The Bridport Prize has always been held in high regard by short story writers. It has been around for a long time, now, and although, more recently, there are bigger ‘hitters’ in the field, it is still considered one of the most prestigious awards – something for writers to aspire to. And, indeed, some of the best writers are in its roll-call of winners and judges.

So I was thrilled to receive an email recently from the administration team, telling me my story had been in the top five per cent of entries this year. It was actually a very considerate message, apologetic in tone, as it went on to tell me that I hadn’t got any further – but I was absolutely thrilled by the news. After all, the competition has thousands of entries from all over the world, and my story had stood out among all these! ‘We really enjoyed your work…’; ‘achieving an impressive result in such a competitive genre…’; ‘Being placed in the top five per cent of our competition is certainly something you can be proud of.’

And I certainly am! And it is, again, a boost in confidence – generally, as a writer, but also specifically regarding this story, which is one of my favourites. I was sure it was a good one!

Good luck to all the other writers who made it further. And thank you to the Bridport Prize.