Compliments are the order of the day for the latest winners of the GDNlife short story competition in both the adult and U18 categories.

Artist Saira Ranj put aside her paintbrush and decided not to cover up her literary talents any longer with a timely and uplifting tale entitled Behind the Mask.

“This piece was inspired from real life,” said Saira, an Indian expatriate who describes herself as a ‘third culture kid’ having been raised in Dubai and now running her own venture called ‘Createit’ here in Bahrain.

“People are my favourite subjects,” the Seef resident said, “their actions, their ideas, their interactions all make it to the pages of my writing journal.

“Their characteristics and reactions are what makes each individual so different. And, telling their stories through my eyes, has been a passion since childhood.

“It feels great to be picked a winner! I am looking forward to submitting a lot more entries – as expressing myself is something that occupies my mind 24/7 – writing happens everywhere, while waiting for people to arrive, standing in queues or daily journaling.”

Short story contest judge Rohini Sunderam, from Bahrain Writers Circle, was impressed with Behind the Mask which has already received more than 2,500 views on our social media platform.

She described October’s BD25 winning adult entry as a ‘refreshing tale of how an older woman feels young again, courtesy of her mask! A nice mix of dialogue and narrative,” she added.

The U18 winning entry this month has taken www.GDNlife.com by storm notching more than 6,800 views and numerous shares around other social media platforms.

Popular Paula Madrid Camacho’s entry Fear of the Unknown is a real thriller. “I’m Venezuelan and I have lived in Bahrain for almost 10 years – Saar and Amwaj Islands,” she said, “we were brought to Bahrain because of my dad’s work.

“What inspired my entry was that it was a challenge and it pushed me to do my best piece of writing. Finding out I had won was such a big accomplishment!”

It certainly left the reader wanting more, believes judge Chris Fenton, head teacher of the British Primary Department at Al Noor International School, who described Fear of the Unknown as a ‘suspenseful story and mystery to boot’.

(Click here to read Paula Madrid Camacho’s entry)

(Click here to read Saira Ranj's entry) 

“Who was the suspicious character following the protagonist? I can’t wait to find out,” he said. “Suspense thrilled ... that horrible feeling that someone is following you late at night on your way home.”

The 16-year-old St Christopher’s pupil is currently studying computer science, mechanical maths and physics before aiming to embark on further studies on robotics or artificial intelligence at university. In the meantime, the talented teen has won a pair of movie tickets to help inspire her follow-up entry to keep her growing army of fans satisfied.

You can check out October’s winning entries by placing your smartphone over the QR Codes.

November 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 – clearly stating Adult or U18 entry.

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.

editor@gdnonline.com