FIRST PRIZE - Sarah Hegarty

SECOND PRIZE - Barbara Morton

THIRD PRIZE - Peter Harper

FIRST PRIZE - Gill Wallbanks

SECOND PRIZE - Anne Ayres

THIRD PRIZE - Suzanne Ellis

FIRST PRIZE - Andy Miller

SECOND PRIZE - Maeve Henry

THIRD PRIZE - Roger Wild

The YCAA were unsure what to expect in this our eighth year of the Yeovil Literary Prize, as the economic climate has been dire for many people worldwide. In fact, beyond our wildest expectations, writers across the globe have risen above the doom and gloom with their excellent writing; they lifted their spirits, put pens to paper and revved up their computers. What a terrific response we have had in this truly international writing competition.

The writing in each of the categories was of a very high standard with subjects, challenging on the one hand, and evocative on the other. The annual task of judging work of such wonderful diversity was, as in previous years, a pleasurable but difficult task. Quality will always set a benchmark, but when so many are achieving that level, some very hard decisions have to be made.

In this our eighth year, we had approximately 1,000 entries, using the easy on-line process, as well as the time-honoured postal entry, with both methods being popular for their own reasons. We even welcome hand-written entries, for those who are still averse to technology. We were very pleased to receive some excellent feedback on our website; its ease of use was commended and your comments have been passed to our webmaster. Thank you. Obviously, if you encountered any problems, then we would like to hear from you.

As you know, the Yeovil Literary Prize encourages writers of all genres, with the scarce opportunity for novelists to enter. Last year, we were thrilled to have a young adult novel achieve Highly Commended status and, we now know, that this particular work is currently with an agent. This year, we encountered a dystopian novel, a hugely popular genre at the moment, and were delighted when our esteemed judge, Katharine McMahon, selected it for First place in the Novel category. For a writer to bring a possible, and terrifying future, to our attention, by using imagination and thought-provoking scenarios, is amazing. This particular novel, was extremely well written and we now know our winning novelist is enjoying success with her writing.

Katharine commented on the overall standard of the short list. “I was surprised and delighted by the quality of the writing as I was transported from Ancient Rome, to early twentieth century Germany, to a dystopian novel set in 2130. I judged firstly on sheer readability and narrative drive, then I looked for character development, rigorous editing and use of dialogue. I felt all the pieces had great potential and it was tough picking three. All of these entries were written with great assurance and an excellent command of narrative voice, pace and language. One little gripe - I wasn't mad on any of the titles (speaking as one who's hopeless at naming a book...)”

So, here we can learn how important it is to get our titles right – they need to grab the reader's attention and lead to the heart of the novel.

A good piece of advice for all writers. Thank you Katharine for your excellent judgements.

When the letter and email arrive, to say that your work has won this prestigious writing competition, all those solitary hours spent writing suddenly seem worthwhile. So, imagine how exciting it will be to see your work in print. For the first time this year, we have sought permission from the short-listed poetry and short story entrants, to include their work in an Anthology. We will be working with a specialist to publish this book, and news of the date it will be available will be on the website as soon as practicable. There will be a tick box on the entry form next year, so entrants can say whether they agree to their work appearing in an Anthology, or not. It is with great pride and satisfaction that we see the Yeovil Literary Prize growing in stature each year.

This year Mark Lucas, of LAW Literary Agency, was our judge of the Short Story category.

Mark made his judgement with these comments. “There's a great deal of inventiveness on display, and some fine, atmospheric writing. Structural shortcomings sometimes undermine the intensity of the experience, so I've found myself drawn particularly to those stories that create a deeply felt and consistently framed world, and populate it with tangible, fully-fleshed characters whose unfolding experiences create both a highly personal connection and a universal resonance.”

That is sound advice to writers mastering the art of writing short stories. With word count restrictions, Mark has encouraged us with some valuable and constructive tips. Thank you Mark, for all your comments and excellent choice of winners.

Poetry is often considered a very personal experience, using the written word to express feelings on every aspect of life. The quality of the entries this year was excellent and covered so many subjects.

Our judge for the Poetry category was Daisy Goodwin. Daisy is well known as a poet and also a television programme producer. She commented “ Thank you for asking me. I thought the standard was gratifyingly high.” Thank you Daisy and we love your choice of winners.

The Yeovil Literary Prize is judged anonymously and it is always a thrill, when the judges have made their final decisions, to see who has won. We have regular entrants and to see those writers succeed, shows what optimism, determination and consistent good writing can achieve.

The next step is publication, so we'd love to hear any good news stories from people who have entered in previous years and are on the road to an agent and ultimate publication. A previous winner of the novel category, Sophie Duffy, is currently busy doing the rounds of book signing, and Jackie Gingell is finishing off her second novel, following her success as Highly Commended in the Yeovil Literary Prize a couple of years ago.

Our judges for next year, are novelist and poet, Louis de Berniére for the Poetry category; Sue Freestone, who has enormous experience in the publishing world, will judge the Short Story category. For the Novel category, we have Sophie Hannah who certainly knows the secrets of successful novel writing.

The 2012 Yeovil Literary Prize, opens on 1 st January, so watch out for the website going live on New Year's Day. We wish you all a year of good writing and look forward to reading your entries. The closing date is 31 st May 2012.

the Judging Team