Over 550 students at First Story partner schools entered this year’s 100 Word Story Competition and took on the challenge of writing a captivating story in only 100 words. Competition sponsors Vintage have now selected the winners.
A huge congratulations to all the young writers who took part. The winners of first, second and third places will receive a literary goody bag each, courtesy of Vintage, as well as their stories printed on First Story postcards. All shortlisted entrants will also receive postcards along with a certificate of merit.
Read their fantastic entries below, judged by Charlotte Knight, Senior Editor at Vintage.
National winners: first place
Gestation by Evie Kneeshaw, Beckfoot Oakbank School
The new-born child’s body was painted in blood. Its cries echoed through the room. The woman’s husband held her hand and mopped her brow. The midwife cradled the baby in her arms, walked backwards, one foot behind the other, and stooped down at the foot of the bed. The placenta entered back inside the mother and the midwife fixed the umbilical cord to the baby’s stomach with surgical scissors. The mother cried in pain as the baby’s feet entered back inside her. Back inside the amniotic sack, the baby arranged itself into a foetal position and the gestation period began.
National winners: second place
The Jordan’s by Kaiden Gharu-Headley, Eko Pathways School
With my heart set on retrieving the exclusive, new, elusive Jordan’s, I set off to the jungle; Central London. In a secret location, hidden behind bars, was the friend I had longed for. They looked at me with yearning eyes, for ownership; destined to me from the moment they were born. It was a matter of getting in, rescuing them and getting out – as quickly as possible.
Fresh out of the oven, free of any scuffs and marks, with that refreshing tennis-ball packet smell, I tried them on…
My feet entered the gates of heaven, I’m an entirely new man!
National winners: third place
Recorded by Micah David Philippe, Eden Park High School
I suffered in silence, day after day. Aching to extend my finger one more time and let my nail scrape one more record. I missed the feeling. The slow spin of the disc under me as the vibration ran up my arm. I yearned to hear Stevie once again, a voice like warm hugs from long-lost friends. I wanted to hear my song and to be celebrated once more. By dance and food; by men and women. But I knew it would never happen. I had known it since the very day my owners packed up, leaving me behind.
Special mentions:
Honourable mentions from the judges also go to the following entries, whose brilliant stories are all worthy of the prizes which will be heading their way shortly:
The Hated Clinic by Malu Summerfield, Holland Park School
Silence in the exam hall. The waiting room is filled with panicking patients: feet tapping, eyes closing, lonely sighing. The cold cleanliness of the air around you is almost suffocating, trapping you in lines of uniform and order. The teachers scan your faces like X-rays, finding every last corner of your mind. No secrets are really yours. Needles of pressure pierce your skin, invading what’s left of your privacy. Words of reassurance disappear from your mind as you stare upwards, looking into the endless patterns of white and grey. White and grey. Almost hypnotising. Feet tapping. Eyes closing. Lonely sighing.
Lillia Tariket, Co-op Academy Leeds
Abandoned yet not alone, we surround ourselves on the dusty streets – outside your homes, schools, neighbourhoods. We are pushed along by the inhabitants of this world, so why choose me when I’m not needed? We are like an infestation found in every corner of the globe: from the beaches of Bali to the plains of Paraguay. You never seem to care. Now, we take revenge on the innocent – take their freedom, ambition, and lives. Yet, you still don’t seem to care. How long will it take for you to finally realise? That our worth is so much more than just a plastic bag.
Penguins by Amelia Carr, Holland Park School
The hours stretched into the screech of an off-tune violin, just lounging at the back of The Optimist. A desert of ocean surrounded me and my enemy, drifting aimlessly to starvation. It was then that the obnoxious crunch of the last food awoke me from my tired daze. I slapped her. She chuckled, crumbs falling down her chin.
“You idiot!” I screamed.
“Fine, let me starve,” my sister replied sarcastically.
“Feel free to,” I snapped.
“We’re not going to die, are we? People always survive this stuff on the news. It’s fine, just imagine we’re penguins adrift on an iceberg.”
Shortlisted stories
Our other brilliant 100 word stories, submitted by the following students, also deserve special recognition:
- Barry Whitewood, Abbey Manor College
- Bethany Leek, Appleton Academy
- Brian Nsiah, Cardinal Pole RC School
- Alannah Duffin, Castle Hall Academy
- Betu Kesete, Co-op Academy Grange
- Navjot Dhillon, Cranford Community College
- Shania Sukul, Hampstead School
- Hayden Taylor, Haven High Academy
- Ayana Birikorang, Heron Hall Academy
- Ben Griffith-Jones, Hull Trinity House Academy
- Harry Downs, John Spendluffe Technology College
- Elias Ahmadzai, Kingsbury High School
- Zion Clarke, Landau Forte College
- Orlaith Brown, Longcroft School and Sixth Form College
- Leann Hoang, Saint Gabriel’s College
- Farhan Hussain, St Paul’s Way School
- Paulo Mwazyunga, The Bulwell Academy
- Amelie Knight, The Quay School
- Neve Curtis, Titus Salt School