Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS), on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Spring Festival Short Story Competition. Organised in conjunction with the Gibraltar Chronicle, this very popular annual competition attracted a total of 441 entries across a wide age range, from school children to adults.

The Minister of Culture, The Hon Prof John Cortes presented the awards on Wednesday 7^th June at an awards ceremony held at the John Mackintosh Hall.

A panel of judges consisting of Mrs Aida Delaney, Mr Charles Durante and Ms Conchita Triay judged the competition.

The Winners are:

The Ministry of Culture Award – Overall Competition Winner – £1000

Winner: Amy Marie Montegriffo with ‘Walking to School’

Best Adult Story in English Language:

Winner (£500): Mike Nicholls with ‘Arthur’s Antics’

Runner-up: Michele Attias with ‘An Affair to Remember’

Highly Commended: Coppelia Aitken with ‘A Brief Connection’

Highly Commended: Tommy Smith with ‘Mr Copley’s Painting’

Best Story in Spanish Language:

Winner (£500): Sarah Salgado San Sebastián with ‘La Experiencia De Sentir’

Runner-up: Honoria Easter with ‘El Minotauro de Andalucía’ - Prior Park School

Llanito Category:

Winner (£500): John Manuel Enriles with ‘Madre No Ay Mah Ke Una’

Runner-up: Gabriel Moreno with ‘Poetry Brohel’

Highly Commended: Dale Buttigieg with ‘Tarίa Perίsima I Patrá’

School Years 11 to 13:

Winner: Eva De Vincenzi with ‘The Venetian Mask Shop’ – Westside Comprehensive School

Runner-up: Izabella Searle Matthews with ‘The Lake’ - Prior Park School

Highly Commended: Anmol Udeshi with ‘Stuck’ – Prior Park School

School Years 8 to 10:

Winner: Rachel Hassan with ‘The Voice of the Rain’ – Gibraltar Girls High School

Runner-up: Chava Bayles with ‘Like an Eagle’ – Gibraltar Girls High School

Highly Commended: Isabelle Marie Ramos with ‘Hunted’ – Bayside Comprehensive School

School Years 6 to 7:

Winner: Olivia Desoisa with ‘The Forgotten Past’ – Loreto Convent School

Runner-up: Marco Charles Bossino with ‘My Journey’ – Prior Park School

Highly Commended: Miriam Natasha Ramagge with ‘Tango’ - Prior Park School

School Years 4 to 5:

Winner: Poppy Brown with ‘The Missing Sock’ – Loreto Convent School

Runner-up: Alvaro Ventosa Fabrega with ‘The War Was Over’ – Loreto Convent School

Highly Commended: Alexander James Perry with ‘Baptiste’s Journey’ – Loreto Convent School

Minister for Culture John Cortes was very pleased with the response to the competition and added, “It’s great to see the way that Gibraltarian Literature has developed and established itself beyond doubt as a Cultural pivot in our community. This year’s addition of a Llanito section highlights too the importance the Ministry gives to our multilingual character.  I say this also as chair of the National Book Council which was set up specifically to promote our literature and through it our Culture and identity. There are great times ahead”.

GCS would like to thank the judges, the Gibraltar Chronicle and all participants for their continued support.

ENDS