We are delighted to announce our two shortlists for the prestigious H G Wells Short Story Competition 2025 on the theme “The Middle Ground”.
The judges have selected the following stories for the 2025 shortlists (listed below in alphabetical story order only).
Shortlist for Junior Competition, The Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize of £1,000
| Jane Belle | MA | The Syrup Boy of Whickering Moor |
| Romessa Hussain | GB | The Conductor |
| Tamkeen Fatima Khan | AE | YOLO. YODO. Perhaps…SOLO? |
| Gloria Mesa | US | Devil On My Heels |
| Moulika Nandy | IN | The Divorce Bench |
| Anushka Pahariya | GB | Programmed |
| Sarah-Kate Simons | NZ | Confessional |
| Kate Smith | GB | Mrs Summers |
Shortlist for the Senior Competition, The Grand Prize of £500
| L.M. Bestie | MT | Halfway Through The In-Between |
| Timothy Collyer | GB | A Head for Compromise |
| Matthew Dickens | GB | Space of Communion |
| Rachel Desiree Felix | KR | Neither Sea Nor Shore |
| Lisa Ferguson | US | Captain Middle Ground |
| Edward Fry | GB | Cardinal |
| Zack Harmes | US | Hell’s Greatest Dad |
| Isabelle Hunt | GB | The Commute |
| Ken Pisani | US | The Boy Who Wasn’t Dead |
| Simon Rowe | JP | Boy Bites Shark |
| James Skivington | GB | J’Accuse |
| Catherine Strong | GB | Katya |
Many congratulations to the shortlisted writers. We look forward to meeting many of you at the online Awards Ceremony on Sunday 16th November 2025. Further details will be emailed to shortlisted authors soon.