Tanya Pengelly wins 2024 Rhys Davies Short Story Competition with ’emotionally breathtaking’ tale written in memory of late father

Welsh-born writer Tanya Pengelly has won the 2024 Rhys Davies Short Story Competition for her story, ‘A Dictionary of Light’, which was written in memory of her father.  

The competition celebrates the best unpublished short stories in English by writers aged 18 or over who were born in Wales, have lived in Wales for two years or more, or are currently living in Wales. Stories may be in any style or on any subject up to a maximum of 5,000 words.

Through a series of dictionary entries from A to Z, ‘A Dictionary of Light’ tells the story of a father in varying degrees of light and shade – a man who is reliable, unpredictable, distant, and loving, captured through his daughter’s words.

Born and raised in Cardiff, Tanya Pengelly, 37, is a writer based in Warwickshire, where she works as a project lead for a national non-profit and runs Milverton Writers, a small international group of poets and writers. Her writing strays between literary psychological fiction and speculative fiction, but is always rooted in how the landscape around us informs the stories we tell ourselves. In 2024, Tanya won the Robert Day Award for Fiction, and her stories have appeared in several anthologies and literary magazines.

This year’s guest judge, award-winning Welsh writer Rebecca F. John, said: “This year’s winning story is structurally inventive and emotionally breathtaking. ‘A Dictionary of Light’ contains beautiful imagery, demonstrating Tanya Pengelly’s incredibly deft hand, and through its honesty creates that sensation which only the best writing can – that of recognizing a deep truth.”

In response to her win, Tanya Pengelly said: “I’m so honoured to receive the Rhys Davies award for ‘A Dictionary of Light’. I wrote this story in memory of my father who passed away in 2022, so I can’t express how much emotion I’ve felt these last few days – both joy and sadness. Winning this award, especially one for Welsh writing, is such an unexpected and fitting testament. It’s humbling to see such a personal narrative resonate with others, even in its quirky and fragmented form.

“A huge thank you to everyone involved in this award – organisers, judges, supporters, and publishers. Your love for storytelling and the care you take with words make a real difference for writers like me. I can’t wait to dive into the other stories in the anthology and read the unique voices that make our literary community so vibrant.”

Established in 1991, there have been 11 Rhys Davies Short Story contests to date. The competition was relaunched by Swansea University’s Cultural Institute on behalf of The Rhys Davies Trust in 2021, in association with Parthian Books.

As the winner, Tanya Pengelly receives £1,000, and her story will be featured in the Rhys Davies Short Story Award Anthology 2024, published by Parthian in November. Stories from the other 11 finalists will also appear in the anthology.

Tanya Pengelly, guest judge Rebecca F. John, editor Elaine Canning, Parthian Director Richard Davies, and the finalists of the 2024 Rhys Davies Short Story Competition will discuss the anthology and the short story form at its launch at Swansea’s Waterstones on Wednesday, 27 November at 6pm. All are welcome, and entry is free.