Clapham Writers: The McNeile Writing Competition
The inaugural Penelope McNeile Writing Competition took place with a presentation at the 2026 Clapham Book Festival! Thank you for everyone who entered and supported it! A short story competition organised by Clapham Writers charity in honour of the late Penelope McNeile; celebrating creativity, diversity, storytelling, and emerging literary voices.
Open to unpublished and self published writers of all levels, the competition invited writers to submit an opening section of a short story inspired by the theme “Absent Friends.” Writers were encouraged to interpret the theme broadly, exploring ideas of memory, loss, distance, reunion, nostalgia, or the enduring presence of those no longer with us.
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Winner James Blindell ‘Ten and You’re Dead’
Runners Up Clara Barton ‘I Hear the Hush First’ and Stephen Goodlad ‘Lost Souls’
Shortlisted Writers
Rachel Hutchings, Fiona Thornton, Yema Stowell, Lisa Pickham, Derek McMillan, Tina Snackwell, Sophie Newman, EJ Robinson, Catherine Osbourne, Anna Jones
The winning stories will be published on this site.
Copyright
Entrants retain copyright of their work.
By entering the competition, authors grant Clapham Writers permission to publish or promote winning and shortlisted entries in connection with the competition, with full credit to the author.
