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Static in Our Stars Writing Contest 2025
This collection asked for more than skill. It asked for honesty, even when the truth felt heavy in the hands. It asked for writers to press their words into the cracks of a collapsing world and see what might grow there.
Reading the submissions felt like walking through different weather systems, each with its own temperature and force. Some pieces cut like sleet. Others ached like heat rising from pavement. Many left me still for a long moment after the final line, as if my own breath had been caught.
I looked for work that made me feel both the wound and the pulse beneath it. I found it again and again. What lingers is not only the beauty of the language but the courage behind it.
To the writers: thank you for meeting the dark without flinching, for finding music in the static, and for letting us witness the constellations you carry.
Warmly,
Sushravya
Static Cleared: Meet the Stars That Sparkled Brightest ✨
The sky is blue and the leaves are green. This is a universal truth. Whether you win or lose today in this announcement, it doesn't matter because you'll still be a Wingless Dreamer who is striving to become a better poet. Learning must never stop, always remember that! So hold your breath, and scroll below to reveal the winners of the Static in Our Stars Writing Contest. Please keep in mind - this is not the entire list of contributors' list. Please refer to the FlipBook link by the end of the Winning announcement to avail the digital copy of the book.
OUR GRAND WINNER
In a galaxy littered with broken signals and half-heard confessions, one voice cut through the static. It crackled with longing, shimmered with danger, and left us weightless in its orbit. This piece did not just tell a story, it rewired the constellations and made the stars hum in a new key.
APRIL HAMILTON - Torpor
April Hamilton, 36, is a primary school teacher hailing from Paisley, Renfrewshire. She studied for her Bachelor of Education at the University of Strathclyde and attended Castlehead High School. Wi’ a right fondness for the tales o’ the Tudor dynasty, she lives happily wi’ her two bairns. When she’s no teachin’ or puttin’ pen tae paper, ye’ll likely find her dressed as Anne Boleyn, kneelin’ afore Mary in some grand Scottish castle.
While only one piece could claim the top prize, three remarkable works rose above the rest to leave their own indelible mark. These runner-ups captivated us with voices that refused to fade. Each carried a distinct force, whether it was a quiet ache that lingered for days, a vision that burned itself into memory, or a rhythm that made the heart trip. Their words demanded to be read, remembered, and returned to.
1st Runner Up – ECHO THEORY by Sara Shea
Sara Shea delivers a hypnotic meditation on memory, loss, and the strange ways the past ripples into the present. With language that shimmers between fragility and strength, Echo Theory lingers like a half-forgotten dream, pulling the reader back again and again to its quiet power.
2nd Runner Up – GHOST ON CALL by Amelia K. Hollow
Amelia K. Hollow crafts a taut, atmospheric piece that moves like a shadow through a dimly lit room. Ghost on Call blends tension and tenderness in equal measure, capturing the haunting persistence of connection that refuses to be buried.
3rd Runner Up – THE UNKNOWN DARK SPACE: BETWEEN WAKEFULNESS AND NIGHTMARES by Jack Tao
Jack Tao’s work drifts on the edge of sleep, where reality blurs and fear takes shape. In The Unknown Dark Space, the prose hums with unease, painting a vivid portrait of the moments when the mind’s deepest shadows come alive.
Presenting Our TOP FINALISTS
These remarkable pieces stood out for their originality, craft, and ability to leave a lasting impression. From haunting imagery to inventive storytelling, each finalist brings a distinct voice and vision to the collection.
- Rough hands and roses by Keri Hakan
- Inside the theater by Bailee Rudolph
- Veil of the eternal: A symphony of shadows by Sidhi Batra
- Held in human hands by Kathie-Louise Clark
- Waking up from the dream by Aurora Mckee
- Our algorithm by Maria Cina
- Regalia by Cody Baggerly
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