New Talent competition

A competition for local writers, Maltese residents or citizens, who had never had creative work published locally or internationally. Publication on social media did not count, and publication in Maltese or another language did not disqualify. The theme was heat.

Entrants could send one poem of up to three pages, one complete prose work or one extract from a longer prose work of up to four pages, fiction or nonfiction, or one scene of script of up to eight pages, written in English around the theme, as a Word document in Times New Roman 12 by email to antae@um.edu.mt with the word HEAT in the email header. Entry was free; the prizes were gathered from donations.

The window ran from 1 April to 15 May 2025. The judges, Dr Aaron Aquilina, Prof. Mario Aquilina and Prof. Ivan Callus of the Department of English and Prof. Esen Kara Göktoğan of Yaşar University, read anonymised entries, at least two judges to each, and the winner was notified by 1 July 2025. The prizes were 70 euros for first place and 30 euros for second, with the possibility of an honourable mention.

The competition is closed. First place went to Mark Anthony Cassar for ‘Just for a Moment’ and second to Alessia Camilleri for ‘A Yearning for Warmth’. There was no honourable mention.