A TEENAGE view of Covid-19 anxiety and parental issues, written by one of the first ever winners of the www.GDNlife.com monthly short story contest, has picked up the latest BD25 prize.

Colette Owens took first place in the adult section with A Teen Waiting in what the judges described as one of the hardest competitions ever to choose a winner because of such a high standard of entries.

“That’s brilliant news,” said Ms Owens, an Irish expatriate who lives in Saar. “I’m overjoyed to have won again.

“This platform is brilliant to allow people like me, who like writing as a hobby, to read and enjoy the work of other fellow writers in Bahrain.

“I moved to Bahrain in 2019 with my family which allowed me the opportunity to write a little bit more, especially during the recent Covid-19 restrictions. I really enjoy taking part in this competition. Thank you GDNLife!”

A Teen Waiting has attracted a stunning 7,300-plus views already on our community social media platform.

One of the judges, Rohini Sunderam, from Bahrain Writers Circle, thought its structural prowess made it particularly stand out. “I was delighted to see an overall better calibre of writing in last month’s entries,” she added. “Of them all I was torn between one that was written as a letter and A Teen Waiting. In the end A Teen Waiting won, as it has the distinct ‘voice’ of a teenager and captured a teen’s wandering mind with authenticity.”

Ms Owens last picked up the prize in April 2020 for her entry The Border Dance but it was a first time success for the contest’s U18 monthly winner Tanisha Biswas who wins a ticket to the movies now that the cinemas have reopened for her thrilling tale of twins called Our Weakness.

The 13-year-old Bangladeshi expatriate, who lives in Tubli, said: “I was excited to find out I had won this month’s competition. It’s inspirational and now the challenge for me is to continue to improve. I will try heart and soul to develop my writing skills.”

The Al Noor International School pupil added: “My father has been working at Kooheji Contractors since 1999 and my mother at the Bangladesh School as a senior teacher.

“My brother and I were both born in Bahrain. I read on a website about the GDNLife short story competitions and since March I have been posting entries. Our weakness is my fourth short story and I’m so pleased the judges liked it.”

More than 2,000 visitors to www.gdnlife.com have enjoyed the story too and judge Chris Fenton, head teacher of the British Primary Department at Al Noor International School, was mightily impressed.

“A very original idea and one that I think would make a great novel or screenplay,” he said. “I hope to see Tanisha develop the characters and their unique relationship in future entries. A worthy winner.”

You can check out June’s winning entries here :
OUR WEAKNESS - U18 entry by Tanisha Biswas: https://bit.ly/3htrTQ0

A Teen Waiting (Short story adult entry) by Ms Colette Owens: https://bit.ly/3k2wHxt

July 2021 entries are invited so get writing today! Register, choose an image, create a title, paste and copy your words in text, and submit to share your work on www.gdnlife.com
Our panel of judges will also decide on who should walk away with the annual GDNLife Short Story of the Year prize trophies in both categories after the competition’s second anniversary in March 2022.

The winner of the GDNLife People’s Choice Award – the short story that has received the most views and likes – will also be announced.

• Keen writers of all ages are being offered the chance to publish their work on Bahrain’s popular social media platform for a monthly prize. As a result of the contest’s success there is now a special exclusive Short Story section on www.gdnlife.com for visitors to enjoy.