THE national short story competition run by The Northern Echo has produced a winner from the region.

Teacher Jan Hunter, from Stokesley, North Yorkshire, beat off 282 other entries to win the adult category of the competition with Unconditional Love, a harrowing story about the effect of Alz-heimer's disease on a family.

For her story, based on her mother's suffering with the illness, she wins £300 and a trip to London as a guest at the Orange Prize for Fiction presentation next month.

She said: "This is overwhelming. I have been rejected so many times I had given up writing."

Judging panel Carina Rodney and Fiona Cooper, both North-East writers, and former Durham county librarian Stan Dean, described her writing as exceptional.

Second place in the competition, which is organised by Inscribe Media Limited and backed by Orange and Darlington Arts Centre, went to Anne Armstrong, from Lanark, Scotland.

Third was Fran Hunnisett, of Brotton, east Cleveland.

In total, four writers from the region made the shortlist of ten.

The judges said in their final statement: "Once again, we were impressed with the range and quality of the entries.

"It was a great challenge to make the final decision but the winner was chosen because it was original and accomplished."

Maureen Dixon, Orange regional officer and sponsorship manager, said: "The short story competition goes from strength to strength and the standard of all the entries was impressive, demonstrating once again the depth of writing talent in the region and beyond.

"We are confident that the competition has unearthed some excellent unpublished writers and hope that it will encourage people to continue writing. The winning story was superbly written and very moving and a deserved winner."

The winning stories will be posted on The Northern Echo website www.theshortstory.co.uk within the next few days.

A result for the junior section, which produced 54 entries, virtually all of them from the North-East, will be announced soon.

Adult section results - 1st, Jan Hunter, Stokesley, North Yorkshire; 2nd, Anne Armstrong, Kirkfieldbank, Lanark; 3rd, Fran Hunnisett, Brotton, east Cleveland. Shortlisted: Margaret Wake, Darlington; Gavin Bainbridge, Brandon, Durham; Penny Aldred, Todmorden (who won last year); Bill Ryan, London; Ross Stewart Brown, Kirkliston; Robert Russell, Alton, Hampshire; Penny Feeny, Liverpool.