Spellbound is Here!
- Fairy Tale Magazine
- Jul 15
- 3 min read
We are thrilled to present The Contest Issue 2025! Scroll down for a list of the winners in prose and poetry, and first lines for each piece in Spellbound, The Contest Issue. Click on the PDF to download and read the issue for free.
Click the box to download and read our Summer 2025 Contest Issue!
What’s inside:
Winner in Poetry
OUR GLASS HEARTS – 6
Those born with glass hearts are
Of fragile make,
Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman are award-winning folklorists, teachers, and writers. Together, they founded The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, teaching creative souls how to re- enchant their lives. Their work can be found in Enchanted Living, Uncanny Magazine, Fairy Tale Review, Star*Line, and others.
Runner Up in Poetry
BOTTLE OF THE JINN – 7
In silence, I feel the weight of my past,
Clinging like a shroud of ancient mist.
Murray Eiland is a poet interested in speculative fiction, and finds inspiration from myths. He is an archaeologist specializing in the Near East (DPhil Oxford University).
Runner Up in Poetry
SUMMONING RED RIDING HOOD – 8
Make a circle of wolves
in a dark forest on a moonlit night.
Helen Patrice is an Australian writer living in Naarm. She writes speculative poetry and short fiction, creative non fiction, and memoir. Her books: A Woman of Mars, Palaeontology For Beginners, She Too, Three Cycles of the Moon, The Communicant and other stories, and Paper Birds (2025).
Winner in Prose
THE SEA WITCH – 10
In the deepest part of the ocean plain, where seagrass waved and eels writhed in the current, a sea witch lived in exile. Far from the crystalline halls of the undersea palace, she made her home of woven grass, spindly ocean wood, and sorrow.
Alison Weber is a writer and artist inspired by fairytales and the Golden Age of Children's Book Illustration. Her work is for everyone who still dreams of magic. Alison lives near Seattle with her tiny family and beloved creatures, where she is currently building her dream illustration business.
Runner Up in Prose
AFTER HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER – 15
Snow White rarely spoke her own name. It was something other people said — two words called out in affection or mockery, or laced with awe or disbelief.
Nomi Mini is a researcher who recently completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge. Outside of her academic work, she is passionate about nature-based art, folklore and fairytales, and her creative work was most recently featured in the University of Cambridge’s Blackbirds Poetry Magazine and won a Judges' Prize at Wild Warwick’s art exhibition.
Runner Up in Prose
THE CHANGELING – 20
There was once a carpenter and his wife who lived in a beautiful little cottage in a picturesque village with a delightful village green and a clear, crystal stream running through. The cottage garden was full of red poppies, sky blue cornflowers and majestic hollyhocks growing against a stone wall.
Sarah Das Gupta is an 83-year-old writer from Cambridge, UK who has also lived and worked in India and Tanzania. She started writing three years ago after an accident which limited her walking to a few yards. Her work has been published in over twenty countries. She is interested in Folklore and legends. She has recently been nominated for Best of the Net and a Dwarf Star.
For Spellbound, The Contest Issue, Deborah Sage was our Judge for Poetry and Amy Trent was our Judge in Prose. We are thrilled to have such dedicated and capable judges and we’re delighted to bring you their selected poems and stories. The poems and stories they meticulously selected showcase fairy tales from obscure to familiar, and each winner brings a unique perspective to their work. We at The Fairy Tale Magazine are pleased to carry forward the fairy tale storytelling tradition and happy to share tales and poems with you.
The Fairy Tale Magazine is made possible by the generosity of our Fairy Godparents Club members and many of our authors. Our staff members volunteer their time. If you enjoy this issue and giving feels good, we welcome your donation, small or large. You may give via PayPal to The Fairy Tale Magazine (thefairytalemagazine@gmail.com).
