What a wonderful job it was to judge the Huanui College Flash Fiction Competition. The quality of the submissions was high and in every story I found sentences that made my heart sing, and description I could clearly imagine. Well done to everyone who entered.

The standard of writing in the Junior Section was extremely high and it was a tight race to the finish line.

There are a few writers who narrowly missed out and I would like to acknowledge the effort they put into their stories. Liam He, Katie McGregor, Carolyn Betterman, and Eliana Richling.

Third Place went to a story that was short but entirely complete.  I loved the beginning, I was instantly involved in the action and could see it all unfolding right in front of me. The first person viewpoint was a great choice for this story, and a sense of urgency pervaded throughout. “Carnage” by Lucas Ulrich

Second Place went to a story that was descriptive with a strong sense of place. It featured faultless language choices and used all of the senses to evoke atmosphere. “Agent” by Toby Hamilton.

First Place. In the end the story that took first place was nuanced, instantly engaging, and used a range of writing techniques. One of its greatest strengths is the writer’s voice which is natural and unforced. The icing on the cake for me was its well timed twist of humour; it was totally unexpected.  Simply brilliant! The settings and description are easy to follow and I’d happily follow this character into any land they may wish to take me. “Breathing Fire” by Rachael Jackson.

In the Senior Section the first and second place were hotly contested. But all the stories were high quality including story that is highly commended.: “For Myself” by Ellen Strachan.

Third Place. This writer displayed an excellent balance of dialogue and character movement.  The entry contained a lot of dialogue so it was quite different to the other entries in this field.   “I’ve Got Your Back” by Aroha Snowsill.

Second place The second place winner’s story was riveting, with perfectly polished poetic prose. It was a joy to read. “Zero O’Clock” by Natalya Newman.

First place. The winning piece was a complete story written in less than 300 words; and it haunted me for hours. It’s opening sentence “The rain cried into his clothes...” set the tone for this raw and thought provoking piece. In the end it left a question and an image that lingered, long after the last word had been read. “Desolation” by Kate Roberts.

Congratulations to all the winners! And a big thank you to Tracie Lark and everyone at Huanui College for putting this competition together and inviting me to be a judge!