Writers win round-trip with NorthLink

Serco NorthLink Ferries has announced the winners of its first-ever Short Story Competition, which saw more than 50 entrants.

Writers of all ages were encouraged to pen a story of up to 2,000 words, set in either Shetland or Orkney.

With four categories up for grabs, adult entrants competed for a chance to win free round-trip travel with NorthLink Ferries, while the winners of the children’s categories are set to be rewarded with £30 book tokens.

The standard of entries was extremely high, but the judges have crowned their winners:

• Short story set in Orkney, adult winner — David Freer: The narrator wakes on a beach, aware of being hunted.
• Short story set in Shetland, adult winner — Leona Mullay: Two brothers hide from the Press Gangs under a Shetland cliff.
• Short story set in Orkney, child winner — Catriona Stevenson: Elephants visit Orkney and go on a treasure hunt.
• Short story set in Shetland, child winner — Amber Patterson: A girl gets in trouble when swimming in the sea but is helped by an unusual saviour!

NorthLink Ferries was inspired to launch the competition by VisitScotland’s Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 campaign which aims to celebrate stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland.

Stuart Garrett, managing director of Serco NorthLink Ferries, said: “It’s wonderful to see so many people write their own stories, inspired by the unique landscapes and cultures of Shetland and Orkney.

“The Northern Isles were home to many iconic Scottish writers, such as George Mackay Brown and Eric Linklater, and we’re proud to help continue their legacy.”

Ann Cleeves OBE, the award-winning mystery crime writer who wrote the Shetland novels, judged the adult entries.

Ann added: “I thoroughly enjoyed reading so many creative stories set in the Northern Isles, an area that’s close to my heart. I would like to congratulate the winners and encourage all entrants to keep writing as their stories showed real talent.”

The winning stories are available to read on the NorthLink Ferries website, and all submissions will soon be collated in a downloadable document for readers to enjoy. Visit www.northlinkferries.co.uk/stories for more information.