International Literary Prize 2023 Shortlist

We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2023 International Literary Prize.

Prize winners will be announced on the Billboard channel at 7.00pm GMT on Sunday 17th December. 

Judge’s choices and Editor’s international choices that didn’t make the shortlist will be announced in January and will also be included in the anthologies. 

Prizes will be awarded at the International Literary Festival in February 2024. The festival will also see the publication of the anthologies and the launch of the 2024 International Literary Prize. 

Stories and extracts from scripts will be published in the 2024 Short Story anthology. Poems, song lyrics and links to performed songs will be published in the 2024 Poetry anthology. 

Feedback will begin in January and we are aiming to complete by 31st March 2024


Short Stories

2023 Shortlisted Entries:


There's a Shadow in the Window. Matt Batten, Newtown, Australia

Potatoes. Matt Batten, Newtown, Australia

Aqua Dome Eleni. Laura Wolf Benziker, Portland, United States

Pigs & Paint. Letty Butler, Sheffield, United Kingdom

Where my body meets the water. Christina Care, London, United Kingdom

It's Your Call, Baby! Madeleine Armstrong, Beckenham, United Kingdom

Touching the Honey Slow River. John Irving Clarke, Wakefield, United Kingdom

The Pillion Passenger. Arthur Collin, Sydney, Australia

How we became warriors.  Jean Cooper Moran, Cailhau, France

Fitting In. Sally Curtis, Poole, United Kingdom

For Ada. Steve Dalzell, Louth, United Kingdom

Homeless Camping Jump. Annie Dawid, Westcliffe, United States

Hold Fast. Naomi Elster, London, United Kingdom

Dining With Demons. Kevin Embrechts, Turnhout, Belgium

The Middle Fate.  Julie Evans, Guildford, United Kingdom

Bloodlines. DP Fitzpatrick, Valencia, Spain

The Master. Penny Flanagan, Sydney, Australia

Clarence and Violet. Howard Halsall, Lytham St Annes, United Kingdom

Invisible Tyranny. Peter Hankins, Wallington, United Kingdom

Gone To Ground. Morgan Hatch, West Hills, United States

New Word Symphony. Ingvar Hellsing Lundqvist, Olofstorp, Sweden

The Paradox of Progress. Nicholas Holmes, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Small Differences. Graham Ingham, Eridge Green, United Kingdom

Once Upon a Crime. BV Lawson, Arlington, Virginia, United States

10 Cents for Wisdom. Zander Majors, Bixby, United States

The Knock. Peter McAllister, Marazion, United Kingdom

The Drive. Marie McAllister, Portland, Oregon, United States

Electra. Aoibheann McCann, Gaillimh, Ireland

Young Thugs.  John P. McEneny, Brooklyn, United States

Moments of Enlightenment. Karen Millar, Chepstow, United Kingdom

The Fish-Woman. Sarah Moreland, Mexico City, Mexico

Pale Angel. Patricia Mullin, Syderstone, United Kingdom

Agony of Perfection. Annie Percik, Enfield, United Kingdom

The Seance. Sue Royal, Brighton, United Kingdom

Secret Santa. Martin Tuffs, Nottingham, United Kingdom

The Magician (A Bridge Too Far). Simon Wood, Grimsby, United Kingdom

Poetry

2023 Shortlisted Entries:

A Writer's Fate.  Jean Rafferty, Rutherglen, United Kingdom

A Piece of Glass.  Donald McCrory, Sax (Alicante), Spain

'An ill-fitting dress of somebody else's design'.  Steven Duggan, Delgany, County Wicklow, Ireland

Rare beauty. Kate Durrant, Cork, Ireland

Stopping the bleeding. Lucy Crispin, Wray, United Kingdom

Peregrine. Simon Tindale, Halifax, United Kingdom

Creole Wedding. Jean Cooper Moran, Cailhau, France

Phone Call. Jennifer Harrison, Melbourne, Australia

Sad Outcomes. Gabhainn Ritchie, Blakeney, United Kingdom

If the night had hands. Grace Copeland, Sunderland, United Kingdom

High Tide. Dave Kurley, Santiago da Guarda, Portugal

Washed Up. Donald McCrory, Sax (Alicante), Spain

Darius on the Underground. Alan Coombe, West Norwood, United Kingdom

The Chthonic Switchboard Blues. Deborah Finding, London, United Kingdom

Rite of Passage. Val Ormrod, Lydney, Glos, United Kingdom

The Purple Dress. Vasiliki Albedo, Athens, Greece

Existential odyssey. Brooke Bolt, Skokie, United States

The Opening. Hallie Denison, Colorado Springs, United States

The Fugitive. Ronald Atilano, Cardiff, NSW, Australia

Stormcock Harbinger. Alison McNulty, Clitheroe, United Kingdom

Paternoster Row - passing in green velvet jackets. Graeme Miles, Hobart, Australia

Well maybe Anyway, This Was destiny. Kathy Zwick, London, United Kingdom

Cauldron, Star. Elia Elton, Cygnet, Australia

Forever Walk.  Alan Mitchell, North Thoresby, Lincs, United Kingdom

Pleading. Paula Rowlands, Denmark, WA., Australia

The Verdict. Donald McCrory, Sax (Alicante), Spain

One Day In Camden. Shirley Bunyan, Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom

They Will be Winged. Raya Yarbrough, Culver City, CA, United States

Scattering your ashes. Richard Burtle, Grimsby, United Kingdom

Conkers. Lee Slingsby, Sheffield, United Kingdom

When Cassandra Stumbles. Miranda Pratt, Philadelphia, United States

This Machine. Alan Mitchell, North Thoresby, Lincs, United Kingdom

Magdalena. Jeanette Burney, San Antonio, United States

The Lonely Prince. Angel Rodriguez, Lynn, United States

'Supermarketsweep'. Steven Duggan, Delgany, County Wicklow, Ireland

Nostalgia is the Devil. Gillian D'Souza, Unterfoering, Germany

Catalina's Cattle.  Jonathan Cant, Sydney, Australia

A Kismet Path. Mervyn Seivwright, APO, Germany

Warnham Pond. Alan Coombe, London, United Kingdom

Bathing the Tyrant. Glen Wilson, Portadown, United Kingdom

Scriptwriting

2023 Shortlisted Entries:


In or Out. Nicky Denovan, Reading, Uinited Kingdom

The Library. Rebecca Buckle, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Jerome's Fate. Matthew Canlas, Wellington, New Zealand

The Incident. Elizabeth Carroll, Reading, United Kingdom

 Just One Jump. Jules Chomet, London, United Kingdom

The Horsewoman.  Jessica Cotterill, Bromsgrove, United Kingdom 

Hai Gunaikes - The Women. Elia Elton, Cygnet, Australia 

Catharsis. Rochelle Potkar, Mumbai, India

Back & Fourth. H. J. Smith-Williams, Sheffield, United Kingdom

Songwriting

Song Lyrics

2023 Shortlisted entries:


Believe. Nathan Dennis, Coolangatta, Australia

The Cloak. Michael Pettit, Cape Town, South Africa

Hey God, So What's The Hurry? Jim Donaldson, Austin, USA

Kingdoms Are Gone. Wafaa Manawai, Cambridge, UK

The Poet Said. Laura Theis, Oxford, UK

Over The Moon. Peter Ludgate, Sherborne, UK

Handyman. Celia Hinton, London UK

The Drinking Man. Mick Mannion, Anglesey, UK


Recorded Song


Prison Rain. Alan Mitchell, North Thoresby, UK

Back to Burscough. Elaine Ibiricu, Stroud, UK

Over The Moon. Peter Ludgate, Sherborne, UK

Salaam Shalom.  Linda Barrett, Epping, UK

Down Dock No More. David Evardson, Cleethorpes, UK

Be inspired

Listen to the theme song and read winning entries from previous years.
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