Ongoing competitions
Are you interested in entering the Short Story Competition?
Her Magazine - Short Story Competition
the winning submission will be published in an issue of Her Magazine.
Entries need to have a maximum of 1200 words and will be selected based on their interest and professional standard.
See below for this month's winning entry.
Entries are to be emailed to
Her Magazine: hermag@strettonpublishing.co.nz
Terms and Conditions:
Entries to have a maximum of 1200 words, submitted in double spacing including a short biography of the writer. Entries close 20th of each month. Each entry must be the author’s original work and must not have been published before. The winner each month will be notified prior to publication which will be at the editor's discretion.
Her Magazine retains first publication rights for all winning entries for a period of six months. Entries from the previous month cannot be resubmitted for following months’ competitions – ie. entries can only be submitted once. Each entry should be accompanied by a short biography of the writer. Each entry must be original and must be submitted by the author. The judges’ decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. Submission of each entry constitutes acceptance by the submittor of the competition’s terms and conditions of entry.
Winning Entries from our December/January Issue:
Jonno
Words by: Mave Drybrugh
The lukewarm autumn sun shines through the bevelled glass windows sending rainbow coloured shapes onto the chapel wall behind the celebrant.
It’s a sign, thinks Eloise. A sign for her only child, Jonno. Her thoughts return to the past. Jonno was fascinated by rainbows as a boy. He loved how light would splinter through her crystal dream catcher and send rainbows dancing round their living room. She loved how he ‘caught’ rainbows in his pudgy little hands and gave them to her saying, ‘Here’s a present Mummy ’cause I love you.’ Then, worn out from his rainbow hunt, he’d fall asleep on the old Chesterfield and Eloise would send up a prayer of thanks for Jonno. In what had become a tarnished world, he was her pot of gold.
Solo motherhood hadn’t been easy but watching Jonno grow into a talented academic, musician and artist, admired by all who knew him, made the hardship and the struggle all worth it.
Her heart filled with pride each time she walked out of high school interviews, the teachers’ comments spinning round her head.
Breasts
Words By: Bruce Costello
A bra fitter noticed Kate’s inverted right nipple and suggested that she seek medical advice. A GP found a lump. Then the waiting began.
It was eight days before the biopsy results came.
Kate could not speak the C word.
“I’m too young to die,” she sobbed. ”I want to be around for my grandchild.”
Her husband, Roger, a 50-year-old social worker, broke the news to their daughter, Maria, newly married and expecting.
There were few other people in Kate’s life. Her mother and father were dead. She had one brother in Perth, who had long since stopped answering letters. She had two female friends, a lovely cousin and several psychologist colleagues that she felt close to.
Roger rang these people the next evening. All were distressed. Some burst into tears.
“Don’t cry,” was Roger’s advice. “You’ll only upset yourself. We need to stay calm.”
“It’ll be alright,” he said to Kate. “Be strong.”
Chaotic months followed with a lumpectomy, recuperation, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Cancer shaped Kate’s thoughts, gave her nightmares and stole her dreams.
Her GP suggested she join a cancer support group.
“Best not to,” Roger said. “Why sit around dwelling on it?”
“For a social worker,” Kate answered, “your lack of understanding is astonishing.”
