GM Fiction

This collection of new fiction writing celebrates the winning and shortlisted entries from a genomics short story competition run by the ESRC Genomics Forum in 2009.

Press release - UK’s first genomics short story competition winner named

The competition was inspired by Forum Writer in Residence Pippa Goldschmidt’s interest in how science is represented in fiction, and how fiction writers respond to the challenge of including scientific knowledge or fantasy in their narratives.

The Forum invited authors to let their imaginations lose on the weird and wonderful sounding Zipper, Mad/Max, Hip/Hop, Agnostic, Mindbomb, Tigger and Disheveled Zinc Finger genes and write a story inspired by genetics.  Entrants were also encouraged to consider how, and if, we understand the impact of genetic information on our everyday lives and whether our understanding of who we are is affected by the knowledge that we share so much of our genetic makeup with other animals as well as vegetables such as fruit flies, mice and even pumpkins.

First prize: The Test by Ben Smart (PDF, 228 kB)

Second prize: Most Likely To... by Anna Faherty (PDF, 478 kB)

Joint third prize: Phrenology, or the causes of crime by Jonathan Gibbs (PDF, 438 kB)

Joint third prize: Original Mike’s Coffee Shop by Patrick Hudson (PDF, 655 kB)

Runners up (in no order):

Unnatural Selection by Kate Tough (PDF, 541 kB)

Killer Genes by Sarah Shaw (PDF, 604 kB)

Living with Cally by Penny Feeny (PDF, 1,347 kB)

The Problem Child by Neil James Hudson (PDF, 395 kB)

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Short story competition- Judges report (PDF, 11 kB)

The judging panel was: Lin Anderson (crime writer), Dr Joan Haran (social scientist at Cesagen, University of Cardiff), Dr Elizabeth Patton (Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit & University of Edinburgh) and Professor Simon van Heyningen (vice principal for teaching and learning, and biochemist, University of Edinburgh).