank McMahon
Poetry Highly Commended
Out for the Wind by Catherine Baker
Transience by Shona Kelly
Why we had to Leave by Rose Lennard
Rain by Dan Mountain
Winterwhite by Michael Newman
Theme: Journeys
Prose Judge: Jane Bailey
Winning Prose Piece
There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Horse Pill
by Stephanie Carty
Prose Runners-up
Travelling with Mary by Sophie Carabine
The Sleeping House by Tim Jeffreys
Pogácsa by Alex Wardrop
Prose Highly Commended
Embers of Memory by Catherine Awel
Mrs Brown’s Boys by Sue Jay Johnston
Running Free by Pam Keevil
Freight by Imogen Rae
Skin Deep by Marilyn Timms
Poetry Judge: Philip Rush
Winning Poem
Shift: self-portrait as a set of watercolour pencils
by Sarah Hemings
Poetry Runners-up
From Artist to Model —- The Journey of Dorelia McNeill
by Iris Anne Lewis
Puncture Repair by Chris Hemingway
Her Husband by Pauline Masurel
Poetry Highly Commended
Trans Siberia in the April Thaw by Catherine Baker
Journey to Bukhara by Clair Chilvers
How to Mend a Broken Heart by Gill Garrett
These Hands by Carol Sheppard
Leavings by Mark Woods
Theme: Voices
Prose Judge: Kate Frost
Winning Prose Piece
In Captivity by Philip Douch
Prose Runners-up
Bind Us Together by Rebecca Klassen
Exposed by Marilyn Timms
Please Leave a Message by Christine Griffin
Prose Highly Commended
Did you Cut Your Fringe Yourself? by Sallie Anderson
Smoosh by Geoffrey Mead
A Cacophony of Sound by Mrs Julie Wiltshire
Warrior by Cindy Moss
Poetry Judge: Adam Horovitz
Winning Poem
The War against Speech by Frank McMahon
Poetry Runners-up
The Displaced Child by Kathryn Alderman
St Olaves by Jean Cooper Moran
The Conservation of Difficult Birds by Rose Lennard
Poetry Highly Commended
Limassol by Sophie Loose
Miss Bailey Sits by Christine Griffin
Phantom Tongue by Bethan Manley
Russian Dolls by Marilyn Timms
Theme: Signposts
Prose Judge: Debbie Young
Winning Prose Piece
I Found Myself Lost by Pauline Masurel
Prose Runners-up
Land of My Fathers by Catherine Brennan
Extreme Hide and Seek by Stephanie Carty
Spotting the Signs by Lindsey Williams
Prose Highly Commended
Thomas Taylor, Ship’s Boy, 1745 by Sallie Anderson
Carriers of Grief by Cheryl Burman
Recovery by Alexandra Kilworth
One Day by Julia Sutherland
Poetry Judge: Carrie Etter
Winning Poem
Eastertide by Sarah Hemings
Poetry Runners-up
Horseman by Christine Griffin
Blaenavon by Derek Healy
Finding the Way by Sheila Spence
Poetry Highly Commended
Clapham Fox by Liz Carew
Breaths by Josephine Lay
Cornish Legacy by Michael Newman
Moth-balled Country by Kathryn Southworth
Theme: My World
Poetry Judge: Sarah James/Leavesley
Poetry winner: Marilyn Timms – Final Gig at the Motorway Services
Poetry runners-up:
Iris Anne Lewis – Earthrise
Christine Griffin – Old Times
Derek Healy – Uncharted
Poetry Highly Commended:
Michael Newman – Bird Feeding
Kathryn Alderman – How to Forecast During a Pandemic
Grace Spencer – Wanderings
Catherine Baker – Landscape with Roads
Clare Finnimore – Harebushes Wood
Val Ormrod – Hidden
Prose Judge: Tyler Keevil
Prose winner: Robin Darrock – Strands
Prose runners-up:
Iris Anne Lewis – Two Dark Shadows
Tony Domaille – The Wall
Joanna Campbell – Cage in the Sky
Prose commended:
Catherine Brennan – Developing
Kim Botly – Turquoise
Lesley Evans – Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Liz Carew – Garden Party
Jan Turk Petrie – Moon Shadows
Michael Hurst – Late Fuel
Theme: Numbers
Poetry Judge: Stephen Daniels
Poetry winner: Sarah Hemings – Vestry
Poetry runners-up:
Phil Kirby – Gathering
David Hale – Safety in Numbers
David Hale – Five Minutes
Poetry commended:
Michael Newman – Playing the Game
Phil Kirby – Scanner
Roger Hale –The Golden Ratio
Prose Judge: Amanda Reynolds
Prose winner: Julie Carthy – Coping by Numbers
Prose runners-up:
Mandy Robotham – Numbers not required
Catherine Brennan – Private Number
Liz Carew – The Weigh-In
Prose commended:
Sophie Flynn – Countdown to the Kiss
Tom Ware– The Perfect 10
Joanna Campbell – Winter Starlings
Theme: East Meets West
Poetry Judge: Anna Saunders
Poetry winner: David Hale – Cranes Flying
Poetry runners-up:
Catherine Baker – Waiting for the Boat
Derek Healy – Love’s Convergence
Marilyn Timms – Public School – Private Hell
Poetry commended:
Frances March
Samantha Pearce
Johnny Porter
Prose Judge: Kim Feet
Prose winner: Emma Kernahan – The Locals
Prose runners-up:
Lynda Fowke – The Shawl
Iris Anne Lewis – Call me Shadi, Muna, Nasima
Marilyn Timms – Bride Price
Prose commended:
Ali Bacon
Joanna Campbell
Kathy O’Grady
Theme: Who Do We Think We Are?
Poetry Judge: Roy McFarlane
Poetry Winner: Frances March – 1956: Sheltered
Poetry Runners up:
Julie Wiltshire – I am a Memorial to the Tortured Soul
Belinda Rimmer – Scoot
Liz Carew – Ferr’Agosto Day
Irene Anne Lewis – Matryoshka
Jennie Farley – Changes
Prose Judge: Lania Knight
Prose Winner: Nastasya Parker – The Maze
Prose Runners up:
Judith Green – The day is marked; the minutes taken, captured, fact to fiction; fact …
Jeff Taylor – Stories from a Geriatric Ward
Val Ormrod – This Day, This Day
Jim Moeller – Benefits
Cindy Moss – Deep Breath
Theme: ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness’
Poetry Judge: Phil Kirby
Poetry Winner: Gill Garrett – The Irish Girls 1968
Poetry Runners up:
Lania Knight – Virgil Hits the Trail
Derek Healy – Giving Away
Judith van Dijkhuizen – How to Enjoy Learning the Piano
Julie Allan – Landscape. Or portrait.
Michael Newman – Tree Talk
Shauna Robertson – His Own North
Prose Judge: Eugene Lambert
Prose Winner: Alex Clark – Shoals
Prose Runners up:
Christine Griffin – Homecoming
Michael Hurst – A Hundred and Three Miles
Graham Bruce Fletcher – X47B
Christine Griffin – An Album of Postcards
Theme: Crossroads
Poetry Judge: Angela France
Poetry Winner: Judith van Dijkhuizen – Bridge House
Poetry Runners up:
Anna Saunders – Between Dog and Wolf
Iris Lewis – Woodland Burial
Dominic James – North Bound Train
Chris Hemingway – A Heritage Day trip on the Hellhound Bus
Toni Wilde – Suspicion
David Ashbee – The Bird Table
Prose Judge: Sophie Livingston
Prose Winner: Philip Douch – Drive
Prose Runners up:
Rick Vick – Seeing
John Holland – Strange Fruit – An Imagining
J R Moeller – Taking Tea with the Natives
Gill Garrett – Epiphany
Theme: Brave New World
Poetry Judge: David Clarke
Poetry Winner: Sheila Spence – Brave New Person
Poetry Runners up:
Judi Marsh – They are left books …
Derek Healy – New Ways to War, 1914
Allegra Etheridge/Russell Burgess – Six Gig of RAM
Guy Hunter – Special Delivery
Marianne Hellwig John – Inheritance
Jay Ramsay – Vision from Assisi
Prose Judge: Wilkie Martin
Prose Winner: Iris Lewis – No Small Thing
Prose Runners up:
Christine Griffin – The City of Light
Gill Garrett – The Drop
Christine Godsell – The End . . . Or The Beginning
Sue Cross – The Tornado
Graham Fletcher – All Men Are Fools. And what makes them so is having beauty like what I have got. . .
Theme: Memory
Poetry Judge: Jennie Farley
Poetry Winner: Gill Garrett – Retrospect
Poetry Runners up:
Eley Furrell – Swarf
Miki Byrne – Coal Thieves
Cedric Pickin – Pickin
Derek Healy – Walking Leckhampton
Judith van Dijkhuizen – Lotti
Malcolm Williams – Grandmother
Prose Judge: Jennifer Cryer
Prose Winner: Pauline Kiernan – The Fat Man at The Bar
Prose Runners up:
Marilyn Timms – Amitriptylene revisited
John Holland – The Song
Jan Petrie – Memento Mori
Wendy Campbell – I wish