Annual Competition, 2025 Results

Farpais Bhliadhnail 2025

Annual Competition Results 2025

We were delighted to receive a good number and wide variety of high quality submissions to our 2025 competition, which of course made the judges' task harder, so we thank them for casting their expert eyes over every entry.

Congratulations to all those who won or were commended (see below), but particular plaudits to Donald Adamson for winning the Brian Whittingham Memorial Prize, with his Scots poem, Sheuchins In.

All those selected by the judges will be invited to attend our AGM / Awards event, on June 21st.

Open: Short Story

Judged by Alan McClure,
Federation Scriever 

I've selected my three stories for the competition, after a lot of deliberation - fascinating process and it really feels like a privilege to have been able to read such a variety of work.

Here are the three I've selected - three very different stories which excelled in particular ways. 

Black Annis: this was an instantly gripping evocation of a time when folklore and mystery were a far greater part of daily life - it felt like a very old tale told in a pacey, contemporary voice. 

The Extent of the Problem: although the events in this story seem inconsequential, the narrator's troubled fixation on his inability to communicate struck a deep chord with me - it reminded me of the narrator in James Kelman's short story 'The Block', a fully realised character subtly manifest through his oddly detached account of events. 

Man with a Han Van: just a brilliant slice of social history - humorous, compelling and enlivened by great Scots dialogue. The relish with which the food is described had my mouth watering for a bowl of salty broth, and the image of the women huddled in expectation for the next visit of the ham van was moving and memorable. 

Open: Poetry

Judged by Ann MacKinnon,

Federation Makar

All of the poems were of a high standard which made my adjudication exceedingly difficult. The poems were on a variety of subjects but surprisingly few were on the current political situation. A number of people had chosen the Equinox as their theme and there were a considerable number of nature poems. 

Old age and dementia as well as the loss of a way of life came up frequently. 

I would have liked to have seen more dealing with the contemporary world but, having said that, there were many fine poems dealing with emotion and how to cope with difficult subjects. 

Most of the poems were in free verse but there were quite a few sonnets and a villanelle. 

I had a long list of twenty and then had to start whittling it down. 

Things I was looking for were: 

Good images/similes/extended metaphors.

Words that could be interpreted in more than one way.

Good line endings.

A feeling of rhythm when read aloud.

Being able to picture the scene.

A powerful sense of place.

A touch of surprise or magic – colour.

Concrete details that bring the poem to life.

First Place

Everything Has Changed 

The whole poem is filled with photographic images.

There is a feeling of sadness for someone lost.

The photographer is trying to capture images and in so doing is creating word images in a poem.

The idea of being haunted by the missing person is strong.

Clever use of sound.

Highly Commended 

Looking Towards Wholeness 

This was full of beautiful images of the countryside.

I liked the naming of the places.

There was a very peaceful atmosphere.

Effective use of images.

Colours were used effectively.

I liked the repetition.

The way it was set out on the page added to the feeling of yearning but also peace. 

Commended 

My Father’s Dancing Shoes 

Skilful use of rhythm.

Strong attention to detail.

A sense of sadness at the loss of such vitality.

Effective use of sound.

The images of the dancers are intermingled with sailing.

Scots

Judged by Ann MacKinnon,
Federation Makar

Many entries were poetry and in free verse although there were sonnets and a pantoum. There were three short prose pieces. I had hoped for more on the contemporary world but as often happens in poetry many of them looked back into the past. I had a long list of fifteen and looked at them many times. 

I was looking for: 

A strong Scots voice using words that emphasise the Scots sounds.

They had to read well aloud.

The use of rhythm to emphasise a subject.

Making a point, not simply telling a story.

A strong ending.

Concrete images.

First Place 

Scheuchins In 

This compares the planting and tending of seeds to the keeping a language alive.

Tools and methods are discussed and compared to what is needed to keep language blooming.

Great images.

Reminded me of Seamus Heaney’s The Digging. The father is teaching the child how to grow things.

Highly Commended 

Peyback 

Great picture of the way the colliery affected the land.

Like the repetition of rain.

It is the sad end to a pit being destroyed by water but a consequence of the mining.

It shows the end of a way of life and the destruction of the countryside.

Commended 

Mister Webster o Dundee

Clever use of pantoum form.

Good rhythm of the shuttle carried through the poem.

Filled with images of weaving.

Great description of wildlife.

Open: Flash Fiction

Judged by Liane McKay, Soor Plooms Press

Thank you to the many writers who anonymously shared their flash fiction with me in this 2025 Annual Competition. Each submission had something to offer: a thoughtful pause, a moment of lightness, a good laugh, or a wider issue to reflect on. 

Throughout my readings, I was able to first draw up a longlist which I then narrowed down as follows into a shortlist, in alphabetical order: 

Keeping Daddy Safe

Report from a Goldilocks Planet

The Hexie at the Heid o the Brae

The Star of Beckenham

To Mull and Back

Your Upstairs Oasis

Congratulations to these authors, and in particular to…
 

First Place
The Star of Beckenham 

This quietly impactful piece stood out to me for two main reasons: I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of the characters; and the premise of the story itself has stayed on my mind long since reading. The coda at the end changed the piece completely – particularly the final line – uncovering a troubling layer. It left me with a dark, uncomfortable question: is a life free from pain, war and suffering worth it if there can be no more children, no future? I had goosebumps while reading. 

Highly commended
Your Upstairs Oasis 

I enjoyed the writing style of this piece, with long, winding sentences reflective of an internal monologue. The piece navigates the complexity of coming of age coupled with childhood illness sensitively and maturely, while also leaving a lasting impression on the reader through its tension and unanswered questions. 

Commended

Report From a Goldilocks Planet  

A short piece full of imagination. I enjoyed the dynamic language in this and was impressed with the writer’s ability to give us a strong sense of the character’s personality and attitude in only a few lines. Interspersing the paragraphs with the ominous ‘…turn back…’ warnings along with the background hum of the dangerous creatures effectively produced a sense of tension and atmosphere. 

Gaidhlig
(Scottish Gaelic)

Judged by Rody Gorman,
Writer & Academic

Bha sinn toilichte bàrdachd fhaighinn don fharpais am-bliadhna.

Tha an dàn a ghlèidh a' chiad àite 'An t-Eun Buan, Biorach' a' dèanamh feum seòlta de chomhardadh air cuspair tiamhaidh a dh'fheumar làimhseachadh le mothachadh, agus tha an dàn a chaidh a Mholadh gu Mòr 'Tobht' as t-Fhoghar' geàrr agus drùidhteach. Nì sinn fiughair ri sgrìobhaidhean na bliadhna romhain.

We were pleased to receive entries for Gaelic in this year's competition.

The First Placed poem 'An t-Eun Buan, Biorach' makes clever use of rhyme and sound and the Highly Commended poem 'Tobht' as t-Fhoghar' is compact and evocative. Looking forward to next year's entries.  