Top 10 Prose Poetry Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)
Drawers
Lacrimarium
5 Reasons Not to Date an Italian
Orders
Vision Sonata Without Coda
A Universe in My Hand
The Laughter of Rats
Have You Ever Fucked a Turtle
The Art of Leaning
You Wrote My Name on a Toilet Wall
Congratulations to those who made the shortlist.
The announcement of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd winners will happen on the News Page next week. So, pop back to see which prose poems made the final cut.
Top 3 Flash Fictions
Congratulations to the winners. All comments below are from our judge, Meg Pokrass.
‘It was great to see the many different interpretations of the form represented in The Plaza Prize, and exciting to be reminded that flash fiction is a form which allows us to make it our very own. Submissions were so robust and original that it was difficult to select only three. Submissions on the short list were inventive, insightful and startling, each in their own distinctive way. With a word count so small, the matter of a story itself must be proportionately larger— and with flash fiction, we like to be shown the truth, not told it.’
3rd prize: “Strangely Familiar” by Katalin Abrudan (England)
‘”Strangely Familiar” is a complex story about how early childhood wounds can mould us for life. Here, a character recognises an old injury in a familiar place—the moment in which they were forever changed. There is an unspoken sense of victory over the past in this story, and I found it to be exquisitely moving.’
2nd prize: “Ove Eriksson” by Barbara Black (CANADA)
‘”Ove Eriksson” is simply beautiful. Sentence after well constructed sentence, the glorious writing shows us a character’s emotional isolation and how in the end, how it is the invisible and unexpected that will sustain the human spirit. A story that is mysterious and deeply memorable.
1st prize: “Waterman-Men” by Azaria Brown (USA)
‘The winner, “Waterman-Men”, is a ghostly story that I couldn’t unstick from my consciousness. This story bursts with tragic urgency, with sickening stench of racism and murder hangs in the reader’s mind like smoke. The writer built this haunting story from the inside out, startling image by image, with a flawless eye toward life’s ordinary beauty.. This was a story I could not turn away from, and will follow me around for a very long time.’
Enter our NEW Poetry (40 lines max) judged by Pascale Petit. Top prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st May, 2023.
Top 3 Microfictions
Congratulations to the winners. All comments below are from our judge, Carrie Etter.
‘What a wonderful range of stories! It was a great pleasure to read the entries and slip in and out of so many different worlds. The standard was truly impressive.’
3rd place: “Banishing Maddo” by Marie Gethins (IRELAND)
The third prize winner, ‘Banishing Maddo,’ takes a familiar subject–a child’s nighttime fear of monsters–and makes it new by deftly suggesting the wider psychological factors that draw out the child’s imaginative resilience. It’s a story that will stay with me, I’m sure.
2nd place: “A Postcard From Berlin” by Hongwei Bao (UK)
The second prize winner, “A Postcard from Berlin,” movingly conveys the struggle to articulate given the limitations of different languages and cultures, all in a single, perfect paragraph. Another writer to watch!
1st prize: “What She Heard Was Music” by Barbara Black (CANADA)
‘”What She Head Was Music” is richly evocative and compelling in its artful balance of what it gives and what it withholds, and the ending’s emotional power proves both surprising and thrilling. Once I know the story’s author, I’ll be looking to read more of their work!
Why not enter our NEW Poetry (40 lines max) judged by Pascale Petit. Top prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st May, 2023.
Top 20 Prose Poetry Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)
The House
Something in Between
Wedding
Drawers
Bones
Lacrimarium
5 Reasons Not to Date an Italian
Orders
Vision Sonata Without Coda
A Universe in My Hand
The Shark Rockery
The Laughter of Rats
Have You Ever Fucked a Turtle
Autogenisis
The Art of Leaning
The Road to Pelathousa
Coachman’s Puzzle
I Never Heard You Yodel
Piawakawaka
You Wrote My Name on a Toilet Wall
Congratulations to those who made the long list. The standard of entries was high. There were 363 entries in total (including Bursary and 50% Discounted categories).
The announcement of the shortlist of 10 will happen on the News Page next week. So, pop back to see which stories made the cut.
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).
