What Did the “Your Story” Winner Webinar Reveal?
Interesting things happen when you invite writers to step outside their comfort zones and embrace a challenge for the sake of storytelling. They dig deep. They don’t hold back. They put it all out there. They try new things.
And when you bring those writers together and hear them share how they rose to the challenge, you realize something pretty important…
Storytelling is about being seen and understood as humans, even when the voices telling those stories are digital.
"Your Story," was a first-of-its-kind audiobook storytelling competition that celebrates not only great writing and audio, but the heart, purpose, and personal journey behind it. Spoken, in collaboration with Author Nation, curated “Your Story” to give indie authors a platform to reach new audiences and be celebrated not only for their craft, but for the personal “why” behind each story.
A panel of judges selected the finalists, recognizing an outstanding group of writers whose work spans science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, memoir, romance, spirituality, drama, literary fiction, and mystery. The top 12 contest entries were featured on Spoken’s YouTube channel and introduced with cinematic book trailers and motion book covers. Readers streamed their stories and cast scores to decide the grand prize winner.
The April 15 Winner Webinar, co-hosted by Spoken and Author Nation, offered authors and readers alike a chance to celebrate the bold, original storytelling, as well as the personal stories behind them. As each finalist introduced themselves, we were blown away by the authenticity of every participant and the passion that drives them to craft their work.
During the webinar, we witnessed an author who was originally hesitant to use AI narration share how bringing her story to life through Spoken transformed her author journey, and we listened to a prolific writer describe the ability to reach more readers who are sight-impaired. We nodded along as another author called Spoken a vital step in her workflow, while someone else shared how much fun the Studio is and how she can’t imagine it getting any better. (Just wait, Julia. MV2 is going to knock your socks off.)
We had two authors from Australia and one who was headquartered in Portugal join us. Everyone came from diverse backgrounds and genres, but they shared a connection and an appreciation for creativity and the imaginative use of the tools we’re building for authors.
As a company that powers its narration platform with cutting-edge AI technology, we never lose sight of the human experience behind the stories. This contest is a perfect example.
In addition to a free one-year subscription to Spoken, Phil received an impressive list of prizes, including a free ticket to Author Nation 2026, a VIP ticket to Reader Nation, and a cinematic book trailer created by Spoken. If you’d like to join him (and us) in Las Vegas this November, grab your ticket to Author Nation 2026.
Philip Keys Named Grand Prize Winner
Australian author Philip Keys claimed the grand prize for The Accidental Teacher. His endearing acceptance speech left us all grateful to have witnessed it in real time. Philip’s personal story reflected how his childhood was shaped by a lifelong desire to be understood. His journey ultimately led him to become a teacher of teachers, transforming personal struggle into a career devoted to communication and connection. And now, here he is, elevating his story through Spoken and inspiring the rest of us.
“Your Story” celebrated not only great storytelling, but also the people behind it. Philip Keys, alongside his fellow finalists, brought that to life.
Antoinette Klimek, author of Mother Tongue, took home the honor of “Best Personal Story.” Her moving fictional piece was inspired by her own exploration of language, identity, and generational connection. What began as a therapeutic exercise in grief evolved into a tribute honoring love, longing, and her Vietnamese heritage.
G.E. Perlin’sSilent; The Listeners—a haunting narrative that begins as a playful ghost hunt and turns into a nightmarish clash with a dark force—earned him “Best Performance.” His Spoken production delivered an immersive audio experience that explored the terrifying power of forgetting.
Author AM Scott snagged a one-hour free consultation with brand expert Isabelle Knight of Build Your Author Brand. Isabelle’s emphasis on the power of personal storytelling served as inspiration for the contest.
Tune in to a post-contest interview with Grand Prize Winner Philip Keys.
Each author who participated in “Your Story” contributed to a shared, deeply human experience, using technology to celebrate their work and connect with others.
The Finalists
The twelve finalists represent a remarkable range of voices and storytelling styles.
Dana Birkmour, author of The Becoming of Cernunnos, draws on ancient mythic traditions to explore transformation, divinity, and the cost of power. Her work reflects a deep belief that myth and storytelling are meant to be experienced through voice as much as through text, bringing ancient narrative traditions into modern listening formats.
Sonceree Best presents The Artist’s Duel, in which two painters compete to capture the essence of the same woman. Best explores the boundary between inspiration and possession – and the resolve required to define oneself beyond imposed narratives. Beneath the rivalry lies a deeper exploration of identity, self-definition, and claiming one’s own voice.
Steve Higgs, puts his mystery/thriller storytelling experience to good work in Never to Be Solved, which follows a detective on the last day of his career as he reflects on a thirty-year-old murder case he failed to solve. Higgs, a former British Army officer, invites readers to piece together clues and unravel a mystery that has lingered unresolved for decades.
Julia Huni contributes The Krimson Empire, a sweeping science fiction saga set across an interstellar stage of political intrigue, power struggles, and survival among rival factions in a distant empire. Huni drew upon her own experience as a military officer and the memory of what might have been.
Philip Keys offers The Accidental Teacher, a deeply personal memoir reflecting on a childhood shaped by a hidden cleft palate and the lifelong desire to be understood. His journey ultimately led him to become a teacher of teachers, transforming personal struggle into a career devoted to communication and connection.
Antoinette Klimek, author of Mother Tongue, explores language, identity, and generational connection in a story that began as a therapeutic exercise in grief and evolved into a tribute honoring love and longing for her cultural roots and a shared connection to her Vietnamese heritage.
Natalie McMillan presents The Minister and the Madness, a spiritually centered narrative that examines faith, doubt, and redemption while exploring the internal conflicts that arise when belief is tested. McMillan delivers a compelling exploration of spiritual surrender and the liberating power of faith in confronting life's challenges.
G.E. Perlin contributes Silent: The Listeners, a haunting narrative that begins as a playful ghost hunt and turns into a nightmarish clash with a dark force. As time fractures and memory bends, Perlin’s characters face questions of truth, love, and the terrifying power of forgetting.
AM Scott offers Do Retired Hellhounds Dream of Slower Squirrels, a story told from a canine’s perspective that blends humor with reflection as it explores aging, purpose, and the search for meaning after life’s most demanding roles begin to fade. Scott wrote this piece as part of a fundraiser to help an elderly woman remain in the only home she ever knew.
Morgan Sterling, author of What Remains Unreturned, presents a futuristic narrative examining loss, belonging, and cultural identity in a world where advanced technology cannot resolve the deepest human fractures. In this story, Sterling uncovers the isolation of clarity and what happens when the witness is not a savior.
Adam Strassberg brings PrayGPT, a provocative story that explores the intersection of faith and artificial intelligence, asking what might happen when powerful new technologies begin performing rituals once considered uniquely human. Strassberg’s own embrace of technology is translated through his characters’ curious exploration of what could be possible.
Gabriel Stroup presents Theodore Langley, a richly textured work of historical fiction that immerses readers in the moral complexities and social tensions of another era when a time traveler tries to rewrite history’s tragedies. Stroup’s thought experiment with this series explores the persistence of human nature and the ways in which knowledge endures.
Together, these finalists demonstrate the extraordinary diversity of contemporary independent storytelling, showcasing works that are imaginative, deeply personal, and reflective of the authors who created them.
Listen and Support More Indie Storytelling
Readers can discover even more remarkable voices from the “Your Story” contests by streaming the Honorable Mention stories on our YouTube channel. (The full list of honorees will be released by April 30.)
Honorable mentions include the following authors and their works:
Bob Bello – Breath of Life
Kat Caldwell – Whistling Motherhood
Macaulay Christian – Children of Eternity
Nicole Frens — Flight to Tomorrow
D.B. Goodin – Out of Tune
Annette Grantham — Threads of the Heart
Deborah Gray –– Bravata Brat
James Robert Harper — No Mercy
Keith Hayden — Cereus & Limnic
Vee James –– Willam Rand’s Tale
Jason Kristopher — The Gurt Dug of New Bannockburn
D.M. Krulicki — Rift Rangers
Jennifer Lamont Leo — The House on Cherry Street
K. S. Lynn — A Thousand More
Theresa McEvoy — Where the World Remembers Her
Roger Mendoza — Loaded for Revenge
Blaine Moore — Charlie Needs Milk
Crystal Morgan – The Entitled Kid
Cassie O'Neal — Melt Into You
A.J. Reed — The Narrator's Story
Douglas Sjoquist — Through the Gap
Jeffrey Zyjeski — The Eigenstate Cascade
