Hi All
It was so rewarding to see so many entries to our August Short story competition – 182 in total! Split evenly amongst the 3 age groups. It has taken us a long time to sift through them all working out which ones had merit or showed a latent talent for writing.
I can now empathise with all those English Teachers who must mark their student’s essays. Judgement, thereof, must surely depend on what the reader enjoys seeing in a tale. I was always taught to have an introduction of the topic, and the main storyline finished off with a conclusion that leaves the audience with relevant answers to the plot. Good grammar and spelling are a given. I’m a firm believer that the more novels one reads the better stories one will write
One of our main objectives with this competition was to give people from all walks of life an opportunity to try out storytelling; to see how personally rewarding it can be to put pen to paper expressing your thoughts for all to read. Imagine if one of our contributors turned out to be another internationally recognised author like our own Paula Hawkins?
We have spent the last week or so uploading all the stories onto our website for anyone to read. Acclaimed Zimbabwean-born writer, Rory Kilalea, has been the main adjudicator for the contributions and he has given most of them marks ranging from 4 -10. We have tried to place all of them on our website with the best ones being shown first.
Magical Parade / Dream Come True (7-12 yrs old).
Winner: the most original layout was contributed by a very young Natalie Mandiopera from “Kids are Kids” Junior School. She has won a $50 book voucher generously donated by a very new Bookshop in Highland Park called “World of Books” – Magical Parade
Excerpt: “Once upon a time, there lived a princess called Luna, she had always wanted a parade,…. She was sad but did not give up.”
Second Place: a highly motivated teacher at Froggy Pond School in Bulawayo arranged for about 10 of her pupils to write short essays for us. The best entry was from Tinotenda Mhuru who receives a $50 gift voucher from LNA stationers in Bulawayo. – Magical Parade
Third Place: Tadisa Malunga from Hearts Christian College in Norton – Dream Come True – US$ 25 book voucher from World of Books in Highland Park
A Stranger I Met / Beyond the Horizon (13-18 yrs Old)
Winner: the best writer from all the stories must be Nigel Chirambagowa who wrote two excellent essays –A Stranger I Met and Beyond the Horizon
Rory commented “Nigel Chirambagowa will be a writer or journo-he has the spark…”. – He wins a large Coleman Cooler box courtesy of Big Sky in Pomona
Excerpt: “In just a few hours, a stranger had made a lasting impact on my life. Alex reminded me of the beauty in fleeting moments and the profound connections we can make, even with those we may never see again. That brief encounter left an indelible mark on my heart, teaching me that sometimes, it’s the strangers we meet who change us the most”.
Second Place: Jordyn Boyd of Chisipite Senior School wrote a very different, yet mature, essay A Stranger I Met that Rory feels deserves the second place in this age group. Jordyn wins a US$ 50 gift voucher from Big Sky
Excerpt: “It all started as something innocent, a shadow that always seemed to follow me.”
Third Place: Matipa Mndaka wins the 3rd prize in this division for her fun story on “A Stranger that I Met” – a US$ 25 book voucher from World of Books
Over Coffee (19 and over)
With so many entries in this section, it was very interesting to note a few different takes on the title – many wrote about sharing a coffee with a friend or a lover and lots with strangers that approached their table.
Winner: Tinotenda Sambo – She wins a 20-litre tin of Dulux Luxurious Silk White paint kindly sponsored by Dulux Paints.
Tinotenda’s essay “Over Coffee” is about a fun meeting with a stranger that ended with “Though they had crossed paths for only a fleeting moment, Emily knew that the memory of their meeting would forever hold a sacred place in her heart, a reminder of the extraordinary possibilities that can unfold over the shared warmth of a cup of coffee”
Second Place: Brittany Lightfoot sent in an unusual contribution that starts with “I, a humble coffee bush, found my roots sinking into the rich, dark soil of a burgeoning plantation…” Brittany’s prize is a dinner for 2 kindly sponsored by the 5-star “Amanzi Restaurant” in Kambanji.
Excerpt ..“As I reach the end of my days, I feel a profound sense of peace. My journey, from a tender sprout to a wise old bush, has been intertwined with the story of this land and its people. I am but a small part of a grand tapestry, a witness to the resilience of the human spirit. My berries, once a symbol of toil, now represent hope and the promise of a brighter future.”
Third Place: Tinotenda Tawha – wrote a thought-provoking essay about enjoying the absolute quiet of the early morning lost in thought far away from “the busyness of Life” – A lunch voucher for 2 Kindly sponsored by Cresta Lodge.
On behalf of all the management and staff at Bindu Media, I would like to thank all the contributors for taking time out of their day to compose their own story- we will be sending an email to all the participants over the next week or two attaching a Small PDF Certificate that they can store or print. It has been a mammoth task to upload all the essays – we have just placed them with the names of the entrant starting with the better ones first. We hope you have fun reading some of them in your spare time.
All prize winners, please contact Nyasha at 0787 199277 to arrange for collection. Ciao for now Mike G.