After a week of public voting and deliberation by our judges, we’re delighted to announce the winners in our short story competition: Belfast based ‘Troubles’ and ‘The City Is Leaving Me’, set in Manchester.

Our competition confirmed that there is a wealth of fresh writers out there with the urban backdrop providing rich inspiration. We have been genuinely astounded by the quality of the entries; it was a very close call between our finalists but we’re sure you’ll agree we have two very worthy winners.

Troubles, written by Linda McVeigh, who is based in West Sussex, tells the gentle story of Billy, a 60 something bus driver whose chance meeting with an old colleague shines a spotlight on his own solitary existence.  You can read the full story here.

The City Is Leaving Me is our second winner, written by the Manchester based writer, Lydia Unsworth. It is a tale of love and loss between the protagonist and the city. Surprising, touching and funny, you can read the full version on Rainy City Stories.

Thank you to everyone who entered, everyone who voted and our judges, Kate Feld, Jenn Ashworth, Susie Stubbs and John McAuliffe. It’s been inspiring to see so much raw talent.