From poignant tales to evocative essays, dark comedies and compelling drama, the competition was tight, the quality was universally high, and the judges' job was tough. In the end, eleven winners across three categories were selected. Equally diverse was the geography: our participants came in from all over the world including Finland, Ho...
Read moreSam Windrim was declared the winner of the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020, organised by the Embassy of Ireland and Athens Insider, in the Adults category. Here's what our judges had to say of Sam's tender , heart-wrenching story: Sofka Zinovieff, described his entry as the 'fabulous, strong voice of a husband narrating a day in the l...
Read moreLeucothea Grigropoulos' touching story of societal prejudices earns her the third place at the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020 in the Under-18 category. The sun dances through the trees, and spring flowers leave a heavenly fragrance that wafts through the gentle summer breeze. Beneath the blossoming almond trees, children p...
Read moreKaya Ketter's moving account of Moving Day earns her the first place in the Under-18 category at the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020. It happens every couple of years: move out day. My room is bare, everything is packed away ready to be shipped off to my new life. Maybe my bags are prepared to move but I’m not. My life is h...
Read moreRaphaël Courouble's poignant story of a dying soldier earns him the first place in the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020 in the Under-13 category. Diary of a Dying Soldier Shame. The feeling trapping me was maybe the most intense a human could go through. This bitter dishonour made me feel at the mercy of my feelings and unwo...
Read moreMichelle Walshe's redolent essay on Skellig Michael evokes 'gorgeous atmosphere and sense of place.' As the sun rises, Skellig Michael is thrown into shadow, its black, hulking silhouette reminiscent of an iceberg dislodged from its frozen roots that has travelled far from home to settle off this jagged coastline on the southw...
Read moreJoan O'Shea Talphezian brings alive the drama of a young refugee making the terrifying crossing in this forceful, emotional story. Endless violent circles. There is nothing in the chill morning to hint that this day will be different. Yet, there is nothing ordinary or usual either. The air is filled with the pungent smells of...
Read moreA 'humorous and moving story about a mother’s love for her faraway son,' Majella Cullinane's powerful story is runner-up in the adults category of the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020, organised by the Embassy of Ireland and Athens Insider. The judges described her writing as 'beautiful, natural prose in a powerfully convincing voice th...
Read moreJames Russell's uncanny ability to inhabit the fears and pleasures of a 7-year old boy earns him third place in the Adult category of the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020 organised by the Embassy of Ireland and Athens Insider. The judges described his writing as 'a considerable feat, to take us inside the mind of a child, with its yea...
Read moreFinn Brannigan's infectious account of an allergy-ridden day earn him the runners-up spot in the Under-18 category at the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020. Wish Flowers Wouldn’t Bloom-sday The dream comes to an abrupt end. By force of habit, I keep my eyes squeezed shut. I know for a fact that opening them, even slightly, wil...
Read moreFelix Wahlström's evocative story of a sheep thief condemned to death earns him the third place at the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020 in the under-13 category. The Last Day of the Sheep Thief It was the eighth of June 1854 in Co. Galway. The previous day a young man called M was sentenced to be hanged for sheep stealing. In...
Read moreLuke Barry's adventure-packed story earns him the second place in the Under-13 category of the Bloomsday Writing Competition 2020. Sunrise 6 am The sun rose majestically through the savannah. A pride of lions took full advantage of the shade of a tree before its broad leaves withered in the heat of the sun. The roaring sound of...
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