A growing library of honest writing on mental health.
The 2026 winners are below — with the judges' citations, the passages that moved them, and the full manuscripts to read in the authors' own words. Every author consented to publication.
Three pieces, out of a national field, on the power of words to prevent suicide.
Judged blind against four criteria — relevance to theme, originality, clarity and structure, emotional impact. Announced at the Monthly Mental Health Lecture on 27 September 2026.
- 1st · Winner
A Bird Set Free
by Nwajesu Ekpenisi
Personal Reflection
A night inside a depressive crisis, told from the inside out — and the song through a neighbour's wall that interrupts it.
Read the citation and excerptsFull entry available as PDF · 5 pages
- 2nd · First Runner-up
Where Is Dee?
by Sunday Evelyn Temitope
Short Story
Five missed calls between 3:00 and 3:15 a.m. A short story about the friend who was watching Netflix, told entirely from the side left behind.
Read the citation and excerptsFull entry available as PDF · 11 pages
- 3rd · Second Runner-up
Kissing God's Feet
by Victor Obukata
Poetry
Twenty lines on a mother praying from kilometres away, and what her phone calls do to the madness in her child's head.
Read the citation and excerptsFull entry available as DOCX · 1 page
Download the winning entries.
We publish excerpts on this site and offer each full manuscript as the author submitted it. Free to read, quote with attribution, and use in schools, clinics, and advocacy work. Copyright remains with the authors.
- A Bird Set FreeNwajesu Ekpenisi · Personal Reflection · 5 pagesPDF80 KB
- Where Is Dee?Sunday Evelyn Temitope · Short Story · 11 pagesPDF130 KB
- Kissing God's FeetVictor Obukata · Poetry · 1 pageDOCX13 KB
These pieces deal directly with suicidal crisis and bereavement. Crisis lines are here if you need them before, during, or after reading.
The library grows by one shortlist every year.
Every entry published here started as one person deciding their experience was worth writing down.