'On vulnerability and resilience': our short story competition

Thank you to everyone who entered this competition. The closing date has now passed.

Freedom from Torture is delighted to announce award-winning author Helen Simpson and Vintage Publishing editor, Victoria Murray-Browne as the judges for the Freedom from Torture Short Story Competition 2012: 'On vulnerability and resilience'.

Survivors who come to Freedom from Torture know that the trauma of torture does not end with the act of torture; it continues on a daily basis and has a deeply disruptive effect on their lives.

Inspired by 'Write to Life', our creative writing group, we invite you to participate in a short story competition on the theme of 'vulnerability and resilience'.

The aim is to create inspirational stories highlighting the processes of vulnerability and resilience told in a positive and constructive way. The short stories could deal with topics such as losing someone you love, the importance of friendships, the sense of belonging and identity, but other topics are welcome. The writing must focus on the way in which people deal with adverse situations.

Moreover, we want to focus on what enables people to be resilient and to continue their struggle; whether they are enabled by others or by means of their own, but also showing the myriad of factors creating difficulty in their process of healing. The story could be told through the eyes of the person experiencing the trauma or someone in their life. The judge will be looking for an original, well-crafted and thought-provoking piece of writing.

There is a suggested donation of £10 per entry which can be made on the form below.

Read more about the therapeutic power of writing.

Read the competition terms and conditions.