Top 3 Poems (60 lines max)

Congratulations to the winners. All comments are from our judge, Richard Skinner.

‘These 10 shortlisted poems were incredibly varied, which made placing them very hard. A poem about travelling in Peru or the Holocaust? A tightly-lined poem or a spread of long lines? The standard was pleasingly high throughout and it was a pleasure to read them. Many congratulations to all the shortlistees – you all did amazingly well to get on this very short shortlist.’

3rd Place: “Waiting for You with a Clementine in Montmartre” by Carlotta Riechmann (UK)

‘“Waiting for You with a Clementine in Montmartre” is a delicious waltz-like poem with (obviously) a foody theme, but it is subtler than that – the clementine acts as a locus around which the poet talks about hope, loss, self-realisation and, yes, love. A gorgeous dance of words.’

2nd Place: “On building a house” by Jenny Pollak (AUSTRALIA)

‘“On building a house” is an ambitious poem and I love to see ambition in poetry. It time-hops from war torn Europe to the sunny seas and skies of Australia now. A heron stalks us throughout and the Holocaust is the fault line that it runs along. Understated, powerful.’

1st Place: “Eating Seafood in Margate” by Diana Cant (UK)

‘“Eating Seafood in Margate” is a wonderfully-crafted poem. Seemingly about days and time passing, it hints at deeper worries and troubles. Populated with creatures – birdsong, hunting dogs, oysters and hens – it’s about living through the senses, being alive and in tune with oneself in the face of the horrors of the world. A marvel.’

Why not enter our NEW Poetry (40 lines max) judged by Pascale Petit. Top prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st May, 2023.

Top 10 Flash Fiction Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

Ink in a Dye Bath
Ovie Erikson
Waterman-Men
The Final Quadrant
European Nights
Fraternity
The Dark Alleys of Sonagachi
Strangely Familiar
Throw Jackson
Tic-Toc

Congratulations to those who made the shortlist. All these 10 stories are exceptional.

The announcement of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placings will happen on the News Page next week. So, pop back to see which stories made the final cut.

Top 10 Microfiction Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

A Postcard From Berlin
Banishing Maddo
An Odd Feeling
Sauna Then Steam
It’s Not All About Me
What She Heard Was Music
Visitation
Layers
Borders
An Evening With Bono

Congrats to those who made the Top 10. Commiserations to those who didn’t this time. The standard of stories on the long list was very high.

The announcement of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd will happen on the News Page next week. So, pop back to see which stories win and what our judge, Carrie Etter, has to say about them.

Top 20 Flash Fiction Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

Ink in a Dye Bath
Ove Eriksson
Waterman-Men
The Final Quadrant
European Nights
The Lie
The Dark Alleys of Sonagachi
Fraternity
Strangely Familiar
Throw Jackson
Tic-Toc
Acquired Tastes
Monsters
Breaking Bad on Bourbon Street
The Song of the Nyamuk
Seasons Change
The Rise and Demise of Captain
A Guide to Hong Kong’s Intangible Cultural Heritage In 12 Parts
These Are The Things I Know About Saturn
Warring Warhol

Congratulations to those who made the long list. The standard of entries was high. There were 179 entries in total (including Bursary and 50% Discounted categories).

The announcement of the shortlist of 10 will happen on the News Page same time next week. So, pop back to see which stories made the cut.

Top 20 Microfiction Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

A Postcard From Berlin
An Evening With Bono
Banishing Maddo
Borders
Sauna Then Steam
An Odd Feeling
It’s Not All About Me
What She Heard Was Music
Empanadas
Visitation
Layers
Circumvision
Footprints in the Hall
Unseen
Shocking Pink
Pepito
Child of the Condor
When Coal Was King
The Archaeology of a Suitcase
The Wasp’s Caress

Congratulations to those who made the long list. Commiserations to those who didn’t this time. The standard of entries was high. There were 142 entries in total (including Bursary and 50% Discounted categories).

The announcement of the short list of 10 will happen on the News Page same time next week. So, pop back to see which stories made the cut.

Judge: Richard Skinner
Top 20 Poems (60 lines max.)

Shortlist

1st: ‘Eating Seafood in Margate’ by Diana Cant (England)

2nd: ‘Waiting For You With a Clementine in Montmartre’ by Jenny Pollack (Australia)

3rd: ‘On Building a House’ by Carlotta Riechman (England)

‘Shango’ by Richard Fox (USA)
‘The Cabbage Dance’ by John D. Kelly (N. Ireland)
‘One Love’ by Travis Inglis (Australia)
‘2 + 6 by Charmaine Wong’ (Hong Kong)
‘The Bungalow’s Dream’ by Brid Murphy (Ireland)
‘Papa Osaba’ by Christian Ward (England)
‘More Than I Bargained For’ by Alexander Barr (Wales)

Long List

‘Poinsettia’ by Julie Sheridan (Spain)
‘Easy Rider’ by Sharon Phillips (England)
‘The Plague Doctor’s Mistress’ by Glen Wilson (N. Ireland)
‘In an Experiment With Rabbits Buried at 35cm’ by Melanie Banim (England)
‘Esmerine’ by Miruna Fulgeanu (England)
‘No Items Match Your Search’ by Catherine Spooner (England)
‘A Banana in Berlin’ by Shauna Singh Balwin (USA)
‘Son of the Morning’ by Amanda McIntyre (Trinidad & Tobago)
‘Tate Britain’ by Michael Farren (England)
‘Aviators’ by Christian Ward (England)

Congratulations to those who made the final 20. The standard of entries was high. There were 346 entries in total (including Bursary and 50% Discounted categories).

The Plaza Prizes Anthology 1
Launch date: 18th October, 2023

We’ll be launching our inaugural anthology at the awards ceremony in Valletta, as part of the Malta Book festival. It’s a cracking collection of work from all over the world. 500 pages of Poetry, Prose Poetry, Short Stories, Flash Fictions Microfictions, Sudden Fictions, Memoir/Crime/Literary First Chapters.

Congratulations to all those who won a place in the book.

The price is £24.99. If you would like to pre-order a copy, or copies, please email: simon@theplazaprizes.com

The Plaza Memoir: First Chapters Prizewinners (Top 3)

Judged by Memoirist, Novelist, Poet, Musician, and Associate Professor in Creative Writing, Toby Litt.

1st: Plan B by Sheena Wilkinson (UK)

‘I found this very original, moving and nicely wry. One of the best things about is, in my view, is that it’s dealing with extremely difficult and subtle emotions, prompted by a situation many people must have found themselves in.’ TOBY LITT

2nd: 12 Reasons To Be Yourself by Gabriela Blandy (UK)

‘This is an amazing piece of writing, with lots of satisfying cross-correspondences between different sections.’ TOBY LITT

Big congrats to our Top 3 winners. What Toby Litt had to say generally about the entries:

When I hear competition judges say, ‘It was really difficult to choose a winner, the entries were all of such a high standard’ I tend to think they’re being kind, and trying to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings. And so I know that if I say something similar, you’ll have similar doubts. But the best memoirs I read for The Plaza Memoir: First Chapters Prize are outstanding pieces of writing: funny, anguished, full of insight and sensibility. I had to choose between them, and this made me reconsider what a good memoir should do. In the end, I decided it should do as many things as possible, all at the same time, but with deep emotional logic and clear focus.

If you didn’t win a prize this time, there will be another Memoir: First Chapters comp in January 2024.

Why not enter our NEW Science Fiction / Fantasy (5000 word max.) with literary agent, and Director of the Soho Agency, Ben Clark, as judge. Top prize: £1,000. Deadline: 30th June, 2023.

The Plaza Crime: First Chapters Prizewinners (Top 3)

Judged by No 1 Crime Bestseller, Sam Blake.

1st: The Hour of Our Death by Michael Lynch (UK)

‘Well written and well paced with a great sense of location, intriguing characters and chapter 1 opens with a cracking line.’ SAM BLAKE

2nd: The Grey Zone by Anne Manson (UK)

3rd: Flex by Rudy Thauberger (Canada)

‘Great energy with a cast of broken characters heading for greater disaster.’ SAM BLAKE

Big congrats to our Top 3 winners.

If you didn’t win this time, there will be another Crime: First Chapters comp in January 2024.

Why not enter our NEW Science Fiction / Fantasy (5000 word max.) with literary agent, and Director of the Soho Agency, Ben Clark, as judge. Top prize: £1,000. Deadline: 30th June, 2023.

Memoir: First Chapters Shortlist 
(10 titles listed in no particular order)

The Monster In My Mouth
The Unicorn Wrangler
Plan B
Umkhapalanga
Amreeka
An Evolution of The Eye
Lucho’s Kaleidoscope
How I Killed Betty
12 Reasons To Be Yourself
Weep For Lycidas

Congrats to those who made the Top 10. The announcement of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd will happen on the News Page next week. So, pop back to see how the winners are.