Announcing the Winner of Our Short Story Competition

Published on: 16 Oct, 2025
Updated on: 19 Oct, 2025

We are delighted to announce the winner of our short story competition, run in conjunction with Guildford’s new independent bookshop, Paper Moon.

We were overwhelmed by entries, but in the opinion of the three judges, one stood out as an obvious winner.

This was Christine Reeves’ story “Some Games Children Play”.

Congratulations to Christine!

Author Alice Fowler, one of the judges, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed this exploration of grief and loss, which cleverly blended past and present into an atmospheric and satisfying story.”

The judges chose two runners up: “Spider Under a Glass” written by Isabella Pakenham from Ewhurst, and “Big Issue” written by Richard Garcka from Guildford.

Christine, who comes from Woking, will receive £50 in book tokens donated by Paper Moon, based in Jeffries Passage, and £50 in cash from The Guildford Dragon NEWS.

Her winning entry will be published in The Dragon this coming weekend (October 18-19).

Guildford Dragon reporter David Reading, another of the judges, said: “Our competition showed there is tremendous creative talent out there and this is a positive sign at a time when there are concerns about a perceived decline in literacy and the love of the printed word.”

The judges:

Alice Fowler is an award-winning writer of short stories and longer fiction. Her debut short story collection, The Truth Has Arms and Legs, was published in July 2023 by Fly On The Wall Press, an independent press based near Manchester.

Alice is a contributor to the Guildford Dragon. Her website: www.alicefowlerauthor.com

David Reading began his journalism training with the Surrey Advertiser in 1965 and worked at various newspapers around the South before settling in Ash.

He is the co-author of the collection of short stories The Kindness of Time, published in 2022 by Red Socks Publishing.

Jack Mountford is owner and manager of Guildford’s independent bookshop, Paper Moon, in Jeffries Passage, off Guildford High Street.