Grand Prize Winner: WHAT THINGS MEAN

About The story

Olive struggles to understand why she’s so different from her family. She closely resembles a father she has never known, and about whom her mother never speaks. Olive believes that if she could only know her father, she would understand who she is and her place in the world. When she learns the truth, she realizes that she gives meaning to the world, not the other way around.

About the Author

Sophia Lee is a Creative Writing MA student studying fiction writing at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She received a fellowship for fiction writing at the 52nd Silliman National Writers Workshop, the longest-running writing workshop in Asia. She is also a member of the group Kwentista ng mga Tsikiting (Storytellers for Children).

1^st Runner-up: SULA’S VOYAGE

About The story

When vagabond child Sula is expelled from high school, she finds safe harbour in James, a music student disowned by his father for his radical ideas. However, Sula flees to Mindoro with her mom when he breaks a promise. But when James meets a serious accident, she must decide if she is ready to go on a perilous voyage to save him and discover her true origins.

About the Author

Catherine Torres is a diplomat and writer who has been posted to India and Singapore, and is now based in Manila. Her works have appeared in journals and anthologies in the Philippines, Singapore and the United States, such as Flyway, Escape Into Life, Motherhood Statements, and Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction. She also translates Korean works into English with her husband, Sohn Suk Joo, a Korean scholar.

2^nd Runner-up: ROBIN AND THE CASE OF THE SUMMER CAMP KIDNAPPING

About The story

Four children embark on a perilous mission to find a girl kidnapped from their summer camp in Panchgani, India. When they find a link between the kidnapping and a camp instructor, they discover a mansion housing a gang of international spies. A string of unexpected events at the mansion ultimately leads the children to the source of the mystery!

About the Author

Vivek Bhanot is a chartered accountant by training, and the last twenty years have been a journey of figures and numbers in the corporate world. Writing has given him new wings to soar into a new world of imagination and creativity. He lives in Mumbai with his wife and son, and had a story shortlisted in the 2012 Pomegranate Short Story competition.