Blow the trumpets; the grand winner is:

GAVIN BOURKE - CAPTIVATING
Gavin Bourke from Dublin in Ireland holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Human Development and Irish from Dublin City University, a Master of Arts Degree in Modern Drama Studies from University College Dublin and a Higher Diploma in Information Studies from University College Dublin. His work broadly covers the natural and socially constructed worlds, phenomenology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, economics, medicine, politics, social justice, history, existentialism, absurdism, technology, inclusivity, inequality, human life, ethics, commerce and science, in English and to a lesser extent in the Irish Language. Gavin has won international competitions for both book-length manuscripts and individual poems and is published widely internationally. He is also musician, guitar teacher and performer and has being writing songs and instrumental guitar pieces for the past thirty years and has collaborated with many musicians and songwriters, in addition to recording a number of albums and regularly performing live.

Whistle and applaud for our first runner-up:

THE CURRENT OF DESIRE - DAVID I. HUGHES
David I. Hughes is a British writer living in West Cornwall. His work explores attention, landscape, and the quiet systems that shape human experience. His poems, essays and short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in journals including The Berlin Review, London Grip, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Autumn Sky, The Lake, 149 Review and Shadowplay. He was placed 3rd in the 2026 Flash500 short story award and shortlisted in the 2026 Julia and Martin Wilson Prize. He has been shortlisted for the Poetry Kit International Prize and was a semi-finalist for the LitFox Poetry Book Prize for ‘Burden of Attention’ and recently received a Highly Commended placement in the Cinnamon Press Chapbook Award with ‘Systems of Vigilance’. His debut novel, The Listener, was published in 2025.

Cue the confetti; here's the second runner-up:

THE ROSES - JAMES HAROLD STORBAKKEN

James Harold Storbakken is the author of one novel and one collection of poetry and short stories. His work has been published in various literary magazines. He currently lives in Andalusia, Spain.

Drum roll, please! Here are our top finalists:

THE LANGUAGE OF DESIRE - HOLLY KEEHN
Holly Keehn is a teacher and writer from Gig Harbor, Washington. Her work reflects the intersections of motherhood, memory, and the natural world. When she isn’t teaching second graders, she can be found writing poetry or exploring the Pacific Northwest with her family.

WHEN WORDS GENTLY TOUCH - HOWARD OSBORNE
Howard is a UK citizen, retired. Published author of non-fiction reference book, scientific papers and poetry. Interests mainly creative writing (poetry, novel, short stories, songs and scripts), music and travel.

THE MAKING OF AN ECHO - JENNY KATHERINE HART
Jenny Katherine Hart is an author, storyteller, and community advocate based in Gifford, Washington. Immersed in the natural beauty of her surroundings, she writes poetry and fiction exploring human connection and resilience. She finds creative expression through nature photography and wandering the outdoors with her dogs, Preacher and Ivy.

NICOTINE PRAYERS - CARMELLA E. FINNIS
Carmella is a 32 year old mom of 2 boys. She enjoying writing as a form of personal therapy.

TOUCH THAT ENFLAMES -STEVE GERSON
Steve Gerson, Hall of Fame Poet with Wingless Dreamer, has written 9 chapbooks including Once Planed Straight; Viral; And the Land Dreams Darkly; The 13th Floor: Step into Anxiety; What Is Isn’t; There is a Season; Have Not; Who Am I Today; and Dystopia.

THE PIOUS PIMP OF SAN SEBASTIÁN - ADNAN ADNAN
Adnan Adnan won the Ruth MacLean McGee Award for Outstanding Achievement in Creative Nonfiction in 2013. In 2018, he won the Chalk Hill Artist’s Residency grant for his memoir, The Sentimental Pigeon Keeper.

HOLD ME IN YOUR HEART - TERRY MILLER
Terry Miller is a Nottingham-based writer, artist and creative inventor whose career has spanned advertising, illustration, toy and game design, packaging, branding and app development. As a creative director, he worked with agencies and major companies including Hasbro, Winning Moves, PlayMonster and Outset Media. His poetry brings the same inventive spirit to the ordinary details of life, exploring memory, family, love, loss and the passing of time. His poems range from the funny and playful to the evocative and sometimes disturbing, often using accessible forms to explore human behaviour and deep emotional territory. His work has appeared in several international poetry anthologies.

THE PATHOS OF DREAMS - LARA DOLPHIN
A descendant of immigrants, Lara Dolphin lives with her family among the Allegheny Mountains of Central Pennsylvania on the ancestral land of the Susquehannock/Iroquois people. She has written three chapbooks In Search Of The Wondrous Whole, Chronicle Of Lost Moments, and At Last a Valley. She, like countless others, hopes for a world filled with greater peace.

CRACKING THE SAFE OF DESIRE - THEODORE JOHNSON JR.
Theodore Johnson Jr. is a skillfully imaginative poet and writer. Who is drastically lead by source and the need to express himself through creative writing. Also is very gifted in making the most out of just a few lines, causing any reader to be extremely captivated and invested in whatever length of writing he submits. Prepare to be enraptured in his creations of ink.

A huge cheer for our contributors:

ABSENCE LEARNING HOW TO PULSE, HELLO TO ME - HEIDI SEXTON

TO G.G. - GREGORY ASHE

WHERE THE SUN SHINES UPON A DISTANT SHORE, THERE CITY LIGHTS STILL REMIND ME OF YOU - THOMAS KORON

SEA SPRITE - ALEXANDRA GRANT

GOODBYE - ARIEL TOVLEV

IMPOTENT DANCE - SARA CLEMENTE- GOTTARDI

THE SCENT OF HAPPINESS - TETIANA YATSECHKO- BLAZHENKO

AS WE BARED THE STORM - JOANNE MACIAS

YOUR BODY - A.J. CHILSON

IRON MAIDEN - LINA BUIVIDAVIČIŪTĖ

WHAT DESIRE REMEMBERS AFTER GOODBYE - ASHOK JAHAGIRDAR

ODE TO CHIANTI - MICHELLE SMITH

YOU ARE A DAFFODIL - LEE HAN-JAE

DERMAL - H.C. CISNEROS

MICHELANGELO READS DOSTOVESKY - MUJEEB AZAD

THE SCOTTISH TERRIER - TERRY COX-JOSEPH

THE ART OF EPILEPSY - BILL PILLOW

AN OFFERING - JADE DRISCOLL

YOU - ALEX FONSECA

PLUTO & PROSERPINA - JARED JONES

THE ARTISTRY OF SENSUALITY - ALEX ANDY PHUONG

BASE CAMP - TERRY BRINKMAN

FOR OPAL, MELISSA - ANDY BETZ

MIXED FEELINGS - LEOTIS LAMAR HARGROVE

SLEEP INTERMISSION - RICHARD ERIC JOHNSON

THE GARDEN OF LOVE - CHRISTOPHER YATES

MOTHER WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? - BUSHRA SARWAR

BURN - CARTER SPALDING

FINDING YOUR WAY, ONE DAY AT A TIME - MICHELLE MURRAY

RESET - RENO J.J.

DUNCAN AND ALEXIS - A RE-ENCOUNTER TO REMEMBER - JAIME PÉREZ

DEAR CADENCE OF THE WILD - M.F. OWEN

BIRDS AND BEES - TRAVIS STEPHENS

SEQUELS - ENVY BRONTË

THE STORM - MARSHA SOLOMON

ROUND TOWER - MICHELLE HALSEY

WHAT I’VE COME TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE DOUBLETHINK - LINA BUIVIDAVIČIŪTĖ

MIRRORS - AVA FOLCARELLI

ARE YOU THE MUSE THAT LIT HIS FUSE? - DANIEL KLAWITTER

EVEN IN MARCH THE DOGWOODS - L.A. MISTRAL

Once again, our heartily congratulations and best wishes to all the participants. Remember to lit up your pen and your heart before writing. Keep the tap of creativity flowing. Bravo!