Thank you for submitting to the Storiesof71 Short Story Competition back in March/April 2021. We are delighted to have received 22 submissions coming from a variety of backgrounds, including elder community members, local youth and professional esteemed writers. It is really powerful to have so many voices be part of this project so thank you so much for taking the time to write or speak, and share your story.

Each and every piece was a privilege and pleasure to read/listen to, so again, thank you for submitting. All the stories will be included in a digital anthology published on our website later in the year.  You will also be invited to perform at a public celebration event on Sunday 4^th July  at Toynbee Hall

We had a diverse range stories submitted in several different genres, languages and different formats with some submitted in audio and others written.

The judging panel was made of renowned Bengali storyteller Shamim Azad,  local cultural arts organisation Swadhinata Trust and community organisation Toynbee Hall.

This competition was about platforming as many stories and voices on Bangladesh50 as possible. Stories were judged on:

• How imaginative and original the story was
• How well it linked to the themes
• Whether the voice and perspective of storyteller is one that is often unheard

I am delighted to announce that  the winning submissions of the Storiesof71 Competition are:

The Compass by Josephine Guppy

The Scent of Home  by Farah Naz

(Under 16) A Powerful Promise by Maisha Delwar

Congratulations Josephine, Farah and Maisha! The winners will receive a £100 multi-use voucher.

A full list of all the storytellers will be made available by the end of the week.

The winning storytellers will be invited to present and perform their story to friends and family at the Celebration Event on the 4^th July.