2020 Awards Highly Commended

Congratulations to our Highly Commended entrants! Please join us in congratulating them and wishing them well in their writing journey. You can leave comments at the bottom of their profile.

Oliver Richbell

After spending over a decade as a lawyer Oliver now runs a dispute resolution consultancy that helps businesses avoid, manage and resolve their commercial disputes through dialogue and negotiation. He

Halima khatun profile pic

Halima Khatun is a former journalist (having worked for ITV and the BBC), writer and PR consultant. 

Since she was a child, she knew that words would be her thing. With a lifelong passion for

Aboard HMS Bounty built for 1962 MGM feature MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

As writer, director, and editor, my films include THE GREENSTONE
NARRATED BY ORSON WELLES (34 minutes available on
YouTube), THE FIFTH VICTIM WAS TRUTH (45 minute Cinemascope thesis film from Boston

Picture of Ben Marney

I've spent my life working as a traveling musician. Along the way, I've met some interesting people and seen some indescribable things. Although my books are works of fiction, they are based on real

Man with short beard and glasses, and short brown hair, is standing in front of a painting of Autumn trees with a closed mouth smile.

I am a writer who has recently found true joy in fatherhood and story writing from a Creative Writing degree from the University of Washington. Now in Colorado with wife and child, I have continued to

Jessica Bird on the beach in purple scarf and black and white checkered sweater

Jessica Bird is best known for her loving, cheerful approach to life. Her work is written from a place of vulnerability, honesty, and a desire to truly empower readers to live their full potential

Michael Jack Webb image

Michael Jack Webb graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida and obtained his J. D. from the same university. Over the past forty years he’s travelled the world in search of

Forward facing headshot of Chas Harrington

Hi, I'm Chas, I come from a film background, so I'm going from one form of storytelling to another hoping I can better broaden my craft and keep creative in these uncertain times.

I've made a few

Profile photo of Rhoda Baxter AKA Jeevani Charika

Rhoda Baxter writes romantic comedies about strong women and nice guy heroes. She also writes multicultural women’s fiction, under her real name, Jeevani Charika. Her books have been shortlisted for

smiling picture of kitiera morey

Kitiera Morey is a lively perfectionist with the mouth of a drunken sailor. When she’s not singing off-key for the entire world to hear or feeding her Sonic the Hedgehog addiction, Kitiera searches

David N Robinson

A while ago, I was a partner and chief operating officer in a major accounting firm, and latterly held the same role in an international law firm. It took me 36 years and several million air miles to

The image depicts a woman standing in the rain, a duffel bag at her feet. A car is stopped nearby with the door open, offering a ride.

I am a retired police officer, retiring at the rank of Captain, in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division at the Dubuque, Iowa, Police Department. At Arm's Length is my first book, and am

Robert Fear Author Photo

Robert Fear has lived in Eastbourne, on the south coast of the UK, for half his life. He moved there to be with Lynn, his future wife, and is still there with her over thirty years later. As cat

John Righten

John has delivered medical aid to orphanages and hospitals across the globe, including Romania during the revolution, and South America and Bosnia during the war. His Rogues novels are based on the

C.L. Wells Headshot

C.L. Wells is an indie author who writes in a variety of genres including murder mystery, YA, and paranormal fiction. He is the founder of Creative Writing with a Mission.

Image of Beth Barany, Novelist

An award-winning novelist, Beth Barany writes science fiction and fantasy for young adults and adults. Her first novel Henrietta The Dragon Slayer won Grand Prize in a California Indie Author contest

Suzanne Smart head and shoulders

Hi! I’m Suzanne; a proud Mum & Mamgu (Welsh for Grandmother), English Teacher, Usui Reiki Master Teacher, NLP Practitioner, Mental Health First Aider, Counsellor and Coach from South Wales who

Rosemary Esehagu is a novelist and poet.

Rosemary Esehagu is a mom, a novelist, and a poet who was born in Nigeria. She is a believer in pursuing different interests and embracing one’s self. Her works typically focus on identity, self

A picture of Jeff Elkins standing in front of green trees.

Jeff Elkins's work blends a deep love for people and life in an urban setting with supernatural, plot-twisting, fast-paced storytelling. He loves writing diverse heroes, making readers experience deep

Min Day

Min Day is a freelance writer and has worked with public and health organisations as well as in the corporate world. Min developed Love Letters, a dark, psychological novel, after writing about

Portrait of the author Dominic Hayes

Since childhood Dominic enjoyed stories. An avid reader in his youth, he had always wanted to write fiction, but rarely found the time. After University, he taught for three years at a secondary

Headshot of Walt Larimore

Walt Larimore is a Colorado-based family physician and a prolific writer having authored or co-authored over 30 books and over 1000 in a wide variety of lay and professional journals and magazines

Emily MacNevin

Emily MacNevin is a freelance music journalist, currently writing for Prog, Spin (USA) and Record Collector magazines. She has been freelancing since she was 21 after completing multiple work

BrookeSivendra

Brooke Sivendra lives in Adelaide, Australia with her husband and
two furry children—Milly, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Izzy, an
Australian black Kelpie who keeps Brooke running around in her
down

a photo of Richard Attree

RICHARD ATTREE grew up in London in the 1960s—an exciting time, and place, to be a teenager. By the mid-1970s, he had a degree in philosophy and was playing keyboards in various unsuccessful jazz

Richard F Novak in his sculpture studio

Novak divided his time as a physician between teaching medical students and working in his sculpture studio. To further his passion for sculpture he spent a year travelling throughout Italy studying

Author headshot for Billy Wittenberg

A Murder on the Border formed in my mind over the course of nearly ten years. It filled my dreams, haunted my steps on the treadmill, and robbed my attention during meetings at work. Finally, in 2018

Peryn Roel Black and White

"The Unfolding of Time," by Peryn Roel, is about three siblings who embark on an incredible adventure through the Realms of Llalethar. The story centers around a prophecy said to involve three human