Humaira Rashid

As I entered an adult category this year, I was honoured to have even been shortlisted, and I attended the awards night feeling absolutely sure that I had not won, but happy that I had reached this stage. It was a huge shock when my name was called out! To have what began as a rough work, written in the early hours of the morning as an attempt to self-cure insomnia, acknowledged as the winner of this prize, is an amazing feeling. If I was shocked to win Short Story, that was nothing compared to the look on my face when my name was read out. My brother, who was sat at the same table and unfortunately caught the expression in the split-second it lasted, will never let me live it down. I am honoured beyond words to have won this award, especially because I am aware that there was such a high calibre of writing showcased on the night. It has given me a huge amount of confidence that I didn't previously have, and also the drive to keep writing and improving, so that one day I might realise my dream of being a published author.