Narimaan Shafi scoops the 2026 Finchale Award

Congratulations to the winners of the Northern Writers' Awards 2026 and especially to Narimaan Shafi, winner of this year's Finchale Award for Short Fiction, for her wonderful story 'Mischief Night'.

Thanks also to this year’s judges Jake Arnott and Maxine Peake, and to Will Mackie and all at New Writing North who supported the prize.

'I adored Mischief Night. It was a story of the magic of childhood. Conjuring  up a world and a place in time that was so hotly vibrant, existing  between the realms of reality and myth.

It felt reminiscent of Dylan’s Thomas Under Milk Wood in its evocation of community and tradition. The ending was a real sucker punch. As with all of the best short stories I went on a rollercoaster of a journey to an unexpected final destination.' – Maxine Peake

'There’s a fierce energy to this tale that hides a dark emotional subtext. With a compelling voice that conjures a deep sense of community and common history, a wonderfully mischievous tone that aptly reflects its subject, and a shocking revelation that made me profoundly reconsider the nature of its story.' – Jake Arnott

The Finchale Award for Short Fiction was established by Benjamin Myers in 2021 to support new writers. Previous winners include Valerie O'Riordan, Abby Walker, Sarah Davy and Jack Joslin, each receiving a £1000 prize.