This is a list of the winning and commended writers and poets from the Minds Shine Bright Writing Competitions. Each writer receives prize money and their shortlisted pieces can be found in the Confidence, Seasons or Places series of anthologies by Minds Shine Bright.
The winners and the Short Lists of the Places Writing Competition. Winning and commended writers will be published in Places, Minds Shine Bright Anthology or Young Writers’ Places, Minds Shine Bright Anthology.
‘Relentlessly Prismatic’, a short story by Erini Loucaides, Nicosia, Cyprus
‘Nashville, January’, Jennifer Seohyun Yang, Seoul, Korea
‘Sweet Summer of 15’, Riley Yau, Vancouver, Canada
‘Peach Island’, Sarah-Kate Simons, Tauranga, New Zealand
‘The Litchi Tree’, a short story by Sanjeevani Canakiah, Mauritius, Africa
‘A Swing of Flight’, a short story by Lila Dymott-Khuong, Melbourne, Australia
Vivienne James from Port Macquarie, New South Wales
All shortlisted creative writing is commended.
‘Invasive’, Suzi Mezei, Melbourne, VIC
‘In the Shadow of Great-grandparents’, Jude Aquilina, Milang, South Australia
‘Blessed are those who carry the sky in a jar’, Ljubica Perisic, Northern Sydney, NSW
‘Two brothers, a dune and a beach near Burleigh’, Bob Topping, QLD
‘Balikbayan’, Rhianna C. Laguesma, Melbourne VIC
‘On Rocky Road’, Kay Cairns, Wanneroo, WA
‘Yandjip (Yanchep National Park)’, Shey Marque, Two Rocks, WA
‘Inpatience’, Mari M. Bianco, Florida, US
‘Gusts’, Craig White, Turner’s Beach, TAS
‘Still Here’, Gayelene Carbis, Melbourne, VIC
‘The Car Wash was meant to be fun’, Angela Costi, Melbourne
‘Village vignettes’, Irina Frolova, Speers Point, NSW
‘Outside the Fishbowl’, Olivia Eirth, NSW
‘Retirement Home Happy Hour’, Jake Dennis, Noranda Perth, WA
‘Whispers from Shiraz’, Sepideh Fallah, Bentleigh, VIC
‘The Paper House’, Ella Eckford, Coogee, NSW
‘A real place’, Toby Sime, Daylesford, VIC
‘A Place Called Mercy’, Nadili Soman, Trinidad and Tobago
‘Sans Souci’, Paulette Gittins, South Yarra, VIC
‘In the Spirit of Things’, Suzanne Hermanoczki, Coburg, VIC
‘Before the water views’, Evi Ruhle, Melbourne, VIC
‘Flamboyant’, Harriet Grace, Richmond, Great Britain
‘Into Exile’, Janeen Samuel, Morgiana, VIC
‘The Mercy of Extinction’, Lior Blum, London, UK
‘Devotional’, Taya Rose Holland, Williamstown, VIC
‘Fragmented Reminiscence’, Arindam Kalita, Kacharihat,Bongaon, Golaghat, India
‘All That Glitters’, Athena Law, QLD
‘Robb’s’, Brendan Murray, Nannup, WA
‘Relative Sins’, Haley Young Googong, NSW
‘Tat Tvam Asi’, Anil Classen, Zurich, Switzerland
‘A Family of Four’, Jayagandi Jayaraj, Parramatta, NSW
‘The School Tree’, Kirsty Cauley, Kingaroy, QLD
‘Know Your Place’, Dr Chelinay Gates, WA
‘Unseen’, Nadia Tariqi, Sweden
‘Green Tea’, Richard Yaxley, QLD
Untitled, Jaime Calle Moreno, London, UK
‘Show Homes,’ Pablo Alfierri, Melbourne
‘Grains of Sand’, Emily Schreiter, Innsbruck, Austria
‘I Remember Who You Are’, Gayelene Carbis, Melbourne, VIC
‘It’s been four months’, Naomi Currie, Adelaide Hills, SA
‘A Thread Over Water’, D. Adebiyi, Kent, England, UK
‘The Mermaid’, Ali McLafferty, Austin, Texas, US
‘Hermannsburg Mission’, Roger Vickery, NSW
‘Untitled’, Zan Chao Hao, Shanghai, China
‘Distant Magic’, Pam Garfoot, Bright Waters, NSW
All shortlisted creative writing is commended.
‘The Stars of Our Journey,’ Alanis Hildred, Regional Victoria
‘The Oaks of Me’, Mahlia Owen Marchbank, Regional Victoria
‘My favourite place when I was alive was in my head’, Charlotte Ruan, Melbourne, VIC
‘The 2 Best Buds’, Giselle O’Neill, Melbourne, VIC
‘Home’, Raiven Cole, Regional Victoria
‘The Daffodils Are Dead’, Primmy Kithen, Thailand
‘Out of Reach’, Asma Muniree, Melbourne, VIC
‘Paengaroa School Pool’, Charlotte Hann, Bay of Plenty, NZ
‘Maylands Peninsula Primary School’, Carla Smethurst, Perth, WA
‘A Place People Learn To Hate’, Eaint Chan Myae Zaw, Yangon, Myanmar
‘The Places We Live, Love and Leave’, Muskaan Agarwal, South Australia
‘When chasing the sun, don’t get scorched’, Mimi Murrell, Dubai, AE
‘Sicily’, Kagan Sucu, Hertfordshire, England, UK
‘The Fight to Write’, Kyley Kimbrell, Texas, US
‘School’, Valeriia Fedoseeva, Linden, North Carolina, US
Samantha Dela Cruz, Sydney, NSW
Henry King, Diamond Creek, VIC
Issy Spataro, Cobram, VIC
Serena Lee, Bentleigh East, VIC
Irlene Kaur, Diamond Creek, VIC
Alessandra Dela Cruz, Sydney, NSW
The winners and the Short List, curated by theme interpretation, of the Minds Shine Bright,Seasons, Light and Shadow Writing Competition
Isi Unikowski, Canberra, ACT, Aust, poem, ‘Bright Square of Morning’
Helen Booth, Surf Coast, Victoria, Aust, short story, ‘The Brightest Star’
Edie Redwine, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, short story ‘Roots’
Paul Drewitt, Karama, Northern Territory, Aust poem, ‘Slither of Light’
The top eleven is a feature of the Seasons anthology series. The top 11 writers and poets include the overall winner, 3 placed writers and the seven commended writers below:
Gayle Beveridge, Bass Coast, Victoria, Aust short story, ‘Cash Only’
Glyn Matthews, Cheshire, GB, short story, ‘Tidelines’
Lans Felby, South Australia, Aust, flash fiction, ‘Just Black’
Poppy White, Harcourt, Victoria, Aust, short story, ‘The Shallows’
Keren Heenan, Greensborough, Vic, Aust, short story, ‘The Colour of Air’
Suzanna Fitzpatrick, Orpington, Kent, GB, poem ‘The Shed’
Gabi Cadenhead, Sydney, NSW, Aust poem, ‘Sky’
Each commended piece in this set is highly visual and creates an image or a series of images in the mind’s eye.
Maya Le Her, Sydney, NSW, Aust, poem, ‘Photograph’
Roger Vickery, Sydney, NSW, Aust, short story, ‘Dark Cousin’
Suzi Mezei, Melbourne, Vic, Aust, poem, ‘Fade Out: the Fort Nepean Tunnels’
Suzanna Fitzpatrick, Orpington Kent GB, poem, ‘Bushfires’
Liam Boyle, Ballybane, Gallway, Ireland poem, ‘The Sunday After’
These commended pieces explore the ways that light and shadow create perspective in nature, and capture the magic of the land and our connection to it.
Dr Chelinay Gates,( Overall winner of Storm) Guildford, WA, Aust, flash fiction, ‘Yanggarda Yanggarda – Long Long Time Ago’
Leone Gabrielle, Seymour, Vic, Aust, poem, ‘Clear Water’
Brooks Carver, Illinois, US, flash fiction, ‘Twilight of a Season’
Jenifer Hetherington, Beaconsfield, WA, Aust, ‘Mind Fish’
Françoise Thornton-Smith,(Overall winner of Confidence 2022) Wartook, Vic, Aust, short story, ‘The taste of land’
Krista Jane May, Rockglen, Saskatchewan, Canada, short story, ‘This way now’
These commended pieces predominantly play with light and shadow indoors, as they explore the urban and the suburban.
Scott Winkler, Glendale, Wisconsin, US, short story, ‘In which a socked foot, a cat, two avocados and a goddess take flight, and Count Leo takes a bow’
Jo Curtain, Torquay, Vic, Aust, story, ‘Lessons from the kitchen’
Oshada Perera, Southland, NZ, short story, ‘Marshmallows’
Jake Richards, West Launceston, Tas, Aust, short story, ‘In the line of duty’
Brendan Caldwell, Lurgan, Armagh, GB, short story ‘Sun Cat With Smoke For A Body’
Isabella Rona, Twickenham, GB, short story, ‘Milk Teeth’
Jean Roarty, Cabinteely, Dublin, Ireland, short story, ‘The Dance between Darkness and Light’
Jane Downing, Albury, NSW, Aust, short story, ‘Second Time Round’
Sean Crawley, Long Jetty, NSW, Aust, short story, ‘No One Talks Anymore’
Moonlight
These commended pieces explore the darkness of space, the magnificent moon and the glow of starlight.
Ez Knill, Adelaide, South Australia, Aust, poem, ‘Moonlight/starlight’
Adrian Downes, Footscray, Vic, Aust, short story, ‘The Legacy of Shadows’
Alice Gorman,Adelaide, South Australia, Aust, short story,‘Lavatime’
This set explores the best and the worst in all of us and celebrates life and the human spirit.
Angela Costi, Melbourne, Vic, Aust poem, ‘Medicinal’
Karen Lea Armstrong, Timmins, Ontario, Canada, poem, ‘The guy with the wound’
Tim Loveday, Fitzroy North, Vic, Aust, poem, ‘In the bar my mum used to work’
Owen Dwyer, Saggart, Dublin, Ireland, short story, ‘The Christmas Party’
Veronica Troup, Melbourne, Vic, Aust, poem, ‘Outfoxing Merri Creek’
Sophie O’ Hagan, Barton Bendish, GB, short story, ‘Up on the Moors’
Pat Abraham, Sydney, NSW, Aust, short story, ‘Cut from the Same Cloth’
Eilish Siobhan Brennan, Melbourne, Vic, Aust, short story, ‘A Backyard Wedding’
Alexandra O’Sullivan, Regional Victoria, Aust short story, ‘All the pretty birds’
G.M. Monks, Pennsylvania, US, poem, ‘Genghis Khan’
The winners and commended entries for the Confidence 2023 writing competition to be published in Confidence 2 Minds Shine Bright Anthology 2024 are:
First Prize – Helen Booth, Anglesea, Victoria, Aust, short story Drift
Poetry Prize – Valerie Wallace, Michigan City in Indiana, US, Carnelvarium
Short Story Prize – Dan Micklethwaite, Yorkshire, Great Britain, Blackpool Solo.
Flash Fiction Prize – Kathryn Le Mon from Columbus, Ohio for When I am the Wolf
Script Writing Prize – Grace Keller from Dallas Texas for The Last Ten Seconds
Molly Dunn, Booroolite, Victoria, Aust, Drawing on Nature
Jennifer Harrison, Seattle, Washington, US, Daughters
Jonathan Chibuike Ukah, London, GB, The Smile
Helen Dosedel, St Bonifacius, Minnesota, US, Fragile Moments
Josiane Smith, London, GB, The Stitching Circle
Jonathan Greenhause, Jersey City, NJ, US, Gender Inequality on 19th century Minnesota Farmland
Jonathan Greenhause, Jersey City NJ, US, These Sensory Changes
Leone Gabrielle, Seymour, VIC, Aust, Messenger
Sharmaine Gray, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Vantage point
Susan Y. Hoffman, Madison, Wisconsin, US, The Plunge
Alicia Sometimes, Carnegie, VIC, Aust, Robes of Darkest Blue
Shoshanna Rockman, Elsternwick, VIC, Aust, Caravan Therapy
JM Thomson, Burragate, NSW, Aust, Judgement Day
Tamra Palmer, Marrickville, NSW, Aust, Rising
Catalina Steriu, Bucharest, Romania, Under the indifferent rain
Evi Ruhle, Melbourne, VIC, Aust, Reviving Angelo
Caitlin Mahony, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Aust, Puncture
Zofia Kuypers, Kingsford, NSW, Aust, The things we tell ourselves
Deirdre Barragry, Dublin, Ireland, Nasti Pesto
Max Riddington, Dorset, UK, Twin tub
Rylan Rafferty, Los Angeles, California, US, Mop Walks Into a Bar
Maile Juarez, New York, US, The Ocean
Bob Topping, Kooralbyn, Queensland, Aust, Indecent Defeat
Ciara Blum, Fingal Head, NSW, Aust, Realer than real
Katy Massey, Brighton, GB, UK, Venetian Glass
Kym Tyzack, Leopold, VIC, Aust, Motherlove
Hannah Brown, Tokyo, Japan, When Winter Went
Emily Robertson, Pinjarra, Western Australia, Aust, Heartbeat
Andrea McMahon, Moonah, Tasmania, Aust, A Fine Matriarch
Matthew Pitt, Fort Worth, Texas, Lifting the Pall
M K Brake, Massachusetts, US, Uvula: A Love Story
Jaz Ward, Darley, Victoria, Aust, A Woman in her Coat
Niamh Kelleher, Sydney, NSW, Aust, The Clock Reads
Paul Weidknecht, New Jersey, US, Leviathan
Stephanie Williams-Holmes, Christchurch, New Zealand
Self-Portrait Sue Pincham, Corimma, NSW, Aust, Somebody
The Minds Shine Bright Prize winners and commended writers of Storm Writing Competition, published in Storm, Minds Shine Bright Seasons 1 2023 were:
| First Prize | Dr Chelinay Gates, flash fiction, Storm Clouds Approaching, Guildford, WA, Aust |
| Second Prize | Cassie Boulis, flash fiction, The Thaw, Atlanta, Georgia, US |
| Third Prize | Troy Walsh, short story, In the Embrace of Trees, Central West, NSW, Aust |
| Fourth Prize | Sarah Rasmussen, short story, House of Feathers, Korumburra,VIC, Aust |
| Top Ten | Steve Evans, poem, Storm, Adelaide, SA, Aust |
| Top Ten | Gayle Beveridge, short story, The Lightning Traveller, Bass Coast, VIC, Aust |
| Top Ten | Jennifer Harrison, poem, Shelter, Melbourne, VIC, Aust |
| Top Ten | Patricia Fitzgerald, flash fiction, Storm in a Teacup, Brisbane, QLD, Aust |
| Top Ten | Riya Patel, flash fiction, A Breeze that Brought in a Taxi Cab, New Jersey, US |
| Top Ten | Jacqueline Winn, short story, When God Goes Mad, Possum Brush, NSW, Aust |
Beverley Lello, Ketchum Bay, Yackandandah, VIC, Aust
Shale Preston, Storm Over Primrose Park, Sydney, NSW, Aust
Colleen Z. Burke, On Newtown Bridge, Sydney, NSW, Aust
Jude Aquilina, Storm Over Lake Alexandrina, Milang, SA, Aust
Steve Evans, Cockroach, Honey, Adelaide, SA, Aust
Suzy Mezei, In the Harsh of Winter, Mount Eliza, VIC, Aust
Nicholas Jeffers, A Dreaming Dog #11 Staring At An Animals Eyes, Baltimore, Maryland, US
Perry Narborough, The Clouds Above Us, Hornsby Heights, NSW, Aust
Jim Kent, There’s A Storm Brewing, Port Fairy, VIC,Aust
Jade Dickinson, Gindle’s Spirit, Kingston, TAS, Aust
Mieke Heykoop, Storm Flight, New Brunswick, Canada
C.L. Glanzing, The Backwards God, Middlesex, GB, UK
Conor Scanlan, The Observation of Things Past, Melbourne, VIC, Aust
Peter Frankis, Westerlies, Port Kembla, NSW, Aust
Leone Gabrielle, The Visit, Seymour, VIC, Aust
Nandi-Li O’Sullivan, Stormy Strangers, Cork, Ireland
Brooks Carver, Under a Wild, Full Moon, Canton, Illinois, US
Meredith Downes, Battery Life, Brisbane, QLD, Aust
The prize winners and commended writers of Confidence 2022, published in Confidence Minds Shine Bright Anthology 2022 were:
| Françoise Thornton-Smith, short story, Red Bikini, Wartook, VIC, Aust | Overall Winner |
| Poppy Brazier, Flying Free, Brisbane, QLD, Aust | Flash Fiction Prize |
| Alexandra Svoboda, All the Pain and All the Joy, St Kilda, VIC, Aust | Short Story Prize |
| Jed Stanley, Beaucoup Bills, Perth, WA, Aust | Script Prize |
| Kevin Dyer, joint winner, Dahlias, Denbighshire, Wales, UK | Poetry Prize |
| Michael Leach, joint winner, Emergence of Voice, Strathdale, VIC, Aust | Poetry Prize |
Charlotte Finn, Treading on Water, Bulla, VIC, Aust
Jennifer Harrison, Grandmother, Windsor, VIC, Aust
Mocco Wollert, Jessica at Fifteen, Keperra, QLD, Aust
Juliet Guthrie, The Last Heady Days, Box Hill Sth, VIC, Aust
Claire Le, Fossil, Thornleigh, NSW, Aust
Ella Mitchell, Beautiful Things, Welcome bay, Tauranga, New Zealand
Sadie Yetton, Party Song, Auckland, New Zealand
Rafael S.W. Stag Nation, VIC, Aust
Drew Grant, Night Owl, NSW, Aust
Diana Stoicescu, Debarked, Bucharest, Romania
Peter Fitzgerald, Mudgee Railway Station, Mudgee, NSW, Aust
Olga Pavlinova Olenich, The Line of Trees, Castlemaine, VIC, Aust
Heather Compton, Somewhere: 2021, Preston, VIC, Aust
Janeen Samuel, Parrot People, Morgiana, VIC, Aust
Morouje Sherif, When the Sea Takes You, I Won’t Come, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Shoshanna Rockman, Dragons Don’t Smoke, Elsternwick, VIC, Aust
Jericho Ellao, The Kingdom of the Over-world, Albury, NSW, Aust
Lee A. Baglin, Of Machine and Love, Perth, WA, Aust
Karen Lee Mills, A Northern Flicker, Echuca, VIC, Aust
Olivia Campbell, The People of the Art, Melbourne, VIC, Aust
Claire Dalkin, Microbial, Hove, East Sussex, UK
Karen Lethlean, Catch and Release, Heathcote, NSW, Aust
Jaydan Salzke, Rite of Passage, QLD, Aust
Aoife McFadden, Distorted Lens, Morphetville, SA, Aust
Sue Hall, Barred Rock, Kerikeri, Northland, New Zealand
Anna Rodway, Mabel, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Aust
Regina de Búrca, Sovereign, Dublin, Ireland
Evelyn Menary, Victory Memorial, Ottawa, Canada
Jennifer Hurley, Tree of Knowledge, Portarlington, VIC, Aust
Kate Foulds, Acorn, VIC, Aust
C Sullivan, Morning Chorus, QLD, Aust
Leni Maag, Sarah, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
David Edwards, Chillblains, O’Connor, ACT, Aust
Eve Nucifora, Trumpet, Turner, ACT, Aust
Lesley Day, Poached, Upper Sturt, SA, Aust
Amelia Carter, The Currawong, Braddon, ACT, Aust
Scott Hallarn, Townscapes, Toronto, Canada
Jessica Kilkenny, Move, Surrey Hills, VIC, Aust
Steve Fendt, Gone South, Clifton Springs, VIC, Aust
Hannah Small, Confidence in Healing, Middle Park, VIC, Aust
Confidence comes from within, seasons from without.
Amanda Scotney, on Minds Shine Bright themes