Our judge Alison Barrow wrote: A strong initial meeting point and the author brings the readers straight into the central story with a great opening line. The build of the relationship between Lia and Jez is compelling and intriguing. The dialogue feels authentic and the tension around the initial perilous situation is strong. It has all the makings of a fascinating novel.

Karen Storey

Karen is an award winning fiction writer and has been featured on the acclaimed book podcast The Bestseller Experiment. As well as working on her novel manuscripts, she is a prolific short story writer. Her short stories have been published in various anthologies and placed in several international competitions, including a shortlisting in the Yeovil Literary Short Story Prize.She has also had short memoir pieces published in the New York Times bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Originally from New York City, Karen lives in Warwickshire, England and has written articles for American in Britain magazine. She lives with her husband, whose surname Storey was the perfect wedding gift. They share their home with a snarky cat who writes Karen’s monthly author newsletters and a crazy little Bichon Frise dog who barks at his own reflection. You can visit her website and subscribe to her newsletter at www.karenstoreyauthor.co

Her debut novel, The Approval of Sheep, an uplifting book club novel, is published by Burton Mayers Books on 10th October, 2025.

Our Judge Alison Barrow wrote: An interesting novel idea with a compelling central mystery which will certainly keep readers guessing. The dialogue is strong and tension in the early pages is evident. This promises to be a strong story – the title is a little confusing and could probably do with a rethink, but otherwise this was an interesting submission.

Nathalie Wagner

Nathalie studied anthropology and development studies in Vienna before deciding to turn her passion for literature into a career.

Originally from Luxembourg, she’s now based in Rome, where she's interning at a literary agency.

All the Pages We Can’t Rewrite is her first novel. Her short story Talking Trees was longlisted for the 2025 Yeovil Short Story Prize.

She began writing at fourteen, starting with poetry in German before moving on to short stories and fiction in English. She’s currently working on her second novel, a dystopian sci-fi set in the year 2130.

When she’s not writing, you can find her creating jewellery or cuddling her dog, Cala.

Our Judge Alison Barrow wrote: An original idea which is always refreshing! Smart and amusing dialogue and good immediate pacing promise a fascinating and page turning story with multiple twists and turns.

David Emery

I live in Sherborne where I work as a mental health social worker. I began writing a regular column for Community Care Magazine before my memoir – Full Metal Cardigan – was published. It is a funny (hopefully) account of my adventures as a frontline NHS worker. Since then I have written a number of plays that have been performed throughout the country. The Deprivation of Liberty is my first novel.

Our judge Nikki May wrote: Beautifully written, I was invested from the first sentence. It's not easy to turn 2,000 words into a big story, but this writer has done that. Patrick is such a fully developed character; my heart went out to him. The understated prose was such a delight – less is almost always more. There must have been something in my eye when I was reading this because my face got damp. A worthy winner, I loved it. Bravo!

Jaime Gill

I'm a Northumbrian-born writer currently happily exiled in Cambodia, where I work and volunteer for nonprofits across Asia. I work, read, run, box, travel, write, and occasionally socialise under duress. My stories have appeared in Litro, Blue Earth Review, Trampset, f(r)iction, NFFR, Phoebe, and more, with stories due to appear in The Forge and Fractured. I've won a few awards including a 2024 Bridport Prize and the 2025 Luminaire Prose Award. I've also been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions, and I'm writing a novel, a script, and far, far too many short stories. More at www.jaimegill.com, www.x.com/jaimegill, www.instagram.com/mrjaimegill or bsky.app/profile/jaimegill.bsky.social.

Our Judge Nikki Scary Mary! Spooky wooky! I read this on the edge of my seat, got the chills, and the twist was inspired. Great plotting. I particularly enjoyed the snark. There's only one thing better than one flawed character, and that's two - so thank you for that. A good sense of place, too. Horror is having a moment, and this is great writing. Well done!

Jenny Devitt

I’ve been a writer for some decades now, but of fact, not fiction, although I did go on a couple of Arvon writing courses about 30 years ago, but never followed through. Somehow that factual stuff got in the way! All my writing to date, apart from the last couple of years, has been script-writing for radio and tv documentaries, features, etc, as part of my professional life since the early ‘80s. A friend persuaded me to join an excellent (and very friendly) local writers’ group, and since joining I’ve enjoyed writing short stories, more in the hopes of entertaining the members than with any thoughts of publication. However, you never know! I am just delighted to have won this prize. It is completely unexpected, and I am very flattered. Thank you.

Our Judge Nikki May wrote: Tense, gripping, and smart, I didn't see the twist coming. Mrs Grishaw is a fully developed character, and I felt for her. This gave me Tales of the Unexpected feels. I could see it as a TV short. Great voice too. I enjoyed it a lot.

Jane Ricot

Jane Ricot began writing five years ago when she joined an online writing group in 2020 and instead of covid, she caught the writing bug. She has enjoyed learning the craft of short story telling and flash fiction. She has recently won Farnham Flash500 and has been short and long listed in other competitions. A few of her stories have also appeared in The People’s Friend.

Jane is an avid reader and particularly loves books by Anne Tyler, William Boyd and Stacey Halls from which she has learned a lot about the art of writing. As Jane is thrilled to have been placed third in this year’s Yeovil Literary Prize and hopes it will give her the confidence to have a go at novel writing.

Our judge James Crowden wrote: Silence flows, unspoken thoughts entangled in the weeds, the wind and the current of the years, memory flowing downstream.

Andrew Duxbury

Born in Weymouth and living on Portland, Dorset; musician Mark Duxbury is an author, a composer, learner and teacher. I’m so pleased to have won. It’s a real confidence booster. I got a silver medal in a parent’s swimming race once; otherwise the cupboard was bare!

Our Judge James Crowden wrote: This poem has a strange aethereal air where the meaning is held between the lines. A point of view that keeps shifting. Gravity fed. Emptiness. The long drop.

Jonathan Greenhause

Jonathan Greenhause was born and raised in New Jersey, where he currently lives with his extremely-funny wife and two crazy children. For several years, he lived in Argentina but never got into a knife-fight with a gaucho. He makes a living by magically turning English into Spanish and Spanish into English, thereby erasing the terrible bother of linguistic barriers.

Jonathan has won Aesthetica Magazine’s Creative Writing Award in Poetry, the Goldsmith Poetry Festival Competition, the Ledbury Poetry Competition, and the Teignmouth Poetry Festival Open Competition, while his poems have appeared in The Fish Anthology, The Ginkgo Prize for Ecopoetry, The Plaza Prizes Anthology, Poetry Ireland Review, The Poetry Society, and The Rialto. His first poetry collection, Cupping Our Palms, won the 2022 Birdy Poetry Prize and is available through Meadowlark Press.

Our Judge James Crowden wrote: First or Second war? or another war entirely? This poem is a bit like a trench postcard. Messages from beyond that may never arrive are sealed up in time’s locket in the attic. The past unfolding fear and privation, love the postmark, rationed bread, the war was in the margins.

Hang Kuang Sang

Hang Kuang Sang is a writer from Malaysia whose work explores the intersections of memory, history, and the quiet legacies embedded in the landscape. His poetry has been described as "archaeological," unearthing the personal and collective stories hidden within objects and forgotten places. A recipient of a few prizes for poetry and prose, his work has also been featured in the local and overseas newspapers and magazines. His work is deeply influenced by his travels across the countryside, tracing that hilly heritage and rich cultural traces.

Our judge Ele Fountain wrote: Lightfoot and Mole is an atmospheric crime-mystery set in an imaginary ‘Victorian’ marshland landscape that feels both familiar and subtly magical. Well-drawn characters and evocative prose had me instantly hooked, with a pacy narrative that balances humour with moments of emotional resonance. The story deftly explores themes of friendship, courage and empathy, against a backdrop of rising sea levels. It’s an immersive read that engages all the senses.

Rachel Kenefick

Rachel Kenefick lives in Devon with her husband, three children and two dogs. She practiced as a barrister in London and started writing stories for children when she had her own. She enjoys walking on Dartmoor, swimming in the sea and mucking around on boats. Lightfoot and Mole is her first novel.

Our Judge Ele Fountain wrote: The Dream-Travellers is a warm hug in picture book format. A playful rhyming text narrated by father to child, carries the reader across sea and sky, through desert and snow, delivering them finally to bed. It’s a cosy, joyful story for small people who need one last adventure before lights out.

Claire Lewis

Claire is a Devon-based languages teacher turned author / illustrator. When she’s not creating poems, picture books and middle grade fiction for children, she can be found doing design work for her local non-profit bookshop or enjoying the wild landscapes of nearby Dartmoor with her husband, sons and charmingly disobedient border terrier. Her words and pictures have appeared in magazines including The Toy, The Dirigible Balloon, PaperBound, Tyger Tyger and Little Thoughts Press. Her debut picture book, ‘The Go Away Rain Dance,’ will be out in 2026 with indie publisher HB Publishing House.

Our Judge Ele Fountain wrote: Elita Moon and the Lesson of Twelve weaves an imaginative concept into a fast-paced and unsettling narrative that made me want to keep turning the pages. A particular strength in this piece of writing, is the author’s ability to build tension, allowing readers to unleash their own imaginations, guessing how events might unfold.

Sara Spence

Sara is a mum of three boys and lives in the Cotswolds. She has been a primary teacher for almost thirty years and has always had a passion for reading and writing.

Her work has been long listed for Farnham’s First Five Thousand and shortlisted for I Am In Print and The Searchlights Award.

‘Elita Moon and the Lesson of Twelve’ is her first middle grade manuscript and she is currently working on further manuscripts and chapter books.

Our judge Sarah Hegarty wrote: An intriguing title never hurts! This one drew me in immediately, as well as reflecting the emotion and gentle humour of the piece. I enjoyed the writer’s embrace of the ‘without restriction’ category to use the framework of the butterhead lettuce’s growing strengths. The writing is assured, painting a vivid picture of the bond between the little girl and her grandmother. The voice is quiet and steady; the child’s circumstances are not over-emphasised, but her essential loss is told in just eleven words. This piece could be sad, bitter or vengeful, but is suffused with love – a much more useful emotion.

Ruth Edwardson

Ruth started writing after retiring from teaching modern languages. She writes short stories and flash fiction mostly for competitions. She is delighted to win first prize in this year's Writing Without Restrictions. She has been long and shortlisted in many competitions, including Writing magazine, Exeter, Frome, Wells and Flash 500 and has won third prize in Writers' Forum, but this is the first time she has reached the top spot in any competition. She loves the freedom of this category. Her work has been published in The Parracombe Prize Anthology 2022, Farnham Flash Fiction Competition 2025, Scribble magazine and online at westword.substack.com

Ruth often mulls over ideas for writing while gardening, or walking and watching wildlife in woodland or rivers. She lives with her husband in Essex. They have a daughter and granddaughter who both live in South America.

Our Judge Sarah Hegarty wrote: From the opening sentence I was somewhere else completely: a place of relentless heat and a knife-edge existence. The prose is vivid and evocative, rooting us in the landscape of northern Kenya, where Dima lives with his wife and three young children. His desperate backstory is skilfully woven in and when tragedy strikes for a second time he has to make a terrible decision. I enjoyed the writer’s use of Swahili. I also liked the fact that the ending is not neatly resolved but is left to the reader to intuit.

Tony Irvin

Tony Irvin has a veterinary degree and PhD from Cambridge and went to Kenya for two years, but stayed for twenty, where he studied a disease of cattle and wildlife which no one outside Africa has ever heard of. He travelled throughout the region working in collaboration with African scientists and indigenous people, such as the Maasai. He published widely in the scientific literature but, having returned to the UK, now writes fiction for adults and children, all of which is set in hot places.

Our Judge Sarah Hegarty wrote: This short but powerful piece emphasises that humans cannot afford to think of nature as ‘other’, or – according to the dictionary – ‘opposed’ to us. The narrator is immersed in nature and their writing allows us to feel the same. The present tense gives immediacy and pace, mimicking the runner’s footsteps. I enjoyed phrases such as ‘a veneer of autonomy’ and ‘will we leave the room as we would wish to find it?’ The ending is strong, with a lovely image of a white flower that has found a way to survive in the urban environment – offering hope for the future.

Sharon Pinner

I decided I wanted to be a writer not long after I learnt to read, around the age of five. But it wasn’t until I took an MA course in Nature and Travel Writing at Bath Spa University many, many years later, that I started to pursue this ambition in earnest.

I won a micro fiction competition in 2022 and have had fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry published in various anthologies and magazines including Popshot Quarterly, Wildlife Words, and The Simple Things. I often think of what to write when walking, cycling, or running in the countryside around my home in South Cambridgeshire.