MEET THE JUDGES: Richard Hooton - Short Story

MEET THE JUDGES of our 2022 Hammond House Publishing International Literary Prize

Richard Hooton is one of the judges in our Short Story category for this year's writing competition.

Richard Hooton is a writer from Mossley, near Manchester. He has had numerous short stories published and has been listed in various competitions, including the Bridport Prize and Cambridge Short Story Prize, as well as winning contests run by Segora, Artificium Magazine, Henshaw Press, Evesham Festival of Words, Cranked Anvil, the Charroux Prize for Short Fiction, the Federation of Writers (Scotland) Vernal Equinox Competition and last year’s Hammond House Publishing International Literary Prize in the short story category.

Richard is a former journalist, now a senior communications officer, and a member of Mossley Writers.

Richard comments on this year's entries and his thoughts as one of the judges: “It’s been a privilege to be part of the judging team and I’ve really enjoyed reading the short stories. Each one is unique and makes you stop, think and appreciate. The imaginative entries are a wonderful mix of styles and settings and of an extremely high standard that makes it challenging to choose between them. From evoking sadness to scares to laugh-out-loud moments, it’s been a real rollercoaster with a huge amount of skill and talent displayed.

“Having entered many short story competitions with varying degrees of success, I know how much it means to the writers and how rewarding and encouraging it can be to have your story chosen. Equally I hope those whose stories aren’t selected are not discouraged and go on to achieve publication.”

* The 2022 Hammond House Publishing International Literary Prize shortlisted entries will be announced on our website on 4th December and winners announced on 11th December 2022 on Billboard TV.

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