Results Of Summer 2017 Competition
Winners announced
We’re delighted to announce the winners of our second Solution Loans Short Story Competition in which we asked writers to submit short stories with the theme of “coins“.
Our theme proved to be a popular choice; however there were some ideas which popped up in a number of stories:
- Treasure/ old coins/ collecting coins in jars
- Childhood memories of cleaning copper coins in vinegar and ketchup
- Begging for coins/ homelessness/poverty
- “Looking after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves”
As a writer, it’s worth remembering that your first idea for a story may often be someone else’s too, so it might be a good idea to dig again more deeply for a different or more unusual idea?
Our winning stories tended to reflect this, and were chosen both for the quality of their writing and story-telling and also their differing interpretations of the ‘coins’ theme.
The winner receives a cheque for £200 and each runner up £50. All have their stories published on our website.
| Winner: | The Eternal Coin by David Stokes |
| Runners Up: | Out with the Old by Sarah Edghill |
| Time for Change by Louisa Morillo | |
| Reflections in silver and gold by Richard Ayre |
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Comments on Winner & Runners Up
WINNER:
The Eternal Coin by David Stokes (read story)
Our judges said:
We really liked David’s response to our theme. We’ve probably all looked at items in museums at some point and wondered how they arrived there. In his story, David takes us on an epic journey describing this. The writing is packed with beautiful, evocative description and credible historical references. It’s a rollercoaster of a read, spanning many centuries and it left us feeling rather humbled by our own, comparatively short, human existence. Well done, David!
RUNNERS UP:
Out with the Old by Sarah Edghill (read story)
Our judges said:
Right from the beginning we could empathise with the characters in Sarah’s story, and feel the mounting tension and frustration in the situation. Dialogue can be tricky to get just right, but Sarah uses it perfectly to introduce each new arrival on the scene and their respective personalities. There is good insight into the way in which small problems can be seen to escalate into potential crises. The ending, although expected, still left us with a smile.
Time for Change by Louisa Morillo (read story)
Our judges said:
Every so often a story comes along which just bursts onto the scene, demanding consideration, and ‘Time for Change’ is one of these. No spoilers here, but we enjoyed the choice of narrator and unusual point of view. There’s good characterisation and real life observation brought into the story and we’re sure we won’t be alone in our secret smirk at the end.
Reflections in silver and gold by Richard Ayre (read story)
Our judges said:
We had several stories about coins in fountains and wishing wells, but this one stood out for us. We liked the simplicity of the idea – the memories evoked by an old coin, and the desire of an elderly man to lay them to rest. Richard’s story set the scene beautifully and conveyed the wistful sadness through to its natural conclusion.
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