April's winners

THE latest prize winners of the GDNlife Short Story contests have been announced after the literary talent of all the entries was considered by a panel of judges.

Colette Owens took the BD25 prize in the adult section for her entry The Border Dance, which has already received more than 1,180 likes on our social media platform.

“I thought it truly expressed how the human spirit lives on through troubled times,” said one of the judges, Rohini Sunderam, from Bahrain Writers Circle.

The short story focused on a chance meeting during the ‘troubles’, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century.

“I’m delighted to be announced the short story winner for the month of April,” said Colette.
“My special thanks to GDNlife as this is an excellent platform and opportunity for people like me who enjoy writing as a hobby, and it is indeed lovely to read the entries from other writers in Bahrain too.
“My family and I moved to Bahrain from Ireland last summer and are currently residing in Saar.
“I’m enjoying my time being a mum to two young girls as I am currently taking a career break from teaching back home in Ireland.
“I look forward to reading many more stories on GDNlife and I would encourage anyone with a story to tell to put pen to paper and enter this competition.”

Schoolgirl Sumedha Sandip Sarda won a pair of cinema tickets in the under-18 category for her entry The Ultimate Experience which has already received more than 1,320 likes on GDNlife. It’s a moving tale of life, death, heartache, friendship and health matters.

Judge Julie Anne Gilbert thought it “showed a maturity beyond her years” and that she could “really hear the writer’s voice in the piece”.

Sumedha, a 12-year-old Indian national and year seven pupil at St Christopher’s School, said her hobbies are basketball, badminton, baking, reading and, of course, writing.

“I’m surprised and bursting with joy to find out that I have won this month,” she said.
“It was my first time of entering a writing competition and I didn’t expect to win because I knew there would be very talented writers. This has inspired me to write more in the future.”

Keen writers are being offered the chance to publish their work on Bahrain’s new social media platform for a monthly prize.

Winning stories, of no more than 800 words, will then compete for an annual GDNlife Short Story of the Year prize trophy … and even entries that do not win the judges’ approval could still walk away with an accolade – The GDNlife People’s Choice Award – for receiving the most views and likes.

Links to April's winning entries:

Colette's The Border Dance

https://www.gdnlife.com/Home/ArticleDetail?ArticleId=34743&category=10

and Sumedha's The Ultimate Experience

https://www.gdnlife.com/Home/ArticleDetail?ArticleId=23750&category=10