Mehmet Küçükaycan Wins Kabouterpers Writing Competition 2025 with moving Story "Tovenaar"

45 manuscripts, from debut writers to established authors - quality overwhelmingly high

Amsterdam/Eindhoven, 17 October 2025 - Kabouterpers Publishing is proud to announce that "Tovenaar"(Wizard) by Mehmet Küçükaycan from Eindhoven (NL) is the winner of the Kabouterpers Writing Competition 2025. The competition, which focused on fantasy and fairy tales, attracted 45 entries of varying standards. From short stories to novellas and even a 656-page novel - the range of creativity was impressive. Amongst the participants were debut writers as well as creative writing lecturers and authors who already have dozens of books to their name.
"The quality was overwhelmingly high," according to the Kabouterpers jury. "Only five manuscripts were eliminated because they were too short. The rest competed fully for the title of Fantasy Story of 2025. Choosing was incredibly difficult, but the winner was very clear from the beginning."

WINNER: "Tovenaar" - Mehmet Küçükaycan
The winning story combines magical realism with an immigrant perspective. A father with diamonds and a purple wizard's hat is convinced that he possesses magical powers. His daughter is the only one in the family who believes him - or tries to believe. Whilst his wife dismisses his wizardry as madness, he builds his most ambitious project in their shed: rocket Beatrix MA5, with which he wants to fly to a distant planet.
Set in the Netherlands in December 1980, this story tells of a Surinamese immigrant who refuses to give up his dreams, despite the mockery of those around him. With books from the library, cardboard, aluminium foil and his own conviction, he constructs a rocket. And on a cold Christmas evening in 1980, illuminated by burning branches, something magical happens in the back garden.
"Tovenaar" subtly plays with the question: what is real and what is imagination? Was the nocturnal journey to the planet reality, or was the girl dreaming? It is a love letter to fathers who keep dreaming, to children who dare to believe, and to the magical space between reality and fantasy where immigrants cherish their memories.
"'Tovenaar' touched all of us," says the jury. "It is a story about love between father and daughter, and about how immigrants cherish their dreams in a new country - a universal message."

HONOURABLE MENTION: "Het vuurfeest in Winterwette" - Geert van der Star
Second place goes to Geert van der Star for his dark fantasy story about a village festival where a witch is burnt annually. The story ends with a surprising plot twist.
"The tension, the build-up - everything works and it leaves you wanting more," according to the jury. Kabouterpers will be discussing an expansion and publication of the story.

FROM DEBUT TO ESTABLISHED AUTHOR
The diversity amongst participants was striking. "We read work from people who submitted a story for the first time, but also from authors with years of experience," the jury recounts. "Some creative writing lecturers took part, as did writers who have already published dozens of books. That everyone competed together for the same prize demonstrates how seriously this competition was taken."
The oldest participant was 72 years old, but young writers of 18 also submitted impressive work. The shortest story numbered several thousand words, the longest ran to a complete novel of 656 pages.
"What moved us most was the quality," the jury emphasises. "We had expected to have to reject many manuscripts, but in the end only five stories were ineligible because they were too short. The rest? Pure magic."
The jury congratulates all participants: "Keep writing. Keep dreaming. You are the future of Dutch fantasy."

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Kabouterpers is a publisher specialising in fantasy, Young Adult and stories in which magic takes centre stage. With a focus on inclusive stories, Kabouterpers aims to provide space for authors who explore the boundaries of the genre.

This release was published on openPR.