Honourable Mention

I am a complete newbie to the short story competition game and decided to give it a try a few months ago. I had written 13 short stories in 2020 and thought it would be a nice opportunity to potentially celebrate and share what I had created. Also, with querying my novel this year, having a few competitions under my belt would be a nice addition to my cover letter.

I did a bit of research and entered a few competitions tentatively and somewhat nervously, and then radio silence as I waited (and tried not to check the website too obsessively).

I was so delighted when I saw the title of my story as a finalist on one of the websites. A website which promotes reading for teenagers (exactly the audience I would love to write for). I was one of 7 chosen out of a thousand. It is the first real (non-family/ friend) acknowledgement I have had that my writing might actually be okay, and it felt really good. And even though I didn’t end up getting 1st, 2nd or 3^rd place, seeing an ‘honourable mention’ under the winners’ names still made me happy. It felt like a first step. That maybe there is a potential with entering short story competitions. And I look forward to trying again in their Summer 2021 competition.

I have also recently had an email in my inbox about another competition I entered which will announce the winners in April- fingers crossed!