WayWORD’s ‘Gothic Aberdeen’ short story competition took place across summer 2025 and was inspired by the University Collection’s exhibition, ‘Fear and Fascination’.

The competition winner, runner-up, shortlist and highly-commended were all announced at the 2025 WayWORD Festival on Friday 3 October with the winning short story read by competition judge Heather Parry and festival director Shane Strachan.

Competition results

The competition winner taking home the £300 prize and a copy of Heather Parry’s Carrion Crow was Patrick McCain for his story, ‘The Auldest Aiberdonian’.

The runner-up was Leon Marwick’s story, ‘Guid Eneuch fer the Fire’. Leon was awarded a £25 book token and a copy of Carrion Crow.

The other shortlisted stories were:

• ‘Unquiet’ by Emma McRuvie
• ‘Flenser’ by Rachel Bride Ashton
• ‘Woolmanhill’ by Essa Flett
• ‘Lord of the Slains’ by Channele June

The highly-commended stories were:

• ‘Hareboy, Hareboy, Hareboy’ by Spencer Mason
• ‘Aberdeen Gothic’ by Maddie Davies
• ‘The New Tide’ by Beth Strange

Congratulations to all of the above, and thank you all of the other competition entrants. The majority of the 40+ entries were of a very high standard. They were judged anonymously and therefore no correspondence will be entered into on individual submissions.

Competition background

Writers aged 16+ resident in Scotland were invited to write a gothic story inspired by the city of Aberdeen with the chance to win £300.

As our youth committee member Lottie explains: ‘Aberdeen is a prime candidate for the gothic imagination. The granite holds stories in the same way that the buildings’ stones hold the cold: the dark folklore of St Nicholas Kirkyard, the forgotten plague pits under Union Street, the artifacts of industrialisation scattered through the city and the sea – these all represent the weight of the past pressing down on present day. Even the weather conspires to change our understanding of the city: from rain glossing each roof and streets like wet gravestones, to all colour fleeing from the buildings and skies in the winter, replaced by the monochrome greys of granite and sleet.’

Through the ‘Gothic Aberdeen’ competition, we can’t wait to see how creatives breathe new life into the relationships between young and old, past and present, brutality and progress. How do you envisage the legacy of such a rich and troubled urban landscape? How will your voice echo against the weight of granite?

Supported by Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Fund, WayWORD is part of the WORD Centre for Creative Writing at the University of Aberdeen.