You’ve seen the announcement of the $50 Story of the Year prize and the enshrinement in the new 50WS Hall of Fame.

You’ve read the six Story of the Year finalists, who each won a Story of the Month prize along the way.

You’ve voiced your opinions in the comments…

And while I had to deliberate long and hard, it turns out I ultimately agreed with most of you. The winner of the 2014 Story of the Year is:

The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter by Bob Thurber

Congratulations, Bob! Your 2014 submissions to 50WS were a great contribution to the site.

Keep an eye out for the creation of the 50WS Hall of Fame, where Bob will be installed as the first honouree. Winning Story of the Year may not end up being the only way to enter the Hall, so stay tuned for any developments on that front, too!

The story of the week for January 5 to 9 is A Honeymoon Walk by Perry McDaid. (Sorry, I didn’t realize I’d missed this week!)

The story of the week for January 12 16 is The Incantation by Frank Solomon.

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month. The finalists for December were:

Coffee Cups by Sarah Henry
Loyalty vs. Duty by Agata Ratajczak
The Learner Voice by Arthur Brown
Labels by Barry O’Farrell

The winner of the December 2014 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

The Learner Voice

Congratulations, Arthur!

The story of the week for December 29 to January 2 is Auld Lang Syne by CK Black.

The story of the week for December 22 to 26 is Labels by Barry O’Farrell.

It wasn’t one of the Christmas stories, but it was so well executed, and so insightful, that it demanded selection. A really strong piece.

The story of the week for December 15 to 19 is The Learner Voice by Arthur Brown.

We’re on a streak of funny weekly winners, and this entry is an excellent example of using the twist ending to full effect. The ending has an instant comic impact, and also demands a rereading to fully appreciate the writing. Great work, Arthur.

The story of the week for December 8 to 12 is Loyalty vs. Duty by Agata Ratajczak.

The last-sentence twist is a staple of 50-word story strategies, so much so that it’s been a long time since I was actually caught off-guard (in a good way) by a reveal. Bravo!

The story of the week for December 1 to 5 is Coffee Cups by Sarah Henry.

As a sort of parallel slice of life, the emotional image painted in this story is really great. Well done, Sarah!

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month. The finalists for November were:

What Passes by Jennifer L Freed
Inspiration by Perry McDaid
Commuting by Anton Rose
The Useless Suspects by Joey To

The winner of the November 2014 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

Inspiration

Congratulations, Perry!