The exciting moment has arrived to announce the Top 10 entries and crown an overall champion for Best Short Story for Children or Young Adults 2022. Our longlistees are all worthy winners, so it was extremely difficult for our literary agent judge Chloe Seager to select the best of the best.

Thank you to everyone who entered. Keep being brave and sending your fantastic stories out into the world. Your time will come. Thanks also to our amazing reading team and judge.
Here are the results.
Best Short Story for Children or Young Adults 2022
Winner
In the Silence, the Curlew Calls by Catherine Cawley
Shortlisted Entries
Blue by Olivia Wakeford
Guess What? by Rob Keeley
Home by Will Dobson
How the Flowers Grow by Stephen Daly
My Little Box of Big Feelings by Liz Heron
Pigeons by Jessamy Corob Cook
The Boggart and the Four Coins by Marie Day
The Path is Red by Daisy Jervis
The Secret to Climbing Trees by Ruth Stevenson
Many congratulations to our final 10, your stories are exceptional. Congratulations as well to all our entrants. You should be very proud of your work.
We have two further competitions in 2022: Best Children’s Picture Book (text) and Best Novel Opening for Children or Young Adults. We hope to read your writing again!