I’m not even half as good as Glory in real life by Kelly Ana Morey came third in the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition. Kelly Ana Morey is normally more of a novelist but this year she’s delved into short stories. This story follows ‘Glory’ attempting to steal her dog back from a Tinder Match.

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Teetering by James Pasley came second in the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition. Henry Brown is a teacher who lets a student get too close and Teetering follows the repercussions of his actions. He knows personal and professional life shouldn’t mix but it did and now everyone has questions about it.

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The Lotus by Youjia Jennifer Liu transports you to the lotus fields of China as she reminisces her childhood. This story won the Secondary Schools Category of the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition. In a period of homesickness Jennifer came up with the idea to write the lotus, incorporating family road trips, poetry, and the dish itself. 

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Elsie Uini is back again, for the second year in a row she has won the emerging Pasifika writer award in the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition. A Good Thing by Elsie Uini is set at a Garage Sale, it explores the reason behind the sale and grief the main character Amataga is holding. Elsie wants to be an inspiration for the students that she teaches and writes so that the stories of her people can be told and young pasifika can see themselves represented in literature.

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Our Tūī by Kiri Solomon won the emerging Māori writer award in the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition. After a doctorate in education, Kiri Solomon wanted to share her knowledge in an accessible format. Our Tūī is a story about the main character Tui’s emotional changes throughout the phases of Maramataka Māori (the Māori lunar calendar). Her studies of emotional literacy are woven through the piece, and highlight the importance of understanding your emotions.

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Home by Bernard Steeds. This story won the Open Category of the Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition and is about two teenagers finding their place in the world and their home within each other. In this episode author Bernard Steeds tells us about why representation matters within literature, how important this competition is to him within his writing career, and how he was affirmed through this award.

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Listen to the very best of the 2022 Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition in Stuff’s new podcast. Each episode contains a winning entry or judges’ choice - and insights from its author. The perfect way to relax this summer without getting sand in your book.

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