Judging

Summary - Judging - Sponsors and Prizes - Shortlisted stories - Resources - Posters - Comments - Contact us

All stories will be judged initially by at least 2 sifters and a short list of 6 selected in each category.

We are looking for:

  • captivating stories which are fun to read
  • innovative, imaginative and thought provoking ideas

The winners will be selected by our final judging panel of four: Jill Dawson, Colin Greenland, Nicola Terry and Rowan Wylie and all the short listed stories will be published on this website in time for the award ceremony on 23rd June.

A picture of Jill Dawson
photo credit: Timothy Allen

Jill Dawson is a local writer, author of six novels, including Fred and Edie and Watch Me Disappear. Her latest The Great Lover, about the poet Rupert Brooke, was a Richard and Judy Summer Read. Jill lives in an eco-house in a village near Ely and runs a mentoring scheme for new writers : www.gold-dust.org.uk.

A picture of Colin Greenland
photo credit: Duncan Mackay

Colin Greenland is best known for his multiple award-winning science fiction novel Take Back Plenty. His fiction and criticism have been translated into a dozen languages and broadcast on BBC national radio. He has taught creative writing classes and led workshops all over the country. He has lived in Cambridge since 1993.

Colin says: If you want to take a good look at the year 2050, Cambridge is exactly the right place to stand. Between its ancient colleges and its visionary Science Park, Cambridge buttonholes the future, while keeping a firm grip on our rich but fragile cultural inheritance.

Sometimes when I walk through the market square, or along Mill Road, I think you could power the whole country with the sheer vitality and variety of the inhabitants of Cambridge, permanent and temporary, if you could only devise a way to harness their collective intelligence. Transition Tales is all about finding out what’s going to happen next.

A picture of Nicola Terry

Nicola Terry is a graduate of Cambridge University in Engineering and Computer Science and she also has another degree in Environmental Studies. She has been closely involved in several successful local company startups and she has been working with Transition Cambridge for 18 months, in food, energy and IT.

Nicola says: I can't wait to read these stories. I want to see what ideas you all have, for example for solving our dreadful traffic problems. One quarter of the UK carbon emissions arise from transport, and when you think of the commuting jams around this city it seems to me it would be wonderful if they are banished to history. I will be 87 in 2050 so I may not be around to see if these visions come to fruition, but many of you will be. That makes it interesting, doesn't it!

A picture of Rowan Wylie

Rowan Wylie has worked in professional theatre most of her life, touring with various fringe companies, is a member of Cambridge Storytellers and is profoundly commited to developing local communities in a sustainable way. Recently she has been performing Gingerbread in theatres and schools throughout the Eastern Region. She wrote and performs the finale story in our own Transition Tales and she has also been active in the Transition Cambridge food group from its beginnings, particularly in the Garden Share project.

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