FRENCH FLASH FICTION 2025: THE RUNNERS UP

We are delighted to publish the runner up entries for this year’s French Flash Fiction competition! We’ll be publishing the runner up entries for Spanish, as well as the highly commended entries for both languages in each age category over the coming weeks.

Years 7-9 runners up

Arc et Triomphe

Sous l’énorme paysage de Paris habitent beaucoup de gentils trolls. Ils savent que le soleil est mauvais pour les trolls. Ils ne peuvent sortir que la nuit.

Il y a deux trolls qui sont frères. Ils s’appellent Arc et Triomphe. Ils écoutent un crie. Ils quittent la cave pour aider. Il y a une personne qui est blessée. C’est le matin et les trolls se réalisent leur erreur. Ils ont peur et se lèvent les bras et se tiennent la main.

Leurs têtes fondent et leurs corps se transforment en pierre. Ici se trouve l’Arc de Triomphe.

– Christian Thomas, Year 7

“courir comme une fille”

Mes poumons brûlent et je sanglote à chaque respiration haletante. À chaque pas, mes pieds me brûlent davantage. J’ai envie de m’arrêter, d’abandonner et d’accepter mon destin, mais je ne peux pas encore laisser la douce étreinte de la mort me priver d’adrénaline. Mes jambes me font mal et je trébuche tandis que le vent violent me fouette les cheveux. Le bruit de ses pas lourds derrière moi est ma seule motivation. J’ai envie de crier, mais je n’y arrive pas, seule la terreur me fait avancer. Voilà ce que signifie courir “comme une fille”.

– Poppy Simblet, Year 9

Years 10-11 runners up

L’Envol

Je suis né dans l’ombre, brisé, une
poussière sous les pieds des autres.
Ignoré, piétiné, anéanti. Puis un jour, le
vent m’a arraché. J’ai fendu l’air comme
une lame, frôlé les cimes, défi é les
tempêtes. Le monde, gigantesque et
sauvage, battait sous moi—un océan
d’énergie brute. Les tempêtes ont voulu
me briser, mais j’ai tourbillonné, libre et
indomptable. Plus haut. Plus loin. Les
doigts d’un enfant me frôlent,
tremblants. Il me regarde, souffle coupé,
comme si j’étais un miracle tombé du
ciel. Un souffle. Je disparais, m’élançant
vers l’inconnu. Je ne suis qu’une plume,
mais je défi e le ciel.

– Benedict Onalo, Year 11

C’est quoi un monstre?

Un monstre, c’est une chose
qui ravage les hameaux, les villages, les villes
qui incendie des forêts, massacre les humains, les animaux,
qui dévore sans cesse, crachant des nuages de fumée noire
qui couvrent les horizons,
qui infecte nos sources, nos ruisseaux, nos rivières, nos océans.

Un monstre, c’est une chose
qui tourne en rond, en ne pensant qu’à eux-mêmes dans un monde impitoyable,
qui ne sapitoie que sur eux-mêmes.

Un monstre, c’est une chose qui gãche, qui pollve, qui vide les ressources, qui creuse, avi construit, qui detruit,
dans un cerole perpétuel.

Les monstres,
c’est nous.

– Arthur Mourot, Year 10

Years 12-13 runners up


Le vieux piano est encore intact, ses touches d’ivoire ternies par la poussière. Elle les parcourt, se rappelant comment les doigts de sa mère y dansaient, remplissant les après-midi de Chopin et de rires. La maison, autrefois vibrante de musique et de chaleur, semble caverneuse, ses échos rappelant l’absence plutôt que la présence. Elle a appuyer sur une touche, mais la note a vacillé, fragile et incomplète. Le chagrin gonfle dans sa gorge. Elle s’est rendue compte que certaines choses ne peuvent pas être jouées deux fois de la même manière. Certaines mélodies se terminent avant que nous soyons prêts.

– Nini Ren, Year 12

Qu’ils boivent du thé!

«Monsieur le Premier ministre, est-il vrai que votre gouvernement a dépensé cinq millions de livres en biscuits l’année dernière?»

Silence.

La majorité des questions de ce soir concernaient les sujets habituels: l’inflation, le chômage… Ces questions n’étaient pas des plus agréables, mais la paperasserie a été utile. Ils n’auraient pas pu connaître cet accord! L’économie dépendante du thé est chancelante. Les gens pouvaient à peine rassembler une pitance, mais l’accord est suffisant pour servir des scones pour toute la nation.

«La démocratie repose sur le thé, et le thé nécessite des biscuits». Il soulève sa tasse à thé lentement

– Ka Kin Andreas Lam, Year 12

Félicitations tout le monde!

SPANISH FLASH FICTION 2025: THE WINNERS

We are delighted to publish the winning entries for this year’s Spanish Flash Fiction competition. We’ll be publishing the runners up and the highly commended entries for both languages in each age category over the coming weeks.

Thank you and huge congratulations to everyone who entered! The Spanish judging panel were extremely impressed with all the entries we received this year (over 450 of them!), and commented the following about the competition:

We greatly enjoyed reading all of this year’s entries and, as always, were impressed with the level of creativity and inventiveness. We particularly liked the stories that were playful with their perspectives and structure, which we could see had come from moments of personal thought and showcased different opinions and ways of seeing. It was wonderful to see a good command of Spanish throughout, as well as an ability to manipulate the language imaginatively. 

Without further ado, here are the winning stories! We hope you enjoy reading them as much as the judges did.

Thank you and huge congratulations to everyone who entered!

Year 7-9 Winner

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Emociones coloridas

Los colores se esconden unos de otros. Se esconden para no ser juzgados. El rojo es el amor, se esconde donde cree que no
puede ser encontrado. El amarillo se
esconde no muy cerca pero no muy lejos. El resto de los colores, púrpura es creatividad, blanco es verdad, naranja es ansiedad, verde es naturaleza y crecimiento, están esperando ser encontrados. Ellos esperan ser juzgados por azul, tristeza. Pero azul está triste
porque todos se esconden de él.
Entonces se dieron cuenta que está bien estar triste a veces. Todos se fueron juntos y se volvieron rosa, consuelo.

– Grace Fulcher, Year 9

Year 10-11 Winner

Cesación

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Cero absoluto. Donde todo termina, donde el tiempo simplemente cesa. El café me quema las manos, pero ya no siento su calor. Mis dedos, fríos como un demonio, a su alrededor. El mundo sigue moviéndose, pero yo estoy quieto. Dicen que el calor es vida pero ¿y si la calma es la respuesta? En mi mente, los átomos se congelan, y el caos desaparece. El universo se detiene en un suspiro, congelado en el tiempo. Y aún así, sigo aquí, atrapado en un mundo que no quiere dejarme ir.

– Anonymous, Year 10

Year 12-13 Winner

Photo by Stephany Williams on Unsplash

La Piña es la soberana de todas las frutas. Dondequiera que vaya, otras frutas se postran o se levantan y aplauden cuando se declara su nombre. Sobre su cabeza se asienta una corona esmeralda, mientras
lleva una armadura de docenas de otras frutas, cuidadosamente elaboradas en cuchillitos que protege su pulpa dorada. Al comerla, produce una mezcla de sabor y picor que causa un sentimiento de hermoso dolor; tan feroz que se dice que hasta hace llorar a las cebollas. Una reliquia cotidiana que ha sobrevivido desde los Mayas, por eso no es de extrañar que su herencia aún viva.

– Gabriel Dada, Year 12

¡Felicidades a todos los ganadores!

FRENCH FLASH FICTION 2025: THE WINNERS

We are delighted to publish the winning entries for this year’s French Flash Fiction competition. We’ll be publishing the winning entries for Spanish, as well as the runners up and the highly commended entries for both languages in each age category over the coming weeks.

Thank you and huge congratulations to everyone who entered! The French judging panel were extremely impressed with all the entries we received this year (over 847 of them!), and commented the following about the competition:

Thank you all for another year of delightful and intriguing stories. In just a hundred words, you impressed us with pieces about family love, mischievous cats, talking music boxes, aeroplane fiascos, mysterious mirrors, alien invasions, snail restauranteurs, and doner kebabs. We particularly enjoyed the creative range of literary styles: verse poetry and prose, theatre and slang, riddles and tongue-twisters. Congratulations to all of you for your courage in experimenting with language in such fascinating ways.

Without further ado, here are the winning stories! We hope you enjoy reading them as much as the judges did.

Years 7-9 winner

Photo by Javier Miranda on Unsplash

La berceuse d’une libellule
J’ai vu
Les dinosaures apparaître et disparaître,
Le continent de Pangée se diviser en sept morceaux,
Le roi être né,
Les sorcières brûlées,
Versailles en silence,
L’archiduc assassiné,
Des alliances formées
Et brisées,
La Pologne envahie,
Des innocents morts,
Des livres détruits,
A huit heures le port-aux- perles en décombre.
La bombe,
Une nouvelle guerre.
La terre se réchauffe.
Une libellule presque invisible se repose par terre,
Sa petite tête baissée,
Ses ailes cassées,
Elle ne voit plus.

– Alexandra Davies, Year 9

Years 10-11 winner

Photo by Jacqueline Munguía on Unsplash

Une énigme pour vous…
Je brise la glace sans un bruit;
Une étoile filante au milieu de la nuit.
J’éclaire la journée,
Mais je ne suis pas le soleil.
Je travaille le mieux
Quand tout semble désespéré.
Je peux être en retard,
Mais jamais trop vite.
Je n’utilise pas de mots;
La langue la plus pratique.
Je me cache parmi les étrangers,
Mais je suis seulement en train de reposer,
Un diamant brut,
Beau une fois révélé.
Le reflet d’un coeur heureux,
Je ne veux jamais dire adieu.
Qu’est-ce que je suis?
Un vrai sourire.

– Ayami Ginneliya, Year 10

Years 12-13 winner

Les Mots Qu’on Traduit Pas
Un mur contient chaque mot; l’encre coule. Si l’on pose le doigt, n’importe quel mot peut être tracé ; les autres restent invisibles.
Je suis assis, observant la mer anglaise. Juste la semaine dernière, j’étais à Pont Neuf, me sentant un peu frileux.
Il semble que j’aie l’air troublé. Ma tante, locale, m’introduit à Falmouth, puis sourit bienveillamment. “You’ll adapt,” dit-elle.
Sur le sable, elle écrit « peace ». Moi, je trace dépaysement.
Les vagues effacent nos mots, mais la rémanence demeure. Et c’est très bien comme ça. Au-delà des actualités et banalités, il existe un calme dans les mots qu’on traduit pas.

– Sela Keliane Diasivi, Year 12

Félicitations à tous nos gagnants!

The Year Abroad: A language course in Lisbon

Hi! I’m Alice, a third year student studying French and Portuguese and I’ve just returned from Lisbon, Portugal. After studying at a university in Lausanne for the first half of my year abroad, I spent 4 months doing a language course in Lisbon and it was a really good, though at times challenging, experience. Now that my year abroad is over, I’ve had time to reflect on my experiences in different countries and think about what I would do differently if I were to do it again. 

As I enrolled as a student at the Université de Lausanne for the first part of my year abroad, I wanted to try something different whilst in Lisbon. A language course at the Universidade de Lisboa with the Instituto de Cultura e Língua Portuguesa seemed like a good option as I had already completed a month-long course with the same language school a few years ago, and so I knew the general structure of their courses. However, I made my decision quite late as I had been considering different options as well as different Portuguese cities; this made it a little stressful, especially in terms of finding accommodation at quite late notice, but I’ve also realised that it’s quite common for year abroad students not to have concrete plans for the whole year at the beginning and for plans to change.

I’m really pleased with my decision to go to Lisbon because, although I was apprehensive about living in a much bigger city than I am used to and my concern about Lisbon being overrun with tourists, I ended up enjoying exploring different parts of the city and finding some really nice spots.

My accommodation was in quite a central location and I used the metro every day to get to and from my language classes, so I decided to get a ‘navegante’ travel card which was a little time-consuming to get initially but was definitely worth the hassle; this is a rechargeable card that works on the metro, buses, trams and ferries, and most locals have one. This meant that I paid a monthly amount and then had access to all areas of metropolitan Lisbon, and so I made the most of this by visiting different parts of the city. As well as visiting some of the main tourist hotspots (such as the Sé cathedral and the nearby town of Sintra), I also found some hidden gems around the city. For example, my favourite place to visit was the Gulbenkian, a series of museums situated in a park with lots of wildlife and quite near to my accommodation, so it was a lovely place to go for a walk. I also really enjoyed exploring the museums in Lisbon – on the first Sunday of every month several museums offer free entry between certain hours, including the MAAT museum. I also particularly enjoyed visiting the Museu Nacional do Azulejo, and the Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora.

I had the afternoons and weekends free to explore the city and beyond, and on weekday mornings I studied for 4 hours at the language school. I found it helpful that the classes focused on a variety of topics, so we not only had grammar and writing lessons but also Portuguese history classes, Portuguese art and culture classes, and literary reading lessons. I found this to be a good structure as we studied aspects of Portuguese culture that I hadn’t explored before. Whilst I would have preferred more dedicated speaking classes, my spoken Portuguese still improved over the 4 months as we did several presentations in class, and I got to know my course mates.

Whilst I was initially concerned that I might speak English with my fellow students, in fact we spoke Portuguese together in and outside of classes, as our common language was Portuguese. This helped improve my language skills further and I also became friends with a few of them, meeting up outside of classes for coffee and also to go to the theatre. It was really fun going to see a Portuguese theatre production even though it was tricky to understand everything the actors were saying. However, it was a valuable experience and listening to Portuguese in a different setting was useful because I was still able to follow the plot.

I really enjoyed both parts of my year abroad and studying at university and doing a language course were positive experiences; I was able to improve my language skills and form new friendships in both cities, gaining confidence over the year and going further out of my comfort zone. There were of course challenges involved in the year abroad, but I really value the experiences I had and finding solutions made me feel more confident in exploring new places.