Ink of Ages Fiction Prize

Historical & Mythological Short Fiction
World History Encyclopedia's international historical and mythological short story contest

The 2025 Prize Winners

We're excited to announce the official winners of the Ink of Ages Fiction Prize 2025, an international writing competition highlighting historical and mythology-inspired short fiction, sponsored by Oxford University Press. Every shortlisted story was read by multiple specialist judges, 6 for the adult category and 4 for the youth category, and re-read by Joanne Taylor from the World History Encyclopedia editorial team.

Scores were awarded for literary merit, originality and creativity, historical interest, and impact and enjoyment. Bonus points were awarded each time a judge placed a story in their personal top five. The whole shortlist impressed the judges, and decisions were tough. Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who entered a story. We enjoyed reading every single one!

Vivid time capsules and mythological dreamscapes

"These are wonderfully vivid time capsules and mythological dreamscapes, transporting readers to unexpected places in just a few well-crafted pages."

Stefan Vranka

Oxford University Press Editor

"The youth division writers were so impressive—the historical moments and myths they chose to explore and the compelling narratives, dialogue, and imagery they created really brought their stories to life."

J. F. Fox

Author

"Unique as each one is, all the stories [on the shortlist] make their mark."

Timothy Bent

Oxford University Press Editor

The Winners

First Prize:

“Zannanza” by Anna McHugh →

Second Prize:

“Møya” by Senthan Thomas Sivasangar →

Third Prize:

“Shining Light” by Richard Garcka →

Highly Commended:

“Federico” by João Costa →

“The Deluge” by Abaan Zaidi →

Custom artwork generously provided by Simeon Netchev, CC BY-NC-ND

Youth Prize Winners

First Prize:

“To Forget” by Sophia Campbell →

Second Prize:

“The Defeat of the Emperor” by Cassandra Hughes →

Third Prize:

“Maidens, Men and Raging Seas” by Prisha Roy Mahapatra →

Highly Commended:

“Shattered Souls, Eternal Light” by Faaris Jamali →

“The Weaver” by Jenna Davis →

"I was blown away by the high standard of writing in the Youth Category, in both the short list and in others which did not quite make the list. The writing was generally mature, innovative, well researched and a pleasure to read. I want to encourage every one of these contestants to continue writing, as they all have considerable talent. My sincere congratulations to all."

Wendy Orr

Author

"Congratulations to the Ink of Ages contestants for creative, fun, and fascinating stories. Many authors featured a little-known historical figure and wove a personality and story based on the few threads found in the actual record. Other authors gave us first-hand fictional accounts of familiar events, often with surprising but historically consistent perspectives. Those stories remind us that no two witnesses see any incident the same way."

David Tollen

Author & Speaker

"We were amazed by stories from all over the world in this year’s Ink of Ages, including our first-ever youth category! There was incredible storytelling, from bold intertwining of history and myth to deeply moving tales inspired by grandparents. Some stories packed so much into the word count and will really stay with me. Congratulations to everyone who entered − the research, characters, and creativity made judging a privilege. It’s fantastic to celebrate these writers in genres we love!"

Joanne Taylor

World History Encyclopedia

The 2025 Prize Shortlist

We've enjoyed re-reading the longlist and have selected 16 short stories based on their literary merit, originality, creativity, historical interest, and impact and enjoyment. The shortlist is now in the care of our specialist panel of judges. We appreciate everyone who has supported us in the second year of the Ink of Ages Fiction Prize and are excited to announce the shortlist for the 2025 prize! Listed in randomized order:

Zannanza
by Anna McHugh

Inspired by the murder of Zannanza, the Hittite prince who was requested as a husband by a widowed Egyptian queen anxious not to be forced into a marriage with an ambitious member of the Egyptian nobility.

Zannanza’s young soul rises up from his body into the hot air above the desert road. They are still in Hittite territory, the empire of his father, the Hittite king. He feels a sense of rueful surprise that this was it – at only fifteen years old, this was how he died.

He looks around to see if the Annunaki, the twelve gods of the underworld, have arrived to escort his royal soul to the nether realm, but there’s nothing.

Federico
by Joao Costa

Inspired by the Spanish Civil War.

“You have visited me every year,” I whispered. “Why?”

The autumn of 1952 in Andalusia was silent and resolute; having returned from their summer visits to nearby family, the residents of Alfacar walked a little slower. They sank back into the resentments they carried below pleasantries exchanged with neighbours, who only fifteen years ago had been enemies.

The Salamander of London
by Peter Hankins

Inspired by the Great Fire of London, and salamanders.

Tom saw the salamander as he was making up the fire in the crooked old grate. It was a cold September day and the fire was his responsibility. One day soon they would have servants to attend to that kind of job, but for now Tom’s father said they must make shift as best they could.

The salamander was like a lizard, a neat little thing about the size of your hand. It wasn’t easy to spot among the burning logs, because its skin glowed fiery red like the heart of the fire, with little black dots.

Shining Light
by Richard Garcka

Inspired by the construction of The Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The rays of the morning sun emerged from behind the window hangings, crept silently across the floor like a thief, then settled on his pillow. Sostratus groaned and turned his head away from the light. He was lying on his back having spent too long staring up at the ceiling, unable to move. Despina had risen some time ago and the aroma of the morning bread from the oven performed a seductive dance about the house.

The Diary
by Matt Roberts

Inspired by the Aberfan Disaster, Wales.

The school day had just begun, the children took their seats on the floor cross-legged with fingers on lips. The date on the board read Friday October 21st 1966, the only sound was the ticking of the clock as its stubby hand pointed towards the nine, and its longer one towards the three. The rain had stopped briefly, giving the children a spare few minutes to make it to school dry and ready for the last day of the week.

Møya
by Senthan Thomas Sivasangar

Inspired by Møya i Ulveham, an old Norwegian myth spread via folk ballads in the 18th and 19th centuries across the Norwegian county of Telemark.

“Lyall. It is Lyall … isn't it?”

Her voice shivered, like autumn leaves trapped in winter's breeze, but I stayed frozen, watching her reflection on the mirror in front of me. My silence asked her questions, and she answered between flickers of firelight: “Your eyes give you away. My sister told me about your eyes.”

A Mountain God's Dilemma
by Paul Burdick

Inspired by my mother's life story of escaping Nazis in Germany during WW2.

The boughs of fir trees that lined the road hung heavy and glistened with a pristine, thick, white blanket deposited by the previous night’s winter storm. Snow was shoveled aside into huge heaps along walkways near the three-story alpine inn where the girls were living and attending daily classes with their teacher. The gleeful giggles of students mixed with the bracing freshness of the surrounding timberland felt more like Christmas than a time of war.

Bog Child
by Mairi McCurdy

Inspired by the scandals surrounding the Catholic Church, its associated mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries in Ireland that have emerged in recent years.

I remember the day I last saw John McLanahan. Sitting on the stonewall at the end of the lane, I’d been watching him making his way along the bends in the road, heading for the town in his best and only trousers. Their farm was up the valley, where the lean soil was sewn with granite and spite. They came from a long, thin line of McLanahans, diluting with every generation. Spindly-looking people, with pale skin that seemed to blend with the winter light, making them even more invisible.

Fidelity
by Morna Sullivan

Inspired by the writing and illustrations in The Book of Kells.

Crouched over the dappled, creamy vellum I selected a finer nib and dipped it into the golden ink. My shoulders ached from leaning over my work. My fingers were numb from clutching my quill tightly, scared it would slip on my page and make a mistake. My eyes were red from straining to see my work in the dark scriptorium.

This section was almost complete. Then I would stop for the day and eat at the long oak table in the refectory and take a walk before vespers.

Shrouded Thebes
by Loïs Raoult-Sambourg

This story is inspired by Sophocles' Theban Plays (Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone). I intentionally mixed elements from historical Mycenaean Thebes with customs from Classical Athens

Years after her mother’s body has been dragged from these walls, Ismene finds herself sitting in a room that once hosted a tragedy. Palms spread flat on the cold stone, she stares at shapeless stains running deep in the ground. Weeks of scrubbing slaves could not erase them. In the cursed royal bedroom of a cursed royal palace, blood remains. A testimony, persisting. Whispers are carried within it, murmurs of ghosts demanding to be heeded. Remembered.

Encrusted
by Michael Kowalczyk-Barker

Inspired by Wieliczka Salt Miners.

Salt. Nobles would kill for it, kingdoms relied on it, and peasants could only dream of the flavour a pinch would provide their daily meals. It was necessary to keep food in the story from spoiling, armies marching, and the bellies of the clergy fed as they their culprits. But most importantly, it was making his family rich. Pawoł kept all this in mind as he lurched himself, drenched in water, into an opening carved into a tunnel.

The Deluge
by Abaan Zaidi

Inspired by The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet XI).

If you were a kestrel, speckled wings folded close as you dove into the muddy eddies of the river Euphrates, you might well have sped past the baked bricks of the city of Uruk. A carp safely clutched between your talons – wings beating more slowly now, for even a baby carp is twice your size – you would swoop above the crenellated wall tops, past the men whose glinting iron swords curdled the air, and alight in the dappled leaves of the date trees.

Echoes of Hunger and Hope
by Lara Mennel

Inspired by the Great Famine, Ireland.

I’ve lost count of how many times the sun has set and risen again since my brothers had left for America. The only indication of time passing that I am capable of keeping track of are the leaves of the trees outside my window. Once bright green and illuminated by beautiful golden sunlight, they have now taken the colour of the sun. Like millions of tiny mirrors, they reflect the light of the world and as a soft breeze gently rustles through the branches, I believe to hear a whispered promise of better times after endless hardship.

This is the End of the World
by Rhianna K. Clary

Inspired by The Great Plague of Marseille, 1720.

1720

The white gulls that arrive in the city to eat and cry descend in droves, even though what they feast on has changed.

And the chickens are new, picking their way down the broad avenues of Marseille, their coops long since forgotten, the masters that would have butchered them long since dead. In a display of irony, I spot fowl picking at the corpses marinating in the streets.

To End a Nightmare
by Miriam Culy

Inspired by The Black Death.

Beatrice ran. She ran from the pile of corpses in the streets that haunted her nightmares, boils burst and pus oozing from the scars. She ran as they followed her, calling out her name. She ran, and ran, until she sat up with a jolt. Her mother was sat beside her on the bed, stroking her pale blonde hair. She was the one calling her name, now whispering gentle reassurances to her.

The Sound of Salt
by Will Reardon

Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice, Greek mythology.

His head was as beautiful as she remembered, at least the from the back. In truth though, she had heard him play much better songs. If Hades had been moved by that verse, what would he have done if he'd heard the music Orpheus played after they made love, or the songs he sang when they first met? Perhaps even Hades then would long to walk in the sunlight above once more.

The 2025 Prize Longlist

At World History Encyclopedia, we've enjoyed reading all 404 adult and 107 youth submissions this year! Each story was read by at least two reviewers from World History Encyclopedia. It's a delight to read stories from all over the world inspired by such a range of history and mythology, and even those stories that did not make the longlist this time were read and enjoyed by the team.

Thank you to everyone who shared their creativity with us.

Listed in no particular order:

Crimson Trails – J Mildanoff

The Women of Margate Go Beneath the Earth to Converse with the Dead – Harriet Matthews

The Invention of Beer – Omnologos

Armed With Affection – Christine Collinson

The Deluge – Abaan Zaidi

The Shower – Janine Pietsch

Mercy From Wolves – Kathleen Mikos Mason

Bronze Petals – Paige Elliott

Confessions of a Shipwrecked Sailor – E V Wallace

The Indian and the Greek – Sanjeev Ghotge

But A Ribbon Round It – Denarii Peters

Echoes of Hunger and Hope – Lara Mennel

Destined to Lose – Jeff Meade

Encrusted – Michael Kowalczyk-Barker

The Last Lament of Orpheus – Phoebe Bush

Olympus Inc. – AJ Coates

Møya – Senthan Thomas Sivasangar

The Last Stand of the Goddesses – Amy Cantrill

Bane of Legions – Vijay Hare

Nilus, Savior of the people – Philina Becker

Eurylochus, Shepherd Once More – Margaret Spencer

In This Garden – Samantha Williams

Death Makes An Artist – Pax Europaea

A Husband's Favor – Lixin Foo

Michael and the Bear – Achim Hanne

The Visitor – Amrita Dhillon

The Letters of Mathieu Telier – E. E. Skinner

Awakening of the Bagh – Maryam Zahid

No Place Like Home – Jaime Gill

The Wendigo Tale – Mark Willis

Shining Light – Richard Garcka

Shrouded Thebes – Loïs Raoult-Sambourg

Thankful – Hilary Smith

Unniyarcha's Victory – K. E. Priyamvada

The Walls of Roxburgh Castle – Brian Lowrey

The Night of Victory – Alistair Nash

The Air Raid – Paul Whittington

Dust and Letters – Annabelle McGrane

A Silent Meal of Forgiveness – Kaylee Gabriel

Fable – Sarveen

How the Brisingamen Came to Midgard – Gregory Amato

The Protective Circle – Joeyta Dutta

A Daughter of France – Freda Lynne Quarrell

The Twilight of the Tuatha Dé Danann – Kyenna Jensen

A Man’s World – Bethany Royle

Becchino – Matthew Ewan Thomas

The Curse of Silence – Charlotte Hall

Perun's Retribution – Patrick Crawford

The Anchor – Monique Hayes

Moon and stars – Tabitha Parrish

King Minos And The Daughters of King Cocalus – Thomas Malloch

Letter To Home – RJ Balzer

Ladies Who Wait – Nancy Edwards

Mictlantecuhtli – Emma Boxer

Fidelity – Morna Sullivan

The Monk, The Abbot, The Emperor – C. J. Thomas

The Red Painted Chamber – Zane Peterkovic

Havens – Joanne W. Kline

Gord Afarid – Faezeh Nadimi

Zannanza – Anna McHugh

A Cataclysmic Folly – James D. Best

The Price of Gold – Sanya Dimova

Derailing Leon – William Leonard

The Diary – Matt Roberts

Rabbit's Foot – David Mathews

Where Hyacinth Blooms Unbidden – Trais Pearson, PhD

Strangers in a Strange Land – Alyson Serena Stone

An Enthusiastic Rage – Chris Hudson

Scales of Justice and Retribution – Aliya Drake

Roric's Bridge – Garth Pettersen

Above the Eastern Sea – Stephany Zoo

Bubblegum's Brief Foray into the Black Market – Katie Thorn

The Night When Mau Came Home – T. Mak

Marcus Tullius Cicero my first trial – Simona Rotella

Crab Village – Otancia Noel

Bog Child – Mairi McCurdy

Federico – Joao Costa

Rules of Engagement – Wally Smith

Irk Bitig – DW Draffin

Love-Back – Anna Agaronyan

A stained-glass heart – Julio San Román Cazorla

Sugar and Milk – Aditya Iyengar

A Bird’s Conscience – Wilson Knoll

A Perfect Art – Sarah Stook

The Silk Shoes – Julie Dron

The Last Song of Alexandria – Chinmay Khare

The Neophyte – Jonathan Smith

God of the Gallows – Jonathan McCallum

Drawing a Veil With Brooms – Anne Meale

Vienna, 1529 A.D., The Siege, and Turkish Soup – Charles Havens

Descendant – Rachel Atkins

Lamentations – Rebecca Hurst

A Mountain God's Dilemma – Paul Burdick

The Forgotten Song of Muthiwa – Black Author KPM

The Tale of Cwenhild – Matthew Llewelyn

Letters to Jane – Ella Cave

The Sleeping Beau – Katelin Tebbutt

Outlaw – Kayleigh Hunter

The sound of salt – Will Reardon

Calamachus – Peter Hajinian

Tides of War – Tracy Bradford

Medusa's lair – James Robert Clark

In the Name of Crow – Rick Duffy

The Bones – Amy Luxton

Ossuary, Sanctuary – Juliette Jarabek

The Miracle Thief – K. S. Dearsley

Sir Gawain and the Green Rhizome – Luca Scala

Home Front – Carolyn Owen

The Naiad – C S Firestone

To End a Nightmare – Miriam Culy

The Brave Solider – Archie Macpherson

This is the End of the World – Rhianna K. Clary

My Eureka Moment – Jane Jennings

The Salamander of London – Peter Hankins

The 2025 Youth Prize Shortlist

For entrants aged 13 to 17. We've enjoyed re-reading the youth longlist and have selected 13 short stories based on their literary merit, originality, creativity, historical interest, impact, and enjoyment. The shortlist is now in the care of our specialist panel of judges. We appreciate everyone who has supported us in the first year of the Ink of Ages Youth Prize and are excited to announce the shortlist for the 2025 prize! Listed in randomized order:

Shattered Souls, Eternal Light
by Faaris Jamali

Inspired by The Black Death.

I had never seen anything quite like it. In all my years of travelling around the globe, scouring for relics of old, I had never come across something so ... intricate, so ornate. The gemstone glimmered in the glow of the full moon, shaped like ... a tear, an ansu. I caressed the stone in my fingers, feeling its every groove.

Then a wave of sorrow washed over me like an avalanche, and I collapsed on the bank, my thoughts swirling in a frenzy.

The Defeat of the Emperor
by Cassandra Hughes

Inspired by researching Napoleon for school – the rabbit saga fascinated me!

“A fine entertainment, my dear Berthier! I congratulate you.” Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte leaned back into the cushioned seat, brushing a few crumbs off his uniform. Marshal Alexandre Berthier rose and bowed in answer.
“Now ... these rabbits ...” Napoleon raised an eyebrow at Berthier.
“Certainly! Louis, send word to release the rabbits in the park.”

Sweet Venom
by R. M. Ahmed

Inspired by the complexity in Norse myths, especially where Loki is concerned. The god of mischief often causes trouble and chaos, and I often wondered how that impacted his relationship with his family.

Deep within the bowels of Midgard lay a peculiar sight. Or rather, a prison. A foreboding cavern, poison gathered in the crevices. The walls are lined with ancient, blackened stones that absorb light, giving the space an oppressive darkness. Veins of glowing minerals, barely visible, offer eerie illumination and cast flickering shadows that dance across the uneven surfaces. At the center of all this, the god of mischief and the goddess of victory.

The Broken Rope
by Tabitha Jorimann

It’s been twenty-three days since it happened. Twenty-three days of hiding in my house. Twenty-three days of crying.
Twenty-three days.
Today, the pantry was as empty as the house. No more laughter down the hall, no more yelling. My feet led me past the washroom and stopped in front of the mirror. As fast as lightning, I felt my heart drop to my feet, felt the hole in my chest.
A woman I didn’t recognize stared back at me.

The Weaver
by Jenna Davis

Arachne was young when she would sit by her mother’s knee and watch her weave. She would spin the wool together, twisting each fraying end into the tapestry. The colours danced together, coiling around each other like snakes as the rich blue nestled into golden hues. It was a difficult task when a child was tugging on your arm, asking you to entertain them somehow. So, Arachne’s mother told her if she sat very quietly, she’d tell her a story.

The Land We Dream Of
by Tatiana Randjelovic

Inspired by America History/Western expansion.

As a young boy I loved nature and the thrill of the outdoors. We lived on a farm, and often I found myself avoiding work that my father assigned me to do in order to pet the cattle or watch the horses run or sit in the chicken coop. The smell of animals always lingered wherever I went.

Though our farm was small, my father told me fantasies and stories of the west. “You’ll see,” he would say to me. “One day we will have a farm twice as big as the one we have now, and enough food for an entire town to buy. You’ll see.”

The Magic of a Myth
by Yau

Inspired by Chinese mythology, where the Nüwa (女媧) is the goddess of nature, and the creator of man. There are many tales told about the Nüwa, and two of the most well known ones tell a story of how she crafted men with soil and dirt, and how she rebuilt the Earth and fixed the sky when it fell.

“And her fingertips touched the Earth, and out of it grew man. She shaped the figure, until it had a face. Then it came to life with a soft blow of her breath.”
“But Popo, we are made of flesh. Not dirt.” Zhiya’s eyebrows scrunched and furrowed.
“It is a myth, my dear. A tale told by many before us.”
“How will we know if it’s real then?”
“Hmm. We might never. But that is the magic of a myth. Now let’s get you in your blankets, it is way past your bedtime.”

Wedding Flowers
by Emily Peters

Inspired by Hera and Zeus in Greek mythology.

“Every star in the sky ,every grain of sand on the shore, every particle in the infinite universe, could never amount to the amount of kisses I wish to devote to your lips.” He smiled down at her softly, eyes glistening in pure adoration. His hand slowly found itself entwined in her golden hair, spinning it like yarn around his finger. He truly was a master at seduction. I couldn’t blame her, really. I was never immune to his charms.

The Tortured Artist
by Iris

Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh.

Soft light from the moon above. Cold Air and a light breeze, the warm night had already started to come to an end ...
Dark sky and blue hues. My strokes careful, content. Gently following the flow of the canvas ... my eyes shifting from the canvas to the captivating view was blessed to witness.
My hands searching for that colour, one that conveys that beauty, the beauty of the sky above. Brush in hand, swiftly sweeping up a colour, Prussian blue.

The Spinster
by Somya

Inspired by the Greek myth of Arachne and Athena.

Furiously, she unwound the string, eyes piercing through its dyed threads – ochre, slate, olive. The colours of her land. The crisp Mediterranean breeze brushed its salt on the laurel trees as dew drops dripped down to the soil of Lydia. Her fingers danced on the looms, carefree and timeless, like the Gods plucked the strings of the harp.

But she wasn’t a god. She was Arachne. Humble, common, mortal.

To Forget
by Sophia Campbell

Inspired by Native American residential schools.

I was twelve when my own self was stripped from me.
The severance was forewarned by murmurs of words foreign to my Lakota tongue, syllables I could not define but recognized as something sinister: Assimilation. Residential. Mahkah and I held each other tightly in those final days, awaiting the change we sensed approaching the northern plains of our home.

Maidens, Men and Raging Seas
by Prisha Roy Mahapatra

Inspired by Selkies/Seal brides from Celtic and Norse folklore.

I was born in the foaming seas of Ireland, in a time you will not know well. A time of farmers, warriors, poets and men. A time when myths were true and truly known; when they were not strange stories whispered above crackling flames in the dead of night.
Yet perhaps, my story will feel eerily familiar to you. After all, there are human traits among some that stretch a little too far across millennia.

The Secret of the Louvre
by Kayla Williams

Inspired by the theft of the Mona Lisa, 1911.

It’s the talk of the town now. But before yesterday, no one really knew what the Mona Lisa was. It hung in the Louvre every day, but people noticed it more after it was no longer there. I love that painting. It’s so simple yet flawless, antiquated yet timeless. The tourists liked to look at it, but it seemed I was the only one to truly see it. I wish people could realize how truly valuable it is. I guess that’s why I decided to steal it.

The 2025 Youth Prize Longlist

For entrants aged 13 to 17. At World History Encyclopedia, we've enjoyed reading all 107 youth submissions this year! Each story was read by at least two reviewers from World History Encyclopedia. It's a delight to read stories from all over the world inspired by such a range of history and mythology, and even those stories that did not make the longlist this time were read and enjoyed by the team.

Thank you to everyone who shared their creativity with us!

Listed in no particular order: