Orwell Society Dystopian Fiction Prize 2023 – Winner Mishca Burrows
University of Bangor student Mishca Burrows has won the prestigious Orwell Society Dystopian Fiction Prize 2023.The prize, worth £750, held annually by The Orwell Society in recognition of highly original dystopian fiction by a young writer, has been awarded to Mishca Burrows for his short story entitled Banana Republic.
A second year student studying a B.A. course in English Literature and Creative Writing at Bangor University, Mishca will be presented with the first prize of £750 and a trophy, a bust of George Orwell, at The Orwell Society’s AGM in London on Saturday April 22nd.
Assessing the entries anonymously the judging panel unanimously agreed that Banana Republic stood out for its contemporary relevance and its engagement with political protest concerns of the dystopian genre. In her response to the winning story judge Nicola Rossi, herself an award-winning dystopian fiction writer, said that the story shows:
…life in a near-future world from the point of view of an isolated manual worker in a dystopic fulfilment centre. Applies many of the tropes of 1984 to a plausible, updated scenario. Effective world-building including grim living conditions, totalitarianism and the sparsity of food and water. Offers a little hope through the figure of the child before cruelly dashing it. Strongest and most horrific ending of all the contenders. Great title …
The judging panel was made up of George Orwell’s son Richard Blair, Patron of The Orwell Society, Ann Kronbergs, the Society’s Education Trustee, Luke Seaber, Senior Teaching Fellow at University College, London and Nicola Rossi, award-winning dystopian fiction writer and former runner-up in the Society’s Dystopian Fiction Prize.
Prizewinner Mishca Burrows commented as follows:
Winning the Orwell Society’s Dystopian Fiction Prize 2023 is not something I ever believed was possible. I submitted my story expecting to hear nothing back, and I am absolutely delighted to be wrong! Winning this prize marks my first ever publication, and has given me so much confidence. I’m so excited to have won and it feels like I’m taking my first steps into a world I have always wanted to be a part of.
