Winner of the 2014 Orwell Society Dystopian Short Story Competition

Winner of the 2014 Orwell Society Dystopian Short Story Competition: Tim Bancroft, of Birmingham City University

The panel particularly admired Tim Bancroft’s story ‘Beyond Reasonable Doubt’ for a number of reasons: there was an intriguing plot, a pleasing economy with language, fast-paced dialogue – and it succeeded in skilfully conveying a sense of a frightening dystopian world where the absurdities of scientific profiling as a way of dealing with the threat of terrorism are wittily exposed. The final twist in the tale (which serves as an ironic comment on current policing strategies) is very effective.

The panel were impressed with the overall high standard of the submissions. The following students’ stories are to be commended (with names in alphabetical order):

Isobel Brown, Oxford Brookes University
Tracy Fells, Chichester University
Loraine Fergusson, Oxford Brookes
Alice Foreman, UEA
Maeve Henry, Oxford Brookes
Josh Jarman, Oxford Brookes
Paul Jennings, Trinity St David Lampeter
James Mitchell, Birkbeck College
Mandy Robotham, Oxford Brookes
Zadkiel Santospirito, Birkbeck College
Lela Tredwell, Chichester University

The winner receives £500 and a bust of George Orwell – which they will keep for the year until the winner of the 2015 competition is announced. The prizes will be handed over at the annual conference of the Orwell Society, at Greenwich Theatre, on 25 April 2015

From the panel members, Richard Blair, Patron of the Orwell Society, Richard Lance Keeble, University of Lincoln, David Swann, Chichester University, Julie Wheelwright, City University London