Wells literary prizes honour local writers in global contest

By Laura Linham 27th Oct 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 10 minutes ago

Three local writers have taken honours in Wells Festival of Literature's international writing competitions.

The results, published last week, recognise poetry, short stories and books for children, alongside a separate competition for young poets.

Lucy Manners received both the Hilly Cansdale Local Prize and the People's Prize for her poem Nunavut. Marie Day won the Wyvern Local Prize for her short story What I Said To The Journalist Who Promised.

Francisca Staines received the local prize in the Book for Children category for Sleeping with the Fishes. The competitions attracted entries from around the world, with £5,000 in prizes available across the four categories.

The overall Open Poetry winner was Laura Strickland for I Have A Polaroid Of Me, while Andrei Romanov took first place in the Short Story competition with Sonechko. Ruth Stevenson won the Book for Children competition with The Lost Selkie Queen.

Silas Mitchell won the Young Poets competition with The Second Trip, followed by Esme Coulter in second place and Tshago Moloto in third. Organisers said entries in that category rose substantially after the deadline was extended by a month to avoid the summer exam period.

Shortlisted writers were invited to the festival's poetry readings and prize-giving event. Some travelled to read their work in person, while others contributed videos.

The results provide a chance for readers to discover the writing behind the awards. Winning entries are available through the Wells Festival of Literature website.