Announcing the winners of our Island Getaway competition

All these stories of sun and sea and the occasional alien, because why the heck not, has put me firmly into vacation mode. As always, the story quality on display was delightful to see. Before I get to the winners, I want to give a big thank you to the person who shortlisted this comp. We try to rotate this as much as we can, and it's a big undertaking given the number of entries, so my heartfelt thanks to them, and of course to all the judges who gave me their feedback.

Without further ado though, let me get to the winners. First and second place actually tied on points, but the winner placed first more often and therefore takes first place overall. So very well done to JP Sinister, with his beautifully told tale, Breath Becomes Air.

Coming a very, very close second, is Carlton St James, with his highly entertaining romp, Fucked In The Head.

And completing our leaderboard this time, we have the always exceptional Jaymal, with his saucy tale, Thank You, Paradise.

I'll be in touch with you all over the next day or two, regarding your prizes.

Very well done to everyone else who made the top ten for this competition, and to everyone who took part, read, commented, encouraged... and masturbated. Your efforts are all appreciated 😇

The full list of winners:

1. Breath Becomes Air by JP Sinister

2. Fucked In The Head by Carlton St James

3. Thank you, Paradise by Jaymal

4. Salt and Surrender by LostCoyote

5. The One Who Stayed by Obsolete_Fox

6. Let's Get Off by WannabeWordsmith

7. Munkholmen by Dogme

8. Faithful Enough by KatieTheWriter

9. Beneath by Sea48

10. Salt In The Wound, Honey On The Tongue by Peter_Ashford

A new competition will be announced shortly. Until then, if you're interested in winning a gold membership, check out this forum here.

Jen x

Congrats and deepest appreciation to all the racy entertainers who took us on the hottest island getaway(s), especially the winners and everyone in the Top 10.

As it happens, I was actually on an island during my holidays. Have to say, many of you had me looking over my shoulder more than once.

I loved to see fantasy/sci-fi and even horror offerings! Lots of new faces, too. This is why I love comps so much
Thank you everyone!

Fantastic competition! :worship:

Huge congrats to the fab podium, fab Top Ten, and all you fab writers who entered and made this so fun!

Well done, all!

Thank, Jen, shortlister, mods, and judges! :)

Congratulations JP Sinister, carlton and Jaymal and the rest of the Top 10.. great writing all round

My eyes haven't unbugged 😳. Sweet cream on an ice cream sammich!

I'm in shock. Little lost for words here. Thank you so much.

Also, the writers here are awesome and really turn it up when competition time comes around. Writing can be cruel, but when it's rewarding, it's beauty knows no bounds. Thank you all once again!

Congratulations to the winners and all the top ten! Great stories!! Fun competition!

My warmest congratulations to JP Sinister, Carlton and Jaymal. To all who participated, whether as writers, readers or both, well done and many thanks.

Congrats, all! Most especially the podium trio!

I’ve only read six or seven of the ten, so apparently I’ve been missing out! I’ve got some reading to do. Congratulations all around.

Quote by Jen

Very well done to everyone else who ... masturbated. Your efforts are all appreciated 😇

Always happy to make my contribution to the greater hole.

Wow...wow...wow. I'm incredibly grateful to be recognized in this way. Writing this piece was a personal and vulnerable experience for me, and to know it resonated means more than I can easily put into words.

A heartfelt congratulations to all who submitted a story.

Thank you to the judges, the readers, and to the platform for creating a space where stories of intimacy, complexity, and desire can be shared and celebrated.

I’m honored, surprised, and very moved. Thank you.

Congratulations to the winners! There were so many fantastic stories in this competition, and it's an honor to be in the Top 10.

There's no way I could have picked twenty, let alone ten for the shortlist, so I feel for the person having to make that decision. I'm delighted to have scraped in, given the quality of the stories I read.

Massive congratulations to the worthy top three, fellow top-tenners, and everyone who put time and energy into writing and submitting. Comps always raise the bar here and I love seeing how people interpret the theme.

Usual shout-outs to the people behind the scenes - Jen, the shortlister, the judges, and the dev team - and also to everyone who read, voted and enjoyed the stories in the contest.

Fabulous, hot fun all round. Next!

Well done to all. If those who entered had as much fun as I did writing, you'd have won your prize already.

Huge congrats to the fabulous podium, the Top Ten, and all of those who entered this fun competition.

Thanks to those who read, commented, organised and judged.

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to the team of judges. I read quite a number but actually missed the top three. I will rectify this. Three of my personal favourites made the top ten, a few didn't. Just shows the huge range and talent on Lush. Was interesting participating in my first competition. I might enter again one day.

Congrats all! It was fun to see all the variations on the theme!

Quote by RowanThorn

Congrats all! It was fun to see all the variations on the theme!

Not to mention the variations that didn't make the cut...😇

Congratulations to everyone! There were so many incredible stories in this competition and I'm thrilled and giddy to be among the Top Ten. Massive applause for JP Sinister, Carlton, and Jaymal. The quality was outstanding across the board. It is a joy to be a part of something that invites such creativity! Huge thank yous to Jen, the shortlister with the unenviable task of narrowing it all down, as well as the judges, mods, and everyone else behind the scenes. I'm also grateful to the readers who showed up, voted, and celebrated these stories with such enthusiasm. I loved seeing the different interpretations of the theme and the variety of voices on display. Cheers to many more stories and comps!

Congratulations! This one was really elevated and so fun to read!

Huge congrats to all the winners and to everyone who participated. So great to see some new faces in the top 10 as well! I didn't read all of them but those that I did were simply breathtaking. Very much deserved ranking, all of you.

From all the comps I participated in, this surely was one of the most interesting and ferocious.

Congratulations to the winners and to all those who participated. 😊

I thought the idea behind this competition was excellent, and 4,000 words gave enough scope to develop some fantastic story ideas... And so it proved... Well done, everyone. 😊

Congratulations to the Winners and to everyone who sought to bring people to islands and let their fantasies run wild!

I'm going to read through all the top ten that I had missed. Just read the winning entry, Breath Becomes Air. Wow! What a fabulous story. Ihave no words to do it justice. Gripping and raw in every line. Truly a worthy winner amongst so many other fine stories. Congratulations JPSinister 👏

Hi all - it's genuinely lovely to be given a podium spot and to be back writing on Lush. Been a short minute... Congrats to JP and Carlton, and to the other Top Tenners, and indeed to all who contributed. Once again, I've got a helluva lot of catching up to do reading-wise, but I'll get there.
Here's wishing everyone a balmy summer - including if you're southern hemisphere and have to wait for it!

I have to stop missing these contests. I'll participate in the next one.