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Short Story Competitions

Quick links on this page:

Last updated 17th March 2024

Below are tables listing various short story competitions. Some are based in the UK, some are global. Some contests are of high renown (like the BBC Short Story Award or the Bridport Prize), offering huge prizes, and some are lesser known, but offer great opportunities for new writers to become published authors. I will try and keep this list up to date, but please read and make sure you fully understand the rules and the terms & conditions of each competition listed before entering.

PLEASE NOTE: Most of the competitions listed on this page accept entries from writers living anywhere in the world. The country each competition is run from is listed so you know which global market you are submitting to.

I’ve kept the information on the writing competition calendar brief, only detailing the important bits, like genre, approximate opening dates, approximate closing dates, word count and, of course, the amount of prize money you can win. You can learn lots more about the rules for each individual competition by visiting the different websites. I have provided links to make this resource as easy to use as possible :)

If you run a short story competition and would like me to add it to the lists below, please contact me and provide the following information:

  • How often you will be running the competition (eg, annually, quarterly, one-off)
  • The name of your competition
  • A link to your website
  • The country you run the competition from
  • Closing date
  • Date you announce winners
  • Maximum word count of stories
  • Entry fee
  • Top prize
  • Any other details, including how winning writers' stories will be published and any theme or limitation on style/genre of stories accepted

A note from Henshaw Press, about their listing on this page:

Three months ago, we did a review of our publicity, part of which was asking entrants how they found our competition. About a third of them found us through your website.

So thanks again for your support.

I will also try and add to this list regularly as I hear about more competitions.

Short Story Writing Course

Please contact me if there is any other information you would like to see on this page, or for any ideas on improvements. Not long after its launch, I updated the page into sections as detailed in the quick links at the top of the page, and put the competitions in alphabetical order. Discontinued competitions now appear in their own list at the bottom of the page for reference only. I hope this makes the lists easier to use.

Also, as the page is getting larger and the lists are getting longer, it is becoming harder for me to maintain. I'll do my best to check all the links regularly, but if you spot any mistakes, outdated information or broken links, please let me know.

I'm fortunate enough to have been published through some of the competitions in the lists below. In these instances, there will be links to the published stories and more detailed information about my direct experiences with the competition in question. See Devil's Crush as an example. There are also similar posts written by other competition winning short story writers.

If you have been published through a short story competition and would be willing to write about your experiences for my website, please see my submission guidelines.

UPDATE: Very short story (flash fiction) competitions previously listed on this page have been moved here onto a dedicated page to improve usability.

UPDATE 2: The list of competitions for young writers has also been moved onto its own dedicated page, again to aid usability.

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Featured Short Story Competitions

Do you run a short story competition? Do you want it featured at the top of this page? If so, get in touch.

Featured Competition 1: Elegant Literature Short Fiction Contest

Elegant Literature Short Story Competition Silent Storms March 2024

Elegant Literature is a digital fiction magazine whose mission is to help new talent go pro, award life-changing prize money, and promote fiction writers worldwide. Our short story contest offers thousands of dollars of prizes every month. We also choose the best stories, pay the authors above-professional rates, and publish them in our magazine. You can learn how it works here.

Elegant Literature Logo

Instead of paying per submission, you pay a $10 monthly membership which gives you unlimited entries to the contest and includes over $400 in exclusive discounts from our partners like Scrivener, ProWritingAid, Novel Factory, and more. The prize value rises as our membership grows, as does our ability to buy more work from talented new authors. We will also be opening genre-specific competitions based on feedback from the community, so you have a direct say in next month's contest!

Elegant Literature Issue 14 World Builders

In addition to monthly competitions, our members can access the Community Workshop, a private critique group to receive feedback on your work from fellow writers.

This is (we think) one of the best fiction competitions for aspiring writers out there! Head on over to ElegantLiterature.com for your chance to win the thousands of dollars. Learn how to register here.

Featured Competition 2: FanStory

At FanStory new writing contests with cash prizes are announced weekly.

FanStory Logo

You'll Enjoy

  • Contests. FanStory run competitions for short stories, flash fiction, poetry, non-fiction and much more. Enter all contests with cash prizes for free with upgraded membership. Contests with cash prizes are announced every week. Click here to view the current listing.
  • Feedback. Get detailed feedback for every poem, short story and book chapter that you write including your contest entries. All skill levels welcomed.
  • Community.  Make connections and friends. Enjoy sharing your writing. Click here for more info.

Contest Highlights:

  • Dialogue Only Writing Contest: Write a story using only dialogue. That's right - just dialogue. Have fun with it. This contest has a cash prize.
  • Fantasy Writing Contest: Can you write a fantasy story. Let your imagination go. The winner takes away a cash prize.
  • Horror Writing Contest: Put your readers on edge or terrorize them for this horror writing contest. Cash Prize!
  • Science Fiction or Fantasy Writing: Write a science fiction or fantasy story. All topics welcomed - just stick with sci fi. Cash prize to the winner.
  • Share Your Story: Share a story about your life. Tell about an event that stands out. Cash prize to the winner.
  • This Sentence Starts The Story: Write a story that starts with this sentence: You need to calm down. This contest has a cash prize.
  • True Story Contest: Share a memory from your life. Share a moment, an object, a feeling, etc. This does not have to be a profound memory, but should allow readers insight into your feelings, observations and/or thoughts. This contest has a cash prize.
  • Western Writing Contest: Share a western story. Share your version of the western you'd want to read. Enter for your chance at the cash prize.

These are just a few of the contests. View the full listing here.


Featured Competition 3: Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction

The Not Quite Write Prize is a quarterly flash fiction writing competition. The competition commences on the third Friday of the month in January, April, July and October.

Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction

The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenges writers to create an original piece of flash fiction based on two typical writing prompts plus one "anti-prompt". The anti-prompt is a challenge to break a specific “rule” of writing while telling a great story. There is 500 word maximum limit and the entry fee is AU$25.

Participants compete for AU$2,000 in cash prizes, including AU$1,000 for the winner, cash prizes for the entire shortlist and two bonus wildcard prizes. Winners are read aloud on the Not Quite Write podcast, where the judges share in-depth analysis about the entries and offer free writing advice.

The AU$2,000 is awarded as follows:

  • 1st place: AU$1,000
  • 2nd place: AU$500
  • 3rd place: AU$200
  • 4th place: AU$100
  • Honourable mention x 2: AU$50
  • Wildcards x 2: AU$50

Your ticket grants you immediate and unlimited access to the exclusive Participant Lounge and Forum. Personalised and on-air critique packages are also available until sold out. The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction is hosted in Australia and open to all writers of any age and level of ability around the world.

Featured Competition 4: To Hull And Back

To Hull And Back is a biennial humorous short story competition that offers 'the greatest literary prize in the known macrocosm'. You can decide for yourself whether that's true or not...

There are 20 prizes (the top prize is £1,000 - total prize pot is £2,000) and all the shortlisted entrants are published in an anthology. In addition to this, the winner's face is featured on the front cover of the book, which is created by a different artist each year. The book is then strapped to the handlebars of a Harley Davidson FLSTFi Fatboy and filmed being ridden to Hull and back.

To Hull And Back Anthology 2023To Hull And Back anthology 2021

To my knowledge, To Hull And Back is the only regular short story competition that celebrates humorous writing. If I'm wrong and you know of another contest specifically for comedy writing, please let me know.

To Hull And Back anthology 2019To Hull And Back Anthology 2018

I bang on about the To Hull And Back humorous short story competition a lot. That's because it's awesome. (Admittedly, I am biased, but it is – ask anyone.) The top prize is the greatest literary accolade ever offered in the field of literature. (See previous note regarding bias.)

To Hull And Back Anthology 2017To Hull And Back Short Story Anthology 2016

Original. Unusual. Crazy. But lots of fun. You can find out how to enter here.

To Hull And Back Short Story Anthology 2015To Hull And Back Short Story Anthology 2014

From 2014 to 2019, the competition was run annually. Since 2021 it has been run biennially (every other year): 2023, 2025, 2027 etc.

The To Hull And Back Competition is currently closed. The 9th competition will open for submissions on 1st July 2024.

You can see the most recent winner's video here:

To Hull And Back was listed by Reedsy as one of their best writing contests of 2021 and 2022.

Best Writing Competitions of 2021Best Writing Competition 2022

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Regular Short Story Competitions

The first table lists weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly and bi-annual short story competitions.

Short Story Critique Service

As mentioned above, details of very short story (flash fiction) competitions have now been moved to a dedicated resource. I mention it again here because there were a lot listed in the regular competition lists.

Competition Country Closing Date Winners Announced Max Words Entry Fee Top Prize
Anansi Archive Short Fiction Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 3,000 £3 £50
Notes on Anansi Archive Competition: Any style / genre - they also run quarterly flash fiction and poetry competitions
Audio Arcadia Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies £6.50 See notes
Notes on Audio Arcadia Competition: Themed, so check website for current theme - winning stories published in paperback and eBook formats - authors receive a royalty percentage of the net profit from net sales - click the "Competitions" tab on their site to find the details
Bardsy's Writing Competitions USA Varies Varies 3,000 $20 $599
Notes on Bardsy's Competition: Any style genre, but themes and prompts vary, so check website for current details - US based writers only - all finalists will receive $60 and publication in an anthology
Beagle North Quarterly Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 2,500 FREE See notes
Notes on Beagle North Competition: Any style genre, but themed so check website for current details (look at the submissions page) - top prizes are Amazon vouchers (around £20) and a feature on their website - winners might be published in anthology too
Blackwater Press Short Story Contest UK / USA Bi-Annual Bi-Annual 10,000 $5 $150
Notes on Blackwater Press Contest: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - top ten stories published in a collection - to find the competition page, look in the 'More' option in the main menu
Chris Fielden's Flash Fiction Writing Challenges UK NA Everyone is a winner Varies FREE See notes

Notes on Chris's Writing Challenges: Any style or genre but each challenge is themed, so check the link for current challenges - full details now available on a page dedicated to flash fiction competitions

Commaful's Writing Contests USA Varies Varies Varies FREE See notes
Notes on Commaful's Contest: Any style / genre but themed, so check site for details - winner's story published on Commaful's website, which boasts a reach of over 4M - they run lots of different writing contests regularly, check the link for details
Cranked Anvil Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 1,500 £5 £150
Notes on Cranked Anvil Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website and may also be published in an anthology
Crazy Cats Theatre Writing Competitions UK Quarterly Quarterly 2,500 Varies Varies
Notes on Crazy Cats Competition: They run a variety of themed competitions (EG, halloween, Christmas etc.) so check website for current details - winners published on website - top prize has been up to £100 in the past
Dandy Writers' Writing Contests USA Monthly Monthly Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Dandy Writers' Contest: Any style / genre - they run a variety of regular contests for short stories, flash fiction, non-fiction, poetry and more, so check website for full details
Drapers Guild Short Story Contest USA See notes See notes no max $15 $100
Notes on Drapers Guild Competition: Any style / genre - for every 15 stories submitted, a $100 prize is awarded, so it's a perpetual contest - winners published on the website
Dream of Shadows Short Story Competitions UK Bi-Annual Bi-Annual 1,500 £6 £300
Notes on Dream of Shadows Competitions: Fantasy / horror and themed, so check website for current theme - they run Easter and Halloween competitions
Dream Quest One Writing Contest USA Bi-Annual Bi-Annual 5 pages $10 $500
Notes on Dream Quest One Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in the 'Dare to Dream' section of the website - they also accept nonfiction and creative nonfiction, including essays, diary / journal entries, stage plays and screenwriting
Elegant Literature Short Fiction Contest Canada Monthly Monthly 2,000 $10 Varies
Notes on Elegant Literature Contest: See the prestigious comps listing below for full details (top prize has been up to $20,000 in the past)
FanStory Writing Contests USA Weekly Weekly Varies Varies Varies
Notes on FanStory Contests: FanStory run a variety of contests including short story, flash fiction, poetry, non-fiction and many more - some contests have cash prizes (up to $100) and these usually have an entry fee, or you can become a member and enter every contest
Fantastic Books Publishing Writing Competitions UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Fantastic Books Publishing Competitions: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - FBS run at least 2 competitions a year, but sometimes run more in support of charities - winners published in anthology - cash prizes up to £100
Fiction Factory Short Story Competition UK Bi-Annual Bi-Annual 3,000 £7 £500
Notes on Fiction Factory Competition: Any style / genre except children's and YA - you can order an optional critique for a reasonable price when entering - winners published on website and in anthology - they also run a flash fiction comp
Fictionette Contest UK Monthly Monthly Varies FREE See notes
Notes on Fictionette Contest: Any style / genre - competition alternates between short story and flash fiction, so word limits vary - prize is publication online and in the Fictionette magazine
Flash Fiction Writers Short Story Contests USA Varies Varies Varies FREE See notes
Notes on Flash Fiction Writers Group Contest: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - regular writing promts with the occasional prize
F(r)iction Contest USA Biannually Biannually 7,500 $15 $1,000
Notes on F(r)iction Contest: Any style / genre - they also have creative nonfiction, flash fiction and poetry categories - winners published online or in print in the F(r)iction journal
Globe Soup Short Story Competitions UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Globe Soup Competitions: Any style / genre but sometimes themed - they run a lot of competitions including short story, flash fiction, poetry and nonfiction - top prize has been up to £1,500 in the past
Green Stories Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Green Stories Competition: Any style / genre but themed - themes are usually about green issues and the environment, but they do vary - top prize has been up to £500 in the past - entry fees are sometimes paid, sometimes free - they run a variety of writing contests throughout the year, so check the website for current deta
Henshaw Press Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 2,000 £6 £200
Notes on Henshaw Press Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the website and in anthology - optional critique offered at reasonable prices, free to writers aged 16 or under - this comp is now run by independent publisher Hobeck Books
Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition England Quarterly Quarterly 6,000 £7 £100
Notes on Ironclad Creative Competition: Any style / genre but each quarter there is a different prompt, so check website for full details - winning stories published in anthology
Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction Australia Bi-Monthly Bi-Monthly 5,000 $20 $333
Notes on Letter Review Prize: Any style / genre - there are three winners who each receive the $333 top prize - winners published at Letter Review - all entrants considered for publication
New Millennium Awards USA Bi-Annually Bi-Annually Varies $20 $1,000

Notes on New Millennium Awards: Any style / genre - word limit varies, but has been up to 7,500 words in the past - winners in each category receive $1000 and will be published in anthology and online - entry fee includes a copy of the anthology - also run essay, flash fiction, non-fiction and poetry prizes

NYC Midnight Writing Challenges USA Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on NYC Midnight Challenges: Style & genres vary - MYC Midnight run short story, flash fiction, screenwriting and screenplay competitions - entry fees are around $50 - all entrants receive feedback from the judges
Park Publications (Scribble) UK Quarterly Quarterly 3,000 £3, FREE to subscribers £75
Notes on Park Publications Competitions: Any style / genre - short listed stories published in Scribble magazine and judged by readers - (I've been published in Scribble, so you can read a lot more about it here) - they also run an annual themed comp, see the annual comps list below for details
Pen Factor Writing Competition Australia Varies Varies Varies FREE See notes
Notes on Pen Factor Competitions: Any style / genre - winners receive online exposure by being published on The Pen Factor website - each submission must review 3 other submissions, so all authors receive structured feedback on their work - closed in 2016, but reopened in 2019 with new format
Periscope Open Fiction Award UK Quarterly Quarterly 2,000 £9 £1,500
Notes on the Periscope Award: See main listing in the prestigious comps list below for full details
Reedsy's Short Story Contest UK Weekly Weekly Varies $5 $250
Notes on Reedsy Contest: Any style / genre but there are 5 new prompts each week so check website for current details - winners published on blog - top prize does vary but is usually $250 - used to be free to enter, now costs $5 - you can still submit a story for free, but it is NOT entered into the competition, just available to readers on the site - Savannah Cordova won this competition and went on to judge it, you can read about her experiences and what qualities she looks for in a short story here

Secret Attic Short Story Competition

UK Monthly Monthly 2,000 See notes £15
Notes on Secret Attic Competition: Any style / genre - members enter free, non-members pay £3 and can then enter all their comps for that month - winning stories published in the Secret Attic Booklet
ShortStoryStack USA Monthly Monthly 10,000 FREE $100
Notes on ShortStoryStack Competition: Any style / genre - winner also receives 50% of subscription revenue - winners published on website
Stringybark Short Story Awards Australia Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Stringybark Awards: Different genre for each competition, so check website for current details - runs up to 4 times a year - word count limit usually between 1,500 and 1,800 - prizes up to $500 plus publication
Swoop Books Creative Writing Competition UK Varies Varies 3,000 £5 £100
Notes on Swoop Books Competition: Any style / genre but their contests are often themed or based on a prompt, so check website for current details - winners published in anthology
Vocal Writing Challenges USA Weekly Weekly Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Vocal Challenges: Themed, so check website for current details - prizes vary, but in the past have been from $1,000 to $20,000 - entry also fees vary, sometimes free, sometimes only open to members etc.
Writers Bureau UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Writer's Bureau Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published on the WB website - WB run a short story competition, a flash fiction competition and a limerick competition, so at least 3 comps run a year - the link will take you to the competition that is currently running - top prize money is decent, always hundreds of pounds
Writer's Digest Writing Competitions USA Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Writer's Digest Competitions: They run a wide variety of contests throughout the year, some offering big cash prizes (thousands of dollars) - best to check the website and see which competitions are currently running
Writers' Forum UK Monthly Monthly 3,000 £6, £3 for subscribers £300

Notes on Writers' Forum Competition: Any style / genre - top 3 stories published in Writers' Forum magazine (I've won this competition in the past, so you can read more about it here - more recently, Rhiannon Lewis also won the competition and she's kindly written about her experiences here, including details of the exact process she used to win)

Writers of the Future USA Quarterly + Annual Quarterly + Annual 17,000 FREE $5,000
Notes on Writers of the Future Competition: SF & Fantasy - quarterly prizes + annual prize ($5K is the annual top prize) - amateur only, so if you've published more than 3 stories you're not eligible (published means at industry rates, in select locations - see website for full details)
WriteTime Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 1,500 £3 £50
Notes on WriteTime Competition: Any style / genre - entrants must be aged 60 or over - winners published on website and in a printed anthology
Writing Magazine Short Story Competition UK Monthly Monthly Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Writing Magazine Competition: Any style / genre - winners are published in Writing Magazine - WM run a variety of competitions, some open and some for subscribers only, so it's best to check the website to see what competitions are currently open

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Writing Improvement Software

 

Prestigious &/or Big Prize Short Story Competitions

The second table lists well renowned and prestigious competitions which offer big cash prizes. Any short story competition with a prize of more than £1,000 ($, € or other currency) is listed here. There are a couple of other big prize awards listed in the Regular Short Story Competitions (it seems pointless to list them twice).

Short Story Writing Course

Competition Country Closing Date Winners Announced Max Words Entry Fee Top Prize
Accenti Writing Contest Canada February May 2,000 C$30 C$1,000
Notes on Accenti Contest: Any style / genre - open to fiction and non-fiction
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award UK August December 2,000 £18 £2,500
Notes on Aesthetica Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories (top 60) published in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual - winner also receives management consultation, books and magazine subscriptions - they also accept poetry
Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize UK Varies Varies 2,500 FREE £10,000
Notes on Alpine Fellowship Prize: Any style / genre but sometimes themed, so check website for this year's details - winner and two runners up invited to attend the current symposium - usually closes around March / April
Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition Ireland July October 1,500 €18 €1,000

Notes on Anthology Magazine Competition: Any style / genre - winner published in Anthology Magazine - reduced early-bird entry fee available

Bath Flash Fiction Award UK Tri-Annually Tri-Annually 300 £9 £1,000
Notes on the Bath Flash Fiction Award: Any style / genre (except children's) - details have been moved to my lists of flash fiction competitions
Bath Short Story Award UK April July 2,200 £9 £1,200
Notes on the Bath Short Story Award: Any style / genre (except children's) - winning and shortlisted stories published in anthology - generous payments for 2nd and 3rd prize too
Bayou Magazine ' James Knudsen Prize for Fiction' USA January February 7,500 $20 $1,000
Notes on the Bayou Magazine Prize: Any style / genre - winner published in Bayou Magazine and given free subscription - all entries considered for publication in the magazine
BBC Short Story Award UK March September 8,000 FREE £15,000
Notes on BBC Competition: Any style / genre - you have to be a published author to enter this, so you need to win another competition first, or be published in a publication of some renown (self-published does NOT count) - winning and short listed stories recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 4
Belfast Book Festival Mairtín Crawford Award UK May Varies 2,500 £6 £1,000
Notes on Mairtín Crawford Award: Any style / genre - winners also receive a place on a writing retreat
Breakwater Review Fiction Contest USA Varies Varies Varies $10 $1,000
Notes on Breakwater Review Contest: Any style / genre - all finalists considered for publication in the Breakwater Review
Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize UK April October 5,000 £10 £1,000
Notes on Brick Lane Prize: Any style / genre - additional cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd - 12 longlisted stories published in anthology
Bridport Prize UK May November 5,000 £12 £5,000
Notes on Bridport Prize Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published in anthology - highly prestigious, so lots of competition
Bristol Prize UK Varies Varies 4,000 £9 £1,000
Notes on Bristol Prize Competition: Any style / genre - top 20 stories published in Anthology - they receive thousands of entries, so high competition - submissions deadline is usually around April / May
ChipLitFest Short Story Competition UK February March 5,000 See notes £1,000
Notes on ChipLitFest Competition: Any style / genre - entry fee is £8 for stories up to 2,500 words or £10 up to 5,000 words - winners published on website
Christopher Fielden's 'To Hull And Back' Humorous Short Story Competition UK June October 2,500 £10/£12 £1,000 and see notes

Notes on the To Hull And Back Competition: Any style / genre, but stories must contain some element of humour - winners published in the To Hull And Back anthology and, in addition to money, the winner will receive the GREATEST writing prize in the known universe (click the link to learn more) - 2nd prize £200, 3rd prize £100 and there are 17 other runner-up cash prizes, so that's 20 in total - £10 is 'early bird' entry fee for entries received by the end of March - the entry fee goes up to £12 on 1st April - discounts available if you enter more than 1 story - runs biennially - the 9th To Hull And Back competition opens for submissions on 1st July 2024

Best Writing CompetitionsBest Writing Contest 2022

To Hull And Back was voted as one of the best writing competitions by Reedsy in 2021 and 2022

To Hull and Back Short Story Competition Banner

Colorado State University Nelligan Prize USA March Varies 12,500 $15 $2,500
Notes on Nelligan Prize: Any style / genre - winner published in the Colorado Review - all entries considered for publication in the Colorado Review - to find details of the current competition, put 'Nelligan Prize' into the search function on their website
Commonwealth Short Story Prize UK November Varies 5,000 FREE £2,500 / £5,000 - see notes
Notes on Commonwealth Short Story Prize: Any style / genre - regional winners receive £2,500 prize, overall winner receives £5,000 prize - winning stories are published in an anthology - usually open for submissions between September and November
CRAFT Hybrid Writing Contest USA February May 5,000 $20 $1,000
Notes on CRAFT Contest: For hybrid work, meaning cross-genre submissions, EG: prose poetry, speculative memoir, work that engages in innovative and imaginative ways, lyric essay, etc.
Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition UK August September 3,000 £9 £1,000
Notes on Creative Writing Ink Competition: Any style / genre - winner also recieves a free creative writing course and publication on their website
Creative Writing NZ Short Story Prize New Zealand April June 3,000 $9 $1,000
Notes on Creative Writing NZ Prize: Any style / genre - winner also receives a free creative writing course and online publication - generous prizes for runners-up too
Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize Spain April June 2,000 €20 €2,000
Notes on the Desperate Literature Prize: Any style / genre - shortlisted authors published in paid anthology and considered for publication elsewhere - winner gets a stay in the Civitella Ranieri residency and a manuscript assessment - also offers generous runner-up prizes
Elegant Literature Short Fiction Contest Canada Monthly Monthly 2,000 $10 Varies
Notes on Elegant Literature Contest: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - $10 fee allows as many entries as you like within a month - top stories are bought at 10 cents/word and published in the magazine - top prize has been up to $20,000 in the past
Fish Publishing Short Story Competition Ireland Varies Varies 5,000 €20 €3,000
Notes on Fish Publishing Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published in the Fish Anthology - submission deadline is usually around November / December
F(r)iction Contest USA Biannually Biannually 7,500 $15 $1,000
Notes on F(r)iction Contest: Any style / genre - they also have creative nonfiction, flash fiction and poetry categories - winners published online or in print in the F(r)iction journal - runs biannually so also in the regular comps list above
Gemini Magazine
Short Story Contest
USA Varies Varies no max Varies Varies
Notes on Gemini Magazine Contest: Any style / genre - winners published on Gemini Magazine website - deadline for submissions is usually around March / April - top prize is usually between $1,000 and $5,000
Hammond House Publishing International Literary Awards UK September December 5,000 £10 £1,000
Notes on Hammond House Awards: Any style / genre but themed, so check the website for current theme - winners published worldwide by Hammond House - they often have other categories, including poetry, script writing and song writing
Historical Novel Society Short Story Award UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Historical Novel Society Awards: Any style / genre but with a historical theme, so check website for current details - top prize has been up to £10,000 in the past - they also run novel comps - to find the awards they are currently running, look in the "Awards" section of the site, or put "awards" into the website search box
Manchester Writing Competition UK Varies Varies 2,500 Varies £10,000
Notes on Manchester Writing Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories may be published in journals or on the website - entry fee is usually around the £20 mark
Michael Terence Publishing (MTP) Short Story Competition UK May July 3,000 £8 £1,000
Notes on MTP Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in printed anthology - generous runner-up prizes - they also accept non-fiction
Minds Shine Bright Confidence Writing Competition Australia March August 5,000 $5 $1,600
Notes on Minds Shine Bright Competition: Any style / genre but themed around confidence - multiple runner-up prizes - winning and commended entries published in anthology and winners will receive both a print and eBook version - runs biennially (every other year) – also open to flash fiction and poetry
Moth Magazine Nature Writing Prize Ireland September December 4,000 €15 €1,000
Notes on Moth Magazine Nature Prize: Any style / genre but themed around nature: check website for full details - in addition to cash, winner receives a week's stay at writing retreat - winning story published in Moth's winter issue - also accept non-fiction and poetry
Moth Magazine Short Story Competition Ireland June Autumn 3,000 €15 €3,000
Notes on Moth Magazine Competition: Any style / genre - winning story usually published in the summer issue of Moth Magazine, but sometimes elsewhere like the Irish Times
New Welsh Review Writing Awards Wales Varies Varies 30,000 £12 £1,000
Notes on New Welsh Review Competition: Any style / genre, but themed so check website for current details (changes each year) - winner published by New Welsh Review - runners up may also be published - only open to residents of the UK and Ireland
Periscope Open Fiction Award UK Quarterly Quarterly 2,000 £9 £1,500
Notes on the Periscope Award: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current theme - previously called "The Periscope Prize", which was for flash fiction, but they changed the word focus and limit from 900 to 2,000 in 2022 - winners published online
Prism International Short Fiction Contest Canada Varies Varies Varies C$45 C$1,500
Notes on Prism International Contest: Any style / genre - all contest entrants receive a 1 year subscription to Prism International - winners published in the Prism International magazine - Prism also run a creative non-fiction contest, a poetry contest and a variety of other competitions, all with generous top prizes - word limit is usually around 4,000 to 6,000
Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize UK July Varies 3,000 £12 £1,000
Notes on Wasafiri Prize: Any style / genre - winner published in Wasafiri Magazine - they also accept poetry and life writing
Room Magazine Fiction Contest Canada Varies Varies 3,500 $49 $1,000
Notes on Room Magazine Contest: Any style / genre - entries are cheaper for Canadian residents ($35) and all entries include a year's subscription to Room Magazine - winners published in Room Magazine
Royal Society of Literature V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize UK Varies Varies 4,000 £7.50 £1,000
Notes on V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize: Any style / genre - open to citizens or residents of the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth countries - winners published on RSL website - deadline for submissions is usually around June / July - (author Nick Sweeney has written about his experiences of coming runner-up in this competition - read Nick's advice and an extract of his winning story here)
Ruminate Magazine William Van Dyke Short Story Prize USA Varies Varies 5,500 $20 $1,500
Notes on Ruminate Short Story Contest: Any style / genre - winner and runner up published in Ruminate Magazine - they recommend that you read previous winners to see the preferred style - to find competition details, go to the 'submit' section of the site
Scottish Arts Trust Short Story Competition UK February August 2,000 £10 £3,000
Notes on Scottish Arts Trust Competition: Any style / genre - generous runner up prizes - publication offered to top 20 stories in anthology - they also run the Write Mango Award for stories that are fun, amusing, bizarre and as delicious as a mango and that offers a £300 top prize, so check their website for all the details
Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition Ireland July September 3,000 €18 € 2,000
Notes on the Seán Ó Faoláin Prize: Any style / genre - winners and runners up published in Southword Literary Journal - winner invited to read their story at the Cork International Short Story Festival in Ireland
ServiceScape Short Story Award USA November December 5,000 FREE $1,000
Notes on ServiceScape Award: Any style / genre - winners published on blog
Sisters in Crime Scarlet Stiletto Awards Australia August November 5,000 A$25 A$1,500
Notes on Scarlet Stiletto Award: Crime - only open to female writers that live in Australia - winning stories may be published - multiple cash prizes
Sixfold Short Story Competition USA Varies Varies Varies $5 $1,000
Notes on Sixfold Competition: Any style or genre - collaborative writing community, writers vote for the stories they want to see published in the journal, so there is no 'editor' - winners published in the journal which is made available in many formats, including print and eBook
Spread The Word Awards UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on the London Short Story Prize: They run a variety of awards - look in the 'our projects' section of their website to find competition details - prizes have been £1,000 in the past (2015 highly commended author in the London Short Story Prize (which was run by Spread The Word), James Woolf, has written about his experiences with this competition on my site - read James's post and an extract of his story here)
Story Unlikely's Short Story Contest USA January June 4,500 FREE $1,500
Notes on the Story Unlikely Contest: Any style or genre - open to fiction and creative non-fiction - winning stories are professionally illustrated and published in Story Unlikely magazine
Swansea University Rhys Davies Short Story Competition UK February September 5,000 £8 £1,000
Notes on Rhys Davies Competition: Any style or genre - generous runner-up prizes - entrants must be in / from Wales - winners published in a short story anthology by Parthian Books
TCK Publishing Short Story Awards Contest USA August September 4,000 $12 $1,000
Notes on the TCK Publishing Awards: Any style / genre but multiple categories, so check website for full details - winners published on website - no permanent award page, so type 'award' or 'contest' followed by the current year into the search function at the top of the homepage and all the current award details will come up - also accept creative non-fiction and memoirs
Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival Fiction Contest USA Varies Varies Varies $25 $1,500
Notes on Tennessee Williams Contest: Any style / genre - in addition to cash prize, winner receives airfare to the Festival and French Quarter accommodation, a VIP festival pass and publication in Louisiana Literature - only open to writers who have not published a fictional book, this includes self-published books
The Bedford Competition UK October December / January 3,000 £7.50 £1,500
Notes on The Bedford Competition: Any style / genre - winning and shortlisted entries published in anthology - all profits, after prize money has been awarded, go to charities/projects that help children and adults improve their literary skills
The Dillydoun Short Story Prize USA October October 8,000 $25 $5,000
Notes on The New Guard Contest: Any style / genre - generous runner-up prizes - winners published in The Dillydoun Review - all other entries considered for publication in a TDR Issue or TDR Daily

The Masters Review Short Story Award for New Writers

USA August November 6,000 $20 $3,000
Notes on Masters Review Award: Any style / genre - they also run other competitions, like flash fiction, novel excerpt et.c
The New Guard Machigonne Fiction Contest USA Varies Varies 5,000 $22 $1,500
Notes on The New Guard Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in The New Guard

The Plaza Short Story Prize

UK November March 8,000 £16 £2,000
Notes on The Plaza Short Story Prize: Any style / genre - shortlisted writers (10) published in an anthology

The Plaza Sudden Fiction Prize

UK November March 1,500 £14 £1,000
Notes on The Plaza Sudden Fiction Prize: Any style / genre - shortlisted writers (10) published in an anthology

The Short Story 'Cambridge Short Story Prize'

UK Varies Varies Varies Varies £1,000
Notes on The Short Story Competition: Any style / genre - winners and shortlisted writers published in an anthology

The Writing District Prize

USA May July 3,000 $15 $1,000
Notes on The Writing District Prize: Any style / genre - winners published on website
TNQ Peter Hinchcliffe Fiction Award Canada May September no max $40 $1,000
Notes on The New Quarterly Award: Any style / genre - entry includes a subscription to TNQ magazine - winner published in The New Quarterly - short-listed winners are considered for publication in TNQ (paid at $250)
Tom-Gallon Trust Award UK October ? 5,000 FREE £1,000
Notes on Tom-Gallon Competition: Any genre - you can enter published or unpublished work - winners published on the website
Tom Howard / John H Reid Short Story Contest USA April October 6,000 $20 $3,000
Notes on Howard / Reid Competition: Any style / genre - they accept short stories, essays and other works of prose - 10 winning stories published on the website - they give 2 x $3,000 prizes: one for fiction and one for non-fiction
Uncharted Magazine's Thrilling Short Story Award USA Bi-Annual Bi-Annual 5,000 $20 $1,000
Notes on Uncharted Magazine Award: For SF/F, thriller / horror and mystery / crime - winners published in Uncharted Magazine

White Review Short Story Prize UK Varies Varies 7,000 £15 £2,500
Notes on White Review Competition: Any style / genre - you must be resident in the UK or Ireland to enter - winners published in The White Review
Writers' Union of Canada Short Prose Competition Canada February ? 2,500 C$29 C$2,500
Notes on White Review Competition: Any style / genre - you must be resident in Canada to enter
Zoetrope All Story Short Fiction Contest USA Varies Varies 5,000 $20 $1,000
Notes on Zoetrope All Story Competition: Any style / genre - winners considered for representation by a number of well renowned writing agents

How to Write Flash Fiction free writing course

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Annual Short Story Competitions

The third table lists yearly competitions of different genres offering a wide variety of prizes, some cash, some not. The majority offer publication to the winning writers and runners up.

Free Short Story Writing Course

Competition Country Closing Date Winners Announced Max Words Entry Fee Top Prize
Active Writers Short Story Competition UK March May 3,000 £7 £500
Notes on Active Writers Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published online
Alice Munro Festival Short Story Competition Canada Varies Varies Varies $25 Varies
Notes on Alice Munro Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories maybe published in print and on website - you must be Canadian to enter - top prize has been up to $1,500 in the past
Australasian Association of Writing Programs Prizes Australia July September See notes $20 See notes

Notes on AAWP Prizes: They run a variety of writing contests, please find the details below

Emerging Writers' prize: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - 3,000 words max - winner receives entry to Ubud festival, accommodation, AU$500 towards flights, membership to Australasian Association of Writing Programs and invited to attend the AAWP conference - winners considered for publication in Meniscus - also open to poetry

Short Story Prize: Any style / genre - 3,000 words max - winner receives entry to Australian Short Story Festival, accommodation, economy airfares, membership to Australasian Association of Writing Programs and invited to attend the AAWP conference - winners considered for publication in Meniscus

Translators' Prize: For translations of 30 lines (poetry) or 3000 words (prose) of entrant's own work translated into English - entries must be accompanied by a 'Translator's Statement of Intention' (up to 400 words) addressing the aims of the translation - winner receives entry to Ubud festival, accommodation, AU$1,000 towards flights, membership to Australasian Association of Writing Programs and invited to attend the AAWP conference - winners considered for publication in Meniscus

Blandford Rotary Short Story & Poetry Competition UK September November 1,750 £4 £200
Notes on Blandford Rotary Competition: Any style / genre - in addition to cash prizes, there is an award ceremony, cups, certificates, readings and other goodies - there are also categories for flash fiction, poetry and young writers - to find the current details put "competition" into their website's search box
Blue Mesa Review Writing Contest USA August October 6,000 $12 $500
Notes on Blue Mesa Review Contest: Any style / genre - first and second place stories published in the Blue Mesa Review - run by the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque
Booksie Short Story Contest USA Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Booksie Contest: Any style / genre but sometimes themed so check website for full details - top prize has been up to $500 in the past
Boston Review Short Story Contest USA Varies Varies 5,000 $20 Varies
Notes on Boston Review Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in Boston Review - top prize has been up to $1,500 in the past
Bridgend Writers' Circle Open Short Story Competition UK March June 1,800 £5 £100
Notes on Bridgend Writers' Circle Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the BWC website
Burnham Book Festival Writing Competition UK February May 2,000 £5 £100
Notes on Burnham Book Festival Competition: Any style / genre - entry is free for residents of Somerset & North Somerset - winners published in anthology - they also accept poetry and have categories for children
British Czech and Slovak Association Writing Competition UK Varies Varies 2,000 FREE £400
Notes on BCSA Writing Competition: Fact or fiction - must be writing concerning the links between Britain and the Czech/Slovak Republics - winning and other selected entries will be published in the British Czech and Slovak Review - usually closes around June / July
British Fantasy Society Short Story Comp UK June  Varies 5,000 £5 £100
Notes on British Fantasy Society Competition: Fantasy, science fiction, horror, supernatural, fabulation, magic realism, slipstream, etc. - top 3 stories published in BFS Horizons magazine - winners announced at FantasyCon
Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest USA June ? no max FREE See notes
Notes on Bulwer-Lytton Competition: Any style / genre - entries must consist of one sentence only, with a suggested max of 50-60 words, but there is no official max - loads of categories with lots of winners - winners paid 'a pittance'
CAS Short Story Competition UK July August 4,000 £7 £600

Notes on CAS Competition: Any style or genre - winners published on website

Cheshire Prize for Literature UK January June 1,500 FREE See notes
Notes on High Sheriff Prize: Any style / genre - entrants must have lived, worked or studied in Cheshire, Wirral, Warrington or Halton (UK) - winners published in anthology by the University of Chester Press - competition is usually run in 4 year cycle: short stories, poetry, children’s literature and then scriptwriting - on occasion they run all 4 categories at once - prizes vary; top prize has been up to £500 in the past
Christopher Fielden's 'To Hull And Back' Short Story Competition UK June October 2,500 £10 / £12 £1,000 and see notes

Notes on the To Hull And Back Competition: New BIG 1st prize means the full details for this competition can be seen above in the Prestigious &/or Big Prize Short Story Competitions - runs biennially

To Hull and Back Short Story Competition Banner

CIEDA's Perito Prize UK October November 2,000 FREE £250
Notes on CIEDA's Perito Prize: Any style or genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published in anthology that supports charity - to find details of the prize, go to the "Get Involved" section of the website

Cinnamon Press Writing Competitions

UK Varies Varies Varies Varies See notes

Notes on Cinnamon Press Competition: Any style / genre - winners and runners up published in winners' anthology - they run a variety of competitions, best to check the website to see what's currently open - top prize used to be £500, but sometimes its bursaries, mentoring or similar

Comma Press Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction UK October May 6,000 FREE £500
Notes on Comma Press Prize: Any style / genre but themed so check website for details - winners published by Comma in an eBook
Conium Review Short Story Competition USA Varies Varies 7,500 $15 $500
Notes on Conium Review Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in the Conium Review - deadline is usually between May and July
Creative Future Writers' Award UK May September 2,000 FREE £75
Notes on Creative Future Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for full details - winner receives a development package in addition to cash - winners published in anthology - look in the 'what we do' section of their website to find competition details
Creative Writing Matters Competitions UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Creative Writing Matters Competition: Any style / genre - cash prizes are sometimes set amounts, sometimes a % of total entry fees - CWM run a variety of competitions, including flash fiction, short story and novel contests, see website for current details
Crowvus Christmas Ghost Story Competition Scotland Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Crowvus Competition: Ghost stories - winners published in anthology that's released in December ready for Christmas - also run children's contest - deadline for subs is usually around September / October time

CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition

UK February May 3,500 £12 £500
Notes on CWA Competition: Mystery or crime - winner also receives 2 free tickets to CrimeFest - winning story published on CWA website
Cyberworld Publishing 'The Good Life in Galicia' Competition Galicia, Spain August Varies 4,500 FREE €15
Notes on Cyberworld Publishing Competition: Any style / genre but must be about Galicia in a significant way - winners published in anthology - also accept non-fiction and poetry
Cymera-Shoreline of Infinity-SF Caledonia Prize for Speculative Short Fiction Scotland March May 2,500 FREE £150

Notes on Cymera-Shoreline of Infinity Prize: Speculative fiction, e.g. sci-fi, fantasy and horror - entrants need to be Scottish: see the "Am I Scottish enough?" section of the competition page - winning story published in Shoreline of Infinity Magazine and the author receives a complimentary copy - winner also receives a complimentary weekend pass to the Cymera Festival - to find the competition page, look in the "Submissions" section of the website

Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition

UK July October 1,200 £5 £200
Notes on Doris Gooderson Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in Wrekin Writers anthology and on Wrekin Writers website
Erewash Writers' Group Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Erewash Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published on the Erewash Writers' Group website - EWG also run a variety of contests, so check the website for all the current details
Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition UK March June 2,500 £5 £200
Notes on Evesham Festival Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check the website for current details - winners published on website
Exeter Writers Short Story Competition UK February June 3,000 £7 £700
Notes on Exeter Writers Competition: Any style / genre - the top 3 stories will be published on the Exeter Writers website
Fabula Press Short Story Competition Hong Kong June October 7,000 See notes $500
Notes on Fabula Press Competition: Any style / genre - entry fee varies from free to $15 - the free submission window closes early April, early bird ($10) closes late April, full price ($15) closes in June, see website for exact dates - free submissions are limited to one work of fiction per author, there is no limit for paid entries - $500 top prize, $250 second, $100 third - winners published in anthology - all published authors (apart from the top prize winners) paid $75
Fictionette Short Story Contest UK April June 3,000 £7 £500
Notes on Fictionette Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in Fictionette Magazine
Flash 500 International Short Story Competition Spain February April 3,000 £7 £500
Notes on Firedrake Books Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website
Forever Endeavour Charity Short Story Competition UK April May 3,000 See notes £100
Notes on Forever Endeavour Competition: Any style / genre - entry fee is a choice of £5 or £10 (see website for details) and 50% of all money raised is donated to charity - shortlisted entries receive feedback from judges and are published in their online magazine
Fosseway Writers Short Story Competition UK October November 2,500 £5 £50
Notes on Fosseway Writers Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published on website
Fowey Festival of Art and Literature Short Story Competition UK March April 1,500 £10 £200
Notes on Fowey Festival Competition: Any style / genre but themed around Daphne DuMaurier (see website for full details) - entries published on the festival website - they also sometimes run a comp for children
Frome Festival Competition UK May July 2,200 £8 £400
Notes on Frome Festival Competition: Any style / genre - some stories read on Frome FM (the local radio station) - there are also cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd and for the best local entries
Hastings Literary Festival Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Hastings Literary Festival Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - top prize has been around £100 in the past
H.E. Bates Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 2,000 Varies Varies
Notes on H E Bates Competition: Competition is run by Northampton Writers Group - comp is themed, so check website for current details - top prize has been up to £500 in the past
H.G. Wells Short Story Competition UK July September 5,000 £10 See notes
Notes on H G Wells Competition: Themed, so check website for current theme - free entry for junior category, £5 for students, £10 for adults - prizes: £1,000 for entrants aged 21 and under; £500 for entrants aged 22 and over - all winners and short listed entrants published in anthology
Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writing Competition UK / Australia Varies Varies Varies Varies See notes
Notes on Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current information - prize: winning stories turned into an audiobook and globally distributed via Audible - currently, you have to register to see the rules, so if you're interested in this competition you will have to register with them
Knoxville Writers' Guild Writing Contests TN, USA Varies Varies Varies Varies $100
Notes on KWG Competition: Themes, styles and genres vary as there are multiple categories, so best to visit the site for current details - each category has a 1st prize of $100 - categories for all age groups, so there are opportunities here for younger writers too
Leicester Writes Short Story Prize UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Leicester Writes Prize: Any style / genre - up to 20 winning stories published in anthology - top prize has been up to £125 in the past - entry fee usually around £5 to £7 - word count usually around 3,000 to 4,000
Light Bringer Project's Roswell Award USA Varies Varies Varies FREE Varies
Notes on Light Bringer Project Award: Science fiction - see website for current details - to find competition details, look in the 'Omega Sci-fi Awards' section of the website
Literary Taxidermy Short Story Competition USA Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Literary Taxidermy Competition: Any style / genre - the opening and closing lines are chosen from a classic work of literature, the entrant provides the rest, so check website for current details - winners published in anthology - top prize has been up to $1,500 in the past
Living Springs Publishers Baby Boomers Plus USA June Varies 4,000 $25 $500
Notes on Living Springs Publishers BBP Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for details - open to fiction and non-fiction - minimum of fifteen finalists published in book
London Independent Short Story Prize (LISP) UK July October 3,000 see notes £100
Notes on London Independent Story Prize: Any style / genre - entry fee varies depending on how close to the deadline you submit, so best to check website for current details - they have multiple categories, including flash fiction, poetry, short story and screenplay - winners published in anthology
London Magazine Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies £10 £500
Notes on The London Magazine Competition: Any style / genre but no flash fiction - winners and runners up published in the magazine and on the website - this is the UK's oldest cultural journal, first published in 1732 - it is suggested that you read previous copies before submitting
Maria Edgeworth Literary Festival Competition Ireland March April 2,000 €5 €250
Notes on Maria Edgeworth Festival Competition: Any style / genre - also accept poetry - the link takes you to the 'Literary Festival' section of their website, where the competition details can usually be found
Minds Shine Bright Seasons Writing Competition Australia March August 2,500 $5 $500
Notes on Minds Shine Bright Competition: Any style / genre but themed around the seasons - multiple runner-up prizes - winning and commended entries published in anthology and winners will receive both a print and eBook version - runs biennially (every other year) – also open to flash fiction and poetry
Mslexia Women's Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Mslexia Competition: Any style / genre - doesn't always run every year, so check website for current competition details as they run all sorts of different contests
Norwich Writers' Circle Olga Sinclair Prize UK July October 2,000 £9 £500
Notes on Olga Sinclair Prize: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd too - winners published in anthology
Nottingham Writers' Studio George Floyd Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 5,000 FREE £250
Notes on Nottingham Writers' Studio Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - winners published in anthology in print and eBook formats
Ouen Press Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies FREE £300
Notes on Ouen Press Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current theme - winners published in anthology - runs biennially, every other year - last time I looked, competition details could be found in the 'Welcome' or 'About Us' section of the website
Ovacome Writing Competition UK September December 1,500 £8 £250
Notes on Ovacome Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current information - winners published on website - they often have famous judges - to find the latest competition page, put 'competition' into their website search function
Park Publications Scribble Annual Themed Competition UK November November 3,000 £5 £100
Notes on Park Publications Competitions: Any style / genre - they also run a quarterly short story competition, see the regular comps list above for details - winner published in winter issue of Scribble
Parracombe Prize UK January March See notes £5 £100
Notes on Parracombe Prize: Any style / genre - shortlisted stories published in an anthology, available in paperback and eBook - word limit is the same as the year, so in 2023 the word limit is 2,023
Pen to Print Short Story Competition UK March June 2,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Pen to Print Competition: Any style / genre - prize is a tablet PC - the winning story will be published in Pen to Print’s Write On! Magazine, and on their website, and an audio version will be recorded and broadcast on the podcast, Write On! Audio
Poetry on the Lake Short Story Competition Italy Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Poetry on the Lake Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for full details - they also run a poetry competition
Pulp Fictional Short Story Competition UK May August 2,500 £9 £250
Notes on Pulp Fictional Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - £9 entry fee allows two stories to be submitted - winners published in anthology - they also run a flash fiction competition
R C Sherriff Trust's Elmbridge Literary Competition UK February February 1,500 £5 £250
Notes on R C Sherriff Trust Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published in a Chapbook published by Sampson Low - look in the 'Current Projects' section of the website to find competition details
Remastered Words UK May August 5,000 FREE £75
Notes on Remastered Words Competition: Any style but different genres every year, so check website for current genre - prize money may increase if lots of writers enter - winner's story will be produced into an audio short and included in an audio anthology
Retreat West Short Story Prize UK Varies Varies Varies £10 £400
Notes on Retreat West Story Prize: Any style / genre except children's - all winning and shortlisted stories published in anthology - they also run a competition for very short fiction, see the flash fiction contests lists for details - usually closes around September / October
San Francisco Writers' Conference Writing Contest USA Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on SF Competition: Any style / genre - top prize has been up to $250 in the past - they also accept non-fiction and poetry - winners published in anthology and / or on SFWC website
SaveAs Writers Writing Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on SaveAs Writers Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published in anthology
Serendipity BlackInk Writing Competition UK March June 2,000 FREE £500
Notes on Serendipity BlackInk Writing Competition: Any style / genre - the award aims to redress the underrepresentation of Black writers, so applicants must be from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora - winner published in BHM magazine BlackInk - when the competition is running, you can find the details in the "Black History Month" section of the site
Shooter Literary Magazine Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Shooter Lit Mag Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in Shooter Literary Magazine and online - top prize usually around £500 - they sometimes run poetry competitions too
Short Fiction Literary Journal Short Story Competition UK March June 5,000 £9 £500
Notes on Short Fiction Competition: Any style / genre - all shortlisted entries will be considered for publication in the journal
SMK Contests USA November Varies Varies $5 $100
Notes on SMK Contests: Any style / genre - they have multiple categories for flash fiction, poetry, short story, non-fiction, novel and more, so check website for full details
Society of Spanish Researchers UK 'Science me a Story' Competition UK April June 4 pages FREE £150
Notes on SRUK Competition: Any style / genre but story must be related to science - they accept fiction and non-fiction submissions - stories can be written in English or Spanish - winning stories published in the online magazine PRINCIPIA and in the literature hub at the University of Liverpool
Society of Women Writers, Tasmania Launceston, Tasmania Literary Award Tasmania Varies Varies 1,500 Varies Varies
Notes on Launceston Tasmania Competition: Any style / genre - run by The Society of Women Writers, Tasmania but open to male and female entrants residing anywhere in the world - winners published in an anthology - prize has been up to $2,500 in the past, but more recently has been a lot less
South African Writers College Short Story Competition South Africa April June 2,000 FREE R 10,000 (£570)
Notes on SA Writers Competition: Any style / genre - open to South African writers only - winners published on website - look in the 'Writing Resources' section of the website to find current competition details
Southport Writers' Circle International Short Story Competition UK October December 2,000 £3 £200
Notes on Southport Writers' Circle Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the website

The Masters Review Anthology Prize

USA April July 7,000 $20 $500
Notes on Masters Review Prize: Any style / genre - winners published in anthology - each of the 10 winning stories receive $500 - they also run other competitions, like short story, flash fiction etc.
The Phare WriteWords Short Story Competition UK January February 2,000 £8 £100
Notes on The Phare WriteWords Competition: Any style or genre - also has poetry and flash fiction categories - winners published in anthology

Tim Saunders Publications' "The Paul Cave Prize for Children's Literature"

UK February March 5,000 £30 £75
Notes on the Tim Saunders Publications Children's Lit Prize: Short stories for children - winners published on website and in a book - winners receive a free printed copy of the book - also open to flash fiction and poetry
Wells Literary Festival International Short Story Competition UK June October 2,000 £6 £750
Notes on Wells Literary Festival Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published on website - generous prizes for 2nd and 3rd place
Wenlock Olympian Society Short Story Competition UK October March 2,500 £6 £150
Notes on Wenlock Competition: Any style / genre except YA and children's stories - additional prizes for runners-up that include Wenlock Olympian Medals - to find current competition details, look in the 'Arts' section of their website
What Not To Take To Mars Short Fiction Prize UK September October 3,000 FREE £100
Notes on What Not To Take To Mars Prize: Speculative fiction, check website for current prompts - winners published on website - to find the competition details, look in the "Fiction" section of their website
Willowdown Books 'RH Cunningham Memorial' Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Willowdown Books Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check site for current theme - winners and runners up published in anthology - UK comp but prize is paid in dollars
Write by the Sea Literary Festival Writing Competition (Fiction) Ireland June September 2,500 €10 €500
Notes on Write by the Sea Literary Festival Competition: Any style or genre - they also have categories for flash fiction, memoir / essay and poetry

Writers' & Artists' Yearbook Short Story Competition

UK February March 2,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Writers' & Artists' Yearbook Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check the website for current theme - run by Bloomsbury Publishing Group - winners published on the website, short listed entries might also be published - winner awarded with a place on an Arvon Foundation residential writing course worth £1,000
Writing East Midlands Aurora Prize for Writing UK June October 2,000 £9 £500
Notes on Writing East Midlands Aurora Prize: Any style / genre - run in partnership with the Society of Authors - winners receive feedback on a piece of work of their choice from a literary agent (or Editor as appropriate) OR they can choose to receive a full pass to The Writers’ Conference 2023 instead - to find the prize details, look in the "For Writers" section of their website or put "aurora" into their website's search box - also accept poetry
Yeovil Literary Prize UK Varies Varies 2,000 £8 £600
Notes on Yeovil Literary Prize Competition: Any style / genre - winners might be published in anthology - usually closes for submissions around April / May

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How to Write a Short Story Get Published & Make Money

Writing Competitions for Young Writers & Children

The fourth table on this page used to list writing contests for young writers and children. This list has now been moved to its own dedicated page to improve usability. You can see the new young writer competitions page here.

Young Writer Contests

There are sometimes other opportunities for young writers listed in the one-off competitions lists, or on the Flash Fiction competitions page. You can also find details of scholarships on my non-fiction contest page.

Competition Country Closing Date Winners Announced Max Words Entry Fee Top Prize
Amazing Young Writers Challenge UK Always Open NA 100 FREE See notes
Notes on Amazing Young Writers Challenge: To learn more about this challenge, and to find details of a multitude of other publishing opportunities for young authors, please visit the competition page for young writers

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One-Off Short Story Competitions

The fifth table lists one-off short story competitions, which are usually held to commemorate or celebrate a landmark event. As the list grows, I will add current competitions alphabetically at the top.

Short Story Critique Service

Contests that have already taken place will be moved to the History of Closed Short Story Competitions below - I think it's nice to keep a history, so I won't delete them.

Competition Country Closing Date Winners Announced Max Words Entry Fee Top Prize
None to list at the moment to be confirmed to be confirmed to be confirmed to be confirmed to be confirmed to be confirmed
Notes on none to list at present: More coming soon...

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How to Write a Short Story tips

Other Short Story Competition Lists

There are a few other websites that offer useful short story competition information. They are listed below:

If you run a list on your website and would like it included here, please get in touch.

Short Story Wrtiting Course

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Other Short Story Publishing Opportunities

I've launched pages listing many other publishing opportunities for short stories, flash fiction, poetry, novels and more.

Writing Prompt App

You can find them here:

Inkitt's Writing Contest

Inkitt's Writing Contest offers a fantastic opportunity for stories that are 20,000 words or more in length. So it's perfect for longer short stories, novellas, novelettes and novels.

Inkitt Logo

It's free to sign up to Inkitt. You can then submit your stories, making them available to their extensive readership.

The winning stories are selected based on their popularity with Inkitt's readers. You can learn more on my novel and book competition lists.

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Non-Fiction Writing Competitions

This section has now moved to the Essay Contest and Non-Fiction Writing Competitions page.

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How to Write a Short Story advice

A History of Closed Short Story Competitions

For reference, when you're spending hours trying to find a competition doesn't exist anymore, I thought I'd keep this handy history of short story competitions that have closed and writing websites that no longer exist. I hope it's useful.

Writing Prompt App

Competition Country Closing Date Winners Announced Max Words Entry Fee Top Prize
87 Bedford Short Story Contest USA August September 8,000 $10 $150
Notes on 87 Bedford Contest: Any style / genre - winners published on website and in 87 Bedford Literary Journal - honorary mentions considered for publication in journal and receive payment - prizes increase by $3 an entry after 20 submissions have been received, so potential for higher prizes - CLOSED, not run since 2016
1,000 Prompts, 1,000 Dollars Writing Contest USA 22nd December 2013 12th January 2014 1,500 FREE $500
Notes on 1,000 Prompts Competition: Any style or genre, but themed from 10 prompts, see website for more info - open to US and UK writers only - prize money paid as Amazon gift card - CLOSED
A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology UK & Canada 31st May 2023 July 2023 5,000 $5 See notes
Notes on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Cosy mysteries - winners published in anthology - winners receive a PDF copy of the anthology + ongoing royalties (2% per published story) - CLOSED, was a one-off
ABC Tales 100 Years On Competition UK 1st June 2014 16th June 2014 2,500 £5 See notes
Notes on Almond Press Competition: Any style or genre, but must be about or include a mention of the 1st World War - prize is 50/50 split of proceeds; half of the money from entries will be split between the prose and the poetry categories, and the other half will go to funding ABCtales - judged by Francisco Vilhena who is on Granta Magazine editorial team - CLOSED
Aeon Award (speculative fiction) Ireland November December 10,000 €8.50 €1,000
Notes on Aeon Award Competition: Speculative fiction - so fantasy, sci-fi, horror etc. - winning stories published in  Albedo One - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2022
Aftermath 'The End of Our World' Contest Holland August October 5,000 FREE $1,000
Notes on Aftermath Contest: Any style / genre but check website for theme - winners published online - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing during 2020 update
Ageless Authors Writing Contest USA Varies Varies 3,500 $20 $500
Notes on Ageless Authors Contest: Any style / genre but sometimes themed, so check website for current contest details - entrants must be aged 50 years or older - winning stories published in anthology - NOT RUN SINCE 2019, so removed listing in 2021 update
Allen Raine Short Story Competition Wales September November 7,500 £5 £200
Notes on Allen Raine Competition: Any style / genre - entries can be written in Welsh or English - winners maybe published on the website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
Almond Press Short Story Contest UK Varies Varies Varies FREE Varies
Notes on Almond Press Competition: Themed, so check website for current details - winners and shortlisted entries published in a collection - CLOSED, not run since 2015 so removed from lists
Almond Press 'Broken Worlds' Dystopian Short Story Competition UK 1st May 2014 ? 5,000 FREE £100
Notes on Almond Press Competition: Fiction, dystopia, dark humour, post-apocalyptic minds - CLOSED
Alsina Short Story Competitions UK Varies Varies Varies FREE £50
Notes on Alsina Competition: Styles, genres and themes vary - they also run flash fiction contests - winning stories translated and recorded in multiple languages and distributed electronically through an app - HAVEN'T PUBLISHED anything for a year, so removed listing 2019
Anderbo RRofihe Trophy Short Story Contest USA October ? 5,000 FREE $500
Notes on Anderbo Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website - CONTEST NOT RUN SINCE 2015, so removed listing in 2017
Apostrophe Books - Fiction Fast-Track UK Bi-Monthly B-Monthly no max FREE See notes
Notes on Fiction Fast-Track Competition: Any genre - novels and collections of short stories (fiction only) - winners voted for by readers - winner published as an eBook and sold through 130 digital retailers by Apostrophe Books - all profits split 50/50 with the author - this competition offers a unique prize which is perfect for any writer with a completed novel or short story collection - as the competition is run by writers, winners are treated very fairly CLOSED IN 2014
Arkbound Writing Competition UK November December 1,000 £3 £100
Notes on Arkbound Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - LISTING MOVED TO FLASH COMPS LIST
Artificium Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 8,000 £5/£6 £300
Notes on Artificium Short Story Competition: Any style / genre - entry fee £5 for UK residents, £6 for non-UK - winners published in Artificium journal - competition usually run twice a year, but sometimes more often - WEBSITE disappeared 2018
Arts Quarter Prize UK Bi-Annual Bi-Annual 4,000 £12 £750

Notes on Arts Quarter Prize: Any style or genre - winners published in anthology - second prize £250 and additional prizes (up to 5) of professional critiques from Christopher Fielden's writing services - formerly known as the Teignmouth Prize, name changed to avoid confusion with the Teignmouth Poetry Festival - CLOSED 2020

Asham Award UK Biennial Biennial ? ? £1,000
Notes on the Asham Award: Any style / genre - the competition is only open to women who live in the UK - run every other year - attracts up to 950 entries, so competition is tough - winners published alongside well known female writers in a collection - WEBSITE disappeared in 2018, so removed from lists
Askance Publishing Short Story Competition UK May September no max £15 £300
Notes on Askance Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in digital eBook - COMPETITION NOT RUN SINCE 2015, so listing removed in 2017
Association of Christian Writers Writing Competitions UK Varies Varies Varies £3 See notes
Notes on ACW Competitions: They run a variety of competitions (flash fiction, short story and poetry), so check website for current details - winners published in Christian Writers (circulation 700) - prize is £25 book token - CLOSED, but they still run the occasional one-off contest
Association of Christian Writers (ACW) Writing for Children Competition UK 30th September 2019 October See notes £3 £25
Notes on ACW Competition: Stories for children - this is a comp for authors who write for children, not a children's writing comp - three age categories: 0-5 years, 500 words; 5-8 years, 1,000 words; 9-12 years, 1,500 words - 3 x prizes paid in book tokens, one for each category - CLOSED, was a one-off
Atlantis Short Story Competition USA Varies Varies 2,500 $10 $300
Notes on Atlantis Competition: Any style / genre - every entry receives insightful feedback which is excellent - winners receive full critiques in addition to prize money - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing during 2021 update
Australasian Association of Writing Programs Short Story Prize Australia Varies Varies 3,000 A$20 See notes
Notes on AAWP Prize: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for details - winner receives ticket to the Australian Short Story Festival (ASSF), accommodation and economy airfares - winner invited to read at AAWP conference - Meniscus consider winner's work for publication - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2020
Barbara Pym Centenary Short Story Competition UK May 2013 September 2013 2,200 £7 or $10 £150
Notes on Barbara Pym Competition: Stories written in the style and manner of English novelist Barbara Pym - winning stories published on the Barbara Pym Society website - CLOSED
Bardsy's Holiday Anthology Contest: The Gifts USA 13th December 2021 19th December 2021 3,000 FREE $399
Notes on Bardsy Contest: Holiday stories written by US residents only - also offers other prizes for finalists and winner - winners published in anthology - CLOSED, was a one-off
Bardy's NaNoWriMo Prep Contest USA 25th October 2021 5th November 2021 3,000 FREE $299
Notes on Bardy's Contest: Any style or subject but theme is: write a short story now that's worthy of adapting into a novel later - winners showcased on website - top prize includes Bardsy Elite membership for 6 months (worth $480) - CLOSED, was a one-off
Bardsy's Romance Anthology Contest: Love is Blind USA 10th February 2022 18th February 2022 3,000 FREE $399
Notes on Bardsy's Competition: Romance - US based writers only - winner also receives Bardsy elite membership for 6 months - all finalists will receive $50 and a Bardsy elite membership for 3 months - all finalists published in anthology - CLOSED, was a one-off
Bare Fiction Magazine Prize UK October March 3,000 £8 £500
Notes on Bare Fiction Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in Bare Fiction Magazine and on their website - they also run a flash fiction competition - subscribers to the magazine have reduced entry fees - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing 2020
Bartleby Snopes Dialogue Only Writing Contest USA September October 2,000 $10 $300 and see notes
Notes on Bartleby Snopes Competition: Any style / genre, but dialogue only, so no narration at all - if more than 50 people enter, prize pot goes up by $3 per entry (last top prize awarded was over $1,000) - winners published on website and in the Bartleby Snopes literary magazine - CLOSED 2016, magazine no longer being published
Being Feminist Motherhood Short Story Competition Egypt September ? 3,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Being Feminist Competition: Any style / genre, but themed around motherhood - no cash prize, but winners published in book - CLOSED 2015
Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize UK October ? 1,500 FREE £750
Notes on Benjamin Franklin Prize: Fiction or non-fiction interpretations of a Benjamin Franklin quote, check the website for the current quote - go to the 'education' section of the site - entrants must be between 18 and 25 years of age - winners published on The Telegraph website - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing 2020
Ben's Heroes Trust Super Amazing Short Story Competition UK November ? 500 FREE £35 Book Token
Notes on Ben's Heroes Trust Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current theme - 2 categories: 7 to 9 year olds and 10 to 11 year olds - winning stories published in news letter - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing in 2017
Bet Tuppi's Ancient Near Eastern Historical Fiction Prize UK 4th April 2021 4th May 2021 1,500 £1 £50
Notes on Bet Tuppi's Prize: For historical fiction set in the ancient Near East - winner's published on website - any profits from running the competition will be donated to BISI - CLOSED, was a one-off
Big Issue in the North UK August September 2,000 £5 See notes
Notes on Big Issue in the North Competition: The Big Issue in the North Magazine. Winner also Invited to read story at The Short Issue reading in Manchester in September. Winner also interviewed - a news item on the story and you will appear on the Dead Ink website. And finally, the winner will receive career planning and tuition from Wes Brown, a novelist, critic and co-ordinator of the National Association of Writers in Education - NO LONGER RUNNING
Birdcatcher Books Short Story Award Australia Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Birdcatcher Books Award: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published on website and in anthology - prizes in Australian dollars - CLOSED 2019
Biscuit Publishing Short Story Competition UK Jan March 5,000 £10 £1,500
Notes on Biscuit Publishing Competition: Any style / genre - top 10 stories published in anthology. Over 400 entries in 2011 - closed in 2013
Bloody Scotland Short Story Competition Scotland July September 3,000 £10 £1,000
Notes on Bloody Scotland Competition: Crime - winner receives cash prize, free entry to Bloody Scotland's Crime Writing Festival and a bottle of Deanston whisky - winners published in an eBook anthology - CLOSED, last run in 2015
Boccia Short Story Competition UK 6th May 2022 23rd May 2022 2,000 FREE £50
Notes on Boccia Competition: Any style or genre but all entries must feature the disability sport of boccia in some way - winners of each category (under 18s and adults) will receive the top prize, paid as an Amazon gift card - winning entries (and up to two runners up per category) published on website - CLOSED, was a one-off
Book Box Thanksgiving Story Competition India 21st September 2015 26th September 2015 350 FREE See notes
Notes on Book Box Competition: Themed around food, family and gratitude - for child writers, check website for more details - winning story will be made into an animated video with same language subtitles CLOSED
Bookers Corner Writing Competition UK Monthly Monthly 2,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Bookers Corner Competition: Any style / genre but sometimes themed, so check website for current details - free entry, subject to change - winners published on website and possibly in anthology - CLOSED, website disappeared, removed from lists 2018
Booksie Dawn of AI Short Story Contest USA 15th October 2023 December 2023 / January 2024 1,500 $5.99 $300
Notes on Booksie Dawn of AI Short Story Contest: Themed around AI, check website for prompts - you have to be a booksie member to participate, basic membership is free - CLOSED, was a one-off
Booksie Halloween Horror Contest USA 11th November 2022 Nov / Dec 2022 5,000 $4.99 $250
Notes on Booksie Halloween Horror Contest: Spooky horror stories - they have runner-up prizes, and other goodies for all the winners - CLOSED, was a one-off
Booksie Young Writer Short Story Contest USA February March 5,000 FREE $300
Notes on Booksie Contest: Any style / genre - entrants must be high school students aged between 13 and 18 - winners published on Booksie website, which receives over 1,000,000 reader visits per month - NOT RUN since 2017, so removed link 2019
Bridgend Writers' Circle Short Story Competition Wales 30th November 2014 January 2015 2,000 £5 See notes
Notes on Bridgend Writers' Circle Competition: Any style / genre, but themed around 'bridges' - winner receives a 4 day writing course at Ty Newydd worth £500 - winners published in anthology and on website - CLOSED, was a one-off, but now run regular comp so see annual comps list above
Bright Film Project - Story To Screenplay USA 1st February 2022 1st May 2022 3,000 $10 $5,000
Notes on Bright Film Project - Story To Screenplay Competition: Any style or genre - winner's story is developed into a screenplay for a film - Bonus prize = two Hudson passes for TriBeCa - CLOSED, was a one-off
Brighton COW Competition - NO LONGER RUNNING UK Quarterly Quarterly 3,000 £4 £100
Notes on Brighton COW Competition: Any style / genre - top 10 stories published on website + recorded for radio (I've been published through this competition in the past, so you can read a lot more about it here) - unfortunately the website was removed from the internet early in 2012
Brighton Prize UK Varies Varies 2,000 £8 £500
Notes on Brighton Prize: Any style / genre - 2 runner up prizes of £100 - winners invited to read their stories at an event - winners published by Rattle Tales - usually closes around June / July - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2019
Brisk Publishing 'Brisk Chance' Writing Competition USA Bi-Annually Bi-Annually 10,000 $20 $1,000
Notes on Brisk Publishing Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in print and eBook - website disappeared 2015
Brit Writers' Awards UK March ? 5,000 See notes £10,000
Notes on Brit Writers Awards: Any style / genre - competition for short stories, novels, music, pretty much anything - you have to join (£10.95) and then enter stuff - unfortunately I've received a couple messages from other writers raising concerns about the Brit Writers Awards, for more details see the comments section on this page - THE WEBSITE DISAPPEARED IN 2015

Brittle Star Short Story Competition

UK March May 2,000 £4 £250
Notes on Brittle Star Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in Brittle Star Magazine - CLOSED 2014
Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival Creative Writing Competition UK 31st July 2017 September 2,000 FREE £1,000
Notes on Budleigh Salterton Competition: Any style or genre but theme is 'Being There' CLOSED, was a one-off
Caladria Short Story Competition UK Bi-Annual Bi-Annual 3,000 FREE £25*
Notes on Caladria Competition: Fantasy - £25 prize in Amazon vouchers - winners published in Fab Fables ezine - CLOSED
Calderdale Ted Hughes Writing Competition UK July October 3,000 £4 £300
Notes on Calderdale Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published on website, winners announced at the Calderdale Word of Mouth Festival - CLOSED 2015
Canadian Authors Association National Capital Writing Contest Canada February ? 2,500 C$10 C$500
Notes on NCWC Competition: Any style / genre - only open to open to members of CAA-NCR and/or residents of the National Capital Region - at the bottom of the page that this entry links to there are links to many other writing contests - CONTEST NO LONGER RUNNING
Candy Jar Book's South Wales Short Story Competition Wales August ? 3,000 £2 Kindle Fire
Notes on Candy Jar Books Competition: Any style / genre - open to unpublished authors in the UK only - winners published in an anthology - CLOSED 2014
Cardiff Review Short Story Award Wales May September 5,000 £2 £150
Notes on Cardiff Review Award: Any style / genre - winners published in the Cardiff Review - CLOSED, not run since 2016 so removed from lists Jan 2018
Cartridge People’s Short Story Competition UK 1st November 2021 November 2021 1,500 FREE £1,000
Notes on Cartridge People Competition: Any style / genre - only accepting entries from over 18’s based in the UK - 5 printer pack runner-up prizes - CLOSED, was a one-off
Casevac Writing Contest USA Varies Varies 2,000 see notes $2,500
Notes on Casevac Contest: Any style / genre but themed and must also relate to a prompt, so check website for current details - $12 adult entry, $9 for students - 10% of proceeds go to the UNHCR - also open to creative non-fiction - sometimes runs more than once a year - CLOSED 2022
CBC Books Canada Writes Prize Canada November ? 1,500 $25 C$6,000
Notes on CBC Books Competition: Any style / genre - you have to be Canadian to enter - 4 x runner up prizes of $1,000 - winner published in Air Canada's enRoute Magazine and on website - DETAILS DISAPPEARED FROM WEBSITE 2016
Chained Hearts Monthly Erotica Story Contest USA Monthly Monthly 10,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Chained Heart Competition: Erotica with a monthly theme so check website for current details - top prize is up to $150 depending on twitter engagement (check website for full details) - winners published in a compilation - HASN'T RUN FOR 6 MONTHS, so removed listing in 2021 update
Chalk Circle Writers Short Story Competition UK August November 2,000 £6 £200
Notes on Chalk Circle Writers Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories maybe published on website and in anthology - NOT RUN SINCE 2020, so removed listing during 2021 update
Chapter Checkers Short Story Competition UK Monthly Monthly 1,000 £1.99 See notes
Notes on Chapter Checkers Competition: Any style / genre - winner is published on the website and receives a free short story critique for a story up to a max of 1,000 words - all writers that enter receive some brief feedback on their work CLOSED June 2015
Chapter One Promotions UK September April 2,500 £10 £2,500
Notes on Chapter One annual Competition: Any style / genre - winners and runners up all published in an anthology - lots of different types of competitions run every year, so check the website - I was a runner up in this competition in 2012 and they were supposed to release an anthology called 'Primed' with my story in it at the beginning of 2013, but they've stopped responding to my emails and letters - the lack of professionalism I've encountered from Chapter One Promotions is very disappointing - I don't like to bad mouth anyone in the writing community, but feel I have to warn others of this before they enter the competition, as I've found it very frustrating - I'm still hopeful that they will release the anthology, but research shows this is an ongoing problem - you can read more on Dan Purdoe's blog (Dan won the 2010 competition) - Recently, one of my website users got in touch with me and said this: "I was published in an anthology a few years ago, and it took two years to receive the book. The quality of the publication is abysmal. (Don't get me started on the font, print quality etc) I feel it's a book which will only be purchased by the families of the authors who are published in it and, at £10 a pop, only if their families love them very much. I am just gutted as I consider this to be a good story I have utterly wasted."   - If you have encountered problems with Chapter One Promotions, please let me know - In September 2013 I received a proof of my story to OK, 1 YEAR after they said they'd send it, so maybe the anthology will eventually be released... In 2014 the website disappeared - I've heard nothing from them since
Chapter One Promotions Children's Story Competition UK October January 1,000 £6 £150

Website disappeared in 2014

Notes on Chapter One Children's Competition: Any style / genre - four different age group categories: 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, 16-18 - winners and runners up published in anthology - please see the notes in the main listing for Chapter One Promotions before entering their competition!!

Charroux Short Fiction Prize France August October 1,500 £8 £200
Notes on Charroux Poetry Prize: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published on website - didn't run in 2021, but have left listing live to see if it runs in 2022 - WEBSITE GOT HACKED 2022, so removed listing during 2023 update
Child Writes Competition Australia August September 800 A$15 See notes
Notes on Child Writes Competition: Story suitable for a child's picture book - competition only open to Australian primary-school aged child writers and illustrators - the competition administrators are looking for the best story and the best illustrator, the two are then paired up to produce a picture book which will be published by Boogie Books and the writer and illustrator will receive royalties on all sales - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2017
Children's Society Writing Competition UK 31st August 2018 October 2018 2,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Children's Society Competition: Any style or genre but themed around the awkward age of 16 and 17 - winning stories published on website - winner receives literary agent advice, feedback and writing gifts - CLOSED 2018, was a one-off
Chilling Tales for Dark Nights Writing Competition USA Monthly Monthly 5,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Chilling Tales for Dark Nights Competition: Horror - maximum word count usually 5,000, but can vary - winners have their stories produced by professional audio/narration team and are made available on the website - all entries are considered for publication in our print/eBook anthologies, they're hoping to introduce cash prizes in addition to this in the future - CLOSED 2016
Choc Lit Short Story Competition UK February Easter 1,500 £3 £200
Notes on Choc Lit Competition: Theme is chocolate related but check the website for more details - choccy treats in addition to prize money - winner published on website - CLOSED
Chudley Phoenix Short Story Competition UK January April 1,500 £5 £250
Notes on Chudley Phoenix Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published on website - CLOSED 2014
Church of Ireland World War One Short Story Competition Ireland 24th October 2014 ? 3,500 FREE €1,000
Notes on Church of Ireland Competition: Any style / genre, but stories must be about the impact of WW1 in any part of Ireland, see website for full details - entrants must be between 15 and 21 years old - top 8 stories might be published - CLOSED
City Academy Short Story Writing Competition UK September October 4,000 £15 £1,500
Notes on City Academy Competition: Any style / genre but they give you prompts - winners also receive a City Academy voucher worth £300 - winning story published on website with accompanying interview and photoshoot - to find details of the current competition, go to the 'IN-STUDIO' section of the site and the writing competition link is in the left menu - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing during 2023 update
Claret Press MNDA Short Story Competition UK June Autumn 5,000 £6 £250
Notes on Claret Press Competition: Any style / genre but inspired by physical or mental illness - winners published in anthology - cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd - profits support the Motor Neurone Disease Association - NOT RUN SINCE 2018 so removed listing 2019
Corncott Writing Competition UK August September 750 FREE See notes
Notes on Corncott Writing Competition: Has a 'What do you love about Cornwall' theme - really a micro-fiction competition due to low maximum word count. Winner receives a free holiday in a Cornish cottage plus the possibility of being published in a local Cornish Magazine CLOSED
Costa Short Story Award UK Varies Varies 4,000 FREE £3,500
Notes on Costa Short Story Award: Any style / genre - runners-up also receive high cash prizes - open to residents of UK and Ireland only - to find competition details, look in the 'Behind the Beans' section of their website - CLOSED during 2022 after 50 years :(

Cowley Literary Award & Short Story Competition

Australia June August 1,000 A$25 A$5,000
Notes on the Cowley Literary Award: Any style / genre - 1 runner up prize of A$1,000 - award takes fiction AND non-fiction submissions, the best entry of either type could win - winners might be published on the website - WEBSITE CONTAINS NO CONTENT 2016
Creative Competitor Writing Competitions France Various Various Various Various Various

Notes on Creative Competitor Competitions: These guys run, on average, 2 different writing competitions a month. Comps include short stories, poetry and more. I can't really keep on top of listing all the changes, so the best bet is to visit the website and see what they have running which might appeal to you - WEBSITE NOT updated for a year, so removed listing 2019

Creative Culture South West Short Fiction Competition UK January ? 4,000 £5 £100
Notes on Creative Culture South West Competition: Any style / genre but writers must have a connection to the South West UK (lived there, studied in the region, spent childhood holidays there etc.) - winners published in anthology - look in the 'What's On' section of the site to find the current competition details - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2022
Creative Writing Institute Short Story Contest USA August October 2,000 $5 $200
Notes on Creative Writing Institute Contest: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - winner receives $200 OR a free, privately tutored writing course - winners published in anthology - CLOSED 2017
Creative Writing Life Competition UK Monthly Monthly 5,000 FREE £20
Notes on CWL Competition: Any style / genre - winner's published in CWL magazine - also accept poetry and flash fiction - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2020
Crediton Festival Short Story Competition UK April June 1,000 £3 £30
Notes on Credition Competition: Any style / genre, but themed, so check website for current details - prizes paid in cash of book tokens - winners published on the website - for under 18s or 18 year olds that are still in fulltime education - NOT RUN SINCE 2017, so removed listing 2020
Crediton Short Story Competition UK April June 3,000 £5 £75
Notes on Crediton Competition: Any style / genre, but themed, so check website - winner also receives a night's stay in an award winning pub - winners published in Riptide - (2015 winner, Shirley Muir, has written about her experiences on my site - read Shirley's post and her winning story) - NOT RUN SINCE 2017, so removed link 2020
Crimson Cloak Publishing Writing Competition USA 31st January 2017 February 2017 3,000 $10 $150
Notes on Crimson Cloak Competition: Fantasy but Crimson Cloak invite writers of all genres to give it a go as originality is appreciated - top prize may increase if lots of entries are received - winners published on website - may become a regular competition if enough entries are received - CLOSED, was a one-off
Cro Magnon Short Story Competition 2015 UK 31st September 2015 October 2015 3,000 £5 £100
Notes on Cro Magnon Competition: Themed around primitive humanity, see website for details - winning story and 'best of the rest' published on website CLOSED
Crooked Quill Magazine Short Story Competition UK 15th February 2016 March 750 FREE £20
Notes on Crooked Quill Competition: Any style or genre but theme is 'beginnings and time' - 1st prize is a £20 Amazon voucher - winners published in The Crooked Quill literary magazine - ONE OFF, NOW CLOSED
Curry Mallet Children's Short Story Competition UK June September 500 £3 £35
Notes on Curry Mallet Children's Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check the website for current details - 2 categories: under 11s and 12-16 - 3 winning stories receive feedback from a published author - NOT RUN SINCE 2015, so removed listing in 2017
Curry Mallet Short Story Competition UK September ? 2,500 £5 £100
Notes on the Curry Mallet Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - winning story published on the website
Cwrtnewydd Scribblers' Short Story Competition Wales July August 1,500 £3 £40
Notes on Cwrtnewydd Scribblers' Competition: Any style / genre - entry is £3 but for an extra 3 quid you can get a critique - CLOSED 2015
Dark Places Short Story Competition UK Triannual Triannual 5,000 £1.25 Various
Notes on Dark Places Competition: Sci-Fi & Fantasy - free critique for all entrants - winners published in e-magazine through Amazon - first prize varies, second prize is a subscription to Grammarly - also available free in PDF format on the Dark Places website - you can read the first issue here - CLOSED 2015
Dark Tales Short Story Contest UK Varies Varies 5,000 £4 £100
Notes on Dark Tales Competition: Horror and speculative fiction - all winners and shortlisted entrants published on website and in anthology - very reasonably priced critiques offered too - runs regularly, sometimes as often as monthly - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2023
Darker Times Fiction Short Story Competition UK Monthly Monthly 5,000 £5 See notes
Notes on Darker Times Competition: 'Darker times' theme - while they focus the competition on horror stories, they also accept entries linked to the theme of 'darker times' in other ways, encouraging writers to be as creative as possible - the winner receives a percentage of the money raised by entry fees (minimum of £15) plus their short story will be published in one of the Darker Times Horror Anthologies, released as an ebook through Amazon - runners up and honourable mentions also published - CLOSED 2014
Davy Byrnes Short Story Award Ireland February June 15,000 €10 €15,000
Notes on the Davey Byrnes Award: Any style / genre - 5 runner up prizes of €1,000 - runs every 5 years (last run 2014) - open to Irish citizens and to writers who are resident or were born in the thirty-two counties - winners published in anthology by The Stinging Fly - HASN'T RUN FOR 6 YEARS, so removed listing during 2020 update
Deddington Junior Writing Competition UK March June 500 FREE See notes
Notes on Deddington Writing Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website - 3 categories: 3 to 6, 7 to 9 and 10 to 13 - winners receive professional feedback about their work and 'prizes' (the website does not state what the prizes are) - you can also find out more on their separate competition website - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2020
Desi Writers' Lounge Short Story Competition Pakistan August September 5,000 FREE 50,000 PKR

Notes on the DWL Competition: Any style / genre - top prize is 50,000 Pakistani Rupee which is approximately $475 USD or £350 GBP - winners published on website and may also be published in Desi Writers' magazine 'Papercuts' - NOT RUN SINCE 2017, so removed from lists 2019

Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize Spain 14th February 2018 16th March 2018 200 €20 €1,000
Notes on Desperate Literature Prize: Any style / genre - winner also receives a week long residency in a 15th Century Italian castle - winners published in 3 x lit mags and a bilingual anthology - winning stories read at Desperate Literature in Madrid and Shakespeare & Company in Paris - CLOSED, was a one-off
Deux-Sèvres Short Story Competition France May June 1,500 £4 £25
Notes on the Deux-Sèvres Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on This French Life, Deux-Sevres Life, Galgo News and Podenco Post - DOESN'T SEEM TO BE RUNNING ANYMORE
Dragon & Owl Publishing Pithy Pages For Erudite Readers Contest USA Bi-Annually Bi-Annually 7,000 $20 See notes
Notes on Dragon & Owl Publishing Competition: Any style / genre - entry fees, up to a maximum of $5000, will be shared between winners as cash prizes in the following way: First Prize receives 50%, Second Prize 15%, Third Prize 10%, Honourable Mention five prizes of 5% - so the top prize could be $2,500 - CLOSED 2014
Dragonfly Tea Short Story Competition UK July October 500 FREE £50
Notes on Dragonfly Tea Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - three age groups: 4-7, 8-11, 12-15 - prize is a £50 book voucher + £100 for the winner's school - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing in 2020
Dragonfly Tea Short Story Competition UK July October 3,000 FREE £1,500
Notes on Dragonfly Tea Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - open to UK residents only - run in association with Henley Literary Festival - hover on the 'blog' option in the main menu to find the competitions - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing in 2020
Dylan Thomas Birthplace International Short Story Competition Wales Varies Varies See notes See notes £500
Notes on Dylan Thomas Birthplace Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for full details - 2 categories: under 19s and under 15s - entry fees for under 19s £6, under 15s £3 - word limit for under 19s 2,500, under 15s 500 - top prize for under 19s £500, under 15s £150 - winners published on the website and in a collection - all entrants receive a year's free membership of the Dylan Thomas Society - they don't always link to the competition from the homepage or main navigation (?? don't ask me...) so here is a link to the last comp for reference - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing 2020
Early Works Press Short Story Competition UK October January 8,000 £5 or £10 see notes £200
Notes on Early Works Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in anthology containing 10 to 20 stories, depending on length - £5 entry fee for stories up to 4,000 words in length, £10 over 4,000 and up to 8,000 words in length - they also run other writing competitions, so it's worth checking the site to see what's currently running - DID NOT RUN IN 2021, plus 2020 comp was cancelled and entrants refunded, so removed listing during 2022 update
Eco Arts Literature Award NC, USA August January 5,000 $30 $1,000
Notes on Eco Arts Award: Any style / genre - winners published on website - LAST RUN 2014, removed listing 2017 as website has not been updated since 2014
Edit Crowd Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 8,000 FREE £25
Notes on Edit Crowd Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the website - CLOSED, website disappeared during 2018

Egyptian Writers International Writing Competition

Egypt February April 3,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Egyptian Writers Competition: Any style / genre - no monetary prize, but winners are announced on MarwaRakha.com, receive certificates, have their stories reviewed in magazines, and have their work translated into Arabic to be published in a book in Egypt - CLOSED

e-Literate-World ‘Cut A Long Story Short’ Competition

Australia Quarterly Quarterly 5,000 A$8 See notes
Notes on e-Literate-World Competition: Any style / genre, unless specified otherwise for that month (no children's) - monetary prizes depend on number of entries - placed entries will be published via Kindle eBook and made available on Amazon - this competition has recently changed name, previously it was called My Mate Kindle - Website disappeared 2016
EllenorLions Hospices Short Story Competition UK November January 1,500 £5 £100
Notes on EllenorLions Competition: Any style / genre - theme is 'survival' in support of the hospice staff undertaking the Arctic Survival Challenge next year - link above takes you to The Write Place where the competition is hosted, but you can learn more about the charity here - CLOSED 2014
Enchanted Forest Publishing Horror Short Story Writing Competition UK August September 2,000 £5 See notes
Notes on Enchanted Forest Publishing Competition: Horror - winners published in anthology - prize is an eBook copy of the anthology - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing duing 2022 update
England's Future History Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 3,000 FREE See notes
Notes on England's Future History Competition: Any style / genre but set in England's future - all accepted (winning) stories become part of the website's timeline, so are published on the site - AT START OF 2019, note on site said 'We’re on a bit of a break but will be back later in 2017' so removed from lists
Enizagam Literary Contest for Fiction USA March April 4,000 $20 $1,000
Notes on Enizagam Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in Enizagam Journal and nominated for Pushcart Prize - HASN'T RUN SINCE 2019, so removed listing during 2022 update
Equestrian Fiction Finder Short Story Competition UK Monthly Monthly 1,000 £3 £30
Notes on EFF Competition: themed, so check website to see current theme - the 3 winners are published on the website - Hasn't been running since August 2012
Essay Mama Christmas Writing Contest USA 25th December 2014 5th January 2015 4,000 See notes $450
Notes on Essay Mama Competition: Any style / genre, but themed around Christmas - to enter, you must like their Facebook page and share the competition link - 15 winning stories published in a printed book - CLOSED 2015
Ether Books Writing Competitions UK Varies Varies Varies FREE None
Notes on Ether Books Competitions: Associated with Raging Aardvark Publishing - they run a variety of contests throughout the year, so check the website for current competitions and themes - winners published in anthology - all entries have the possibility of being published by Ether Books - CLOSED 2016
Exisle Academy "The Story I Needed to Have Read" Competition UK 28th August 2022 September 2022 1,500 FREE See notes
Notes on Exisle Academy Competition: Any style or genre - one winner receives free enrolment to the "Become a Successful Author" course (valued at $1,500 USD), plus access to a library of author training resources (up to $500 in value) - winners published on website - CLOSED, was a one-off
Exisle Academy "What Scotland Means to Me" Competition UK 1st May 2022 July 2022 1,500 FREE See notes
Notes on Exisle Academy Competition: Any style or genre - one winner receives free enrolment to the "Become a Successful Author" course (a value of $1,500 USD), plus access to a library of author training resources (up to $500 value) - winners published on website - CLOSED, was a one-off
Eyelands International Short Story Contest Greece Varies Varies Varies Varies See notes
Notes on Eyelands Competition: Any style / genre, but check website for current theme - first prize is a holiday in Crete - winners are published in anthology - NOT RUN SINCE 2020, so removed listing during 2022 update (they now run book / novel awards instead, so see my book / novel comps list
Fairfield Scribes Anthology Feature Story Contest USA May June 10,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Fairfield Scribes Contest: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - winner is published in anthology and receives an electronic and hard copy of the book - NOT RUN SINCE 2019, so removed listing during 2022 update
Fairytalez Writing Competitions Denmark / USA Varies Varies 5,000 FREE $200
Notes on Fairytalez Competitions: Themed, so check website for current details - top prize paid as an Amazon gift voucher - NO COMPS RUN SINCE 2019, so removed listing during 2022 update
Fantasy Book Review Short Story Competitions UK September November 5,000 FREE Apple iPad
Notes on Fantasy Book Review Competition: Fantasy theme - winning stories possibly published. Every entry receives a free ebook - no longer running
Ferrytaleawards Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 2,500 £10 £100
Notes on Ferry Tale Awards: Any style or genre - entry fee is either £10, or you can buy a copy of the Ferrytaleawards on Amazon, write a short review and gain entry that way instead - 10 winning stories published in Ferrytaleawards book - CLOSED in 2014
Festival of Literature for Young People (FLY) Writing Competition 2016 UK 21st May 2016 21st June 2016 500 FREE See notes
Notes on FLY Competition: Any style or genre - open to 11-18 year olds and judged in two age categories: 11-14 and 15-18 - top prize in each category is a Kindle Fire - winners published on the FLY and Ink Sweat & Tears websites - run by the University of East Anglia - CLOSED 2016
Fiction Desk Flash Fiction Prize UK May July 1,000 £5 £300
Notes on Fiction Desk Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in the Fiction Desk anthology - CLOSED 2016 and reopened 2017, now listed on the flash fiction comps page
Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition UK January March 7,000 £8 £500
Notes on Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition: Ghost stories - winners published in the Fiction Desk anthology - second prize £250, third prize £100 - CLOSED, they stopped running competitions late in 2018
Fiction Desk Newcomer's Short Story Prize UK May July 7,000 £8 £500
Notes on Fiction Desk Newcomer's Prize Competition: Any style / genre - open to writers who have not been published on Fiction Desk and have not published a novel or short story collection in printed form - (author Mike Scott Thomson has been written about being published by The Fiction Desk - read Mike's advice and story here) - CLOSED, they stopped running competitions late in 2018
Fictuary Short Story Contest USA Monthly Monthly 4,000 FREE $50
Notes on Fictuary Competition: Any style / genre - in addition to the cash prize, winner receives paid social media promotion, bio page and is featured in Fictuary email newsletter - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
Field of Words Writing Competitions Australia Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Field of Words Competitions: Any style / genre - now open to Australian AND international residents over 18 only - they run a variety of competitions throughout the year, including short story, flash fiction, memoir and ghost story, so check website for current details - winners published on Field of Words website - top prizes up to A$750 - CLOSED, website disappeared 2019
Finchley Literary Festival Short Story Competition UK 31st May 2016 26th June 2016 1,000 £5 £100
Notes on Finchley Literary Festival Competition: Any style or genre - winners published on the Greenacre Writers website - CLOSED 2016
Firedrake Books Short Story Competition USA April May 3,500 $10 $100*
Notes on Firedrake Books Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - 20 cash prizes in total, all of which will increase in value as more people enter, so see website for full details - winners published in anthology - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed lisiting during 2020 update
First Writer International Short Story Contest UK April ? 3,000 £6.50 £200
Notes on First Writer Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in First Writer Magazine - CLOSED in 2017, after running for 13 years from 2004
Five Minute Fiction Christmas Short Story Competition UK November ? 1,500 £2 See notes
Notes on 5 Minute Fiction Competition: Christmas theme - winners published on the website - prizes range from a visit to a writer's retreat to Amazon vouchers - visit the website for full details of prizes as there are all sorts - you can also submit stories up to 2,000 words in length of any genre (except erotica) for consideration for publication on the website - CLOSED 2013
Five on the Fifth Short Fiction Contest USA August October 4,000 $6.50 $150
Notes on Five on the Fifth Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in online literary magazine - cash prizes & publication for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place winners - Not run since 2016 so removed from lists 2018
Five Stop Story UK Quarterly Quarterly 3,000 £4 £100
Notes on Five Stop Story Competition: Any style / genre - top 20 stories published on website every quarter, and on the Five Stop Story iPhone and iPad application. £150 for annual winner - changed from a monthly competition to a quarterly competition at the beginning of 2013 - CLOSED in 2014
Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award Ireland March ? no max FREE €35,000
Notes on Frank O'Connor Competition: Any style / genre - this is for published short story collections ONLY, so not a competition for the newer writer - you have to have had your collection of short stories published by a publisher, NOT self published - still I thought it worth listing so that when your amazing collection of short stories is snapped up and published in the very near future, you know to enter the comp! Prize money seems to increase each year, so keep an eye on the current prize offered -DISCONTINUED 2015
Freeditorial’s Annual Long-Short Story Contest USA Biannual Biannual 40,000 FREE $15,000
Notes on Freeditorial’s Competition: Any style / genre - all entrants published on website and stories with the greatest number of downloads win - runs twice a year - CLOSED, disappeared from website so removed listing 2018

Friends of Manning's Pit Saki Short Story Competition

UK 30th June 2021 30th October 2021 3,000 £5 £500
Notes on Friends of Manning's Pit Competition: Any style / genre but the aim is to raise awareness of Saki's (H H Munro) writing, so submissions require a spark of originality or wit, and something relevant to the countryside and its wildlife - winners published on website - CLOSED, was a one-off
Funny Pearls Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies FREE Varies
Notes on Funny Pearls Competition: Humour - winners published on website - they run short story and flash fiction competitions, so check website for current details - top prize has been up to £250 in the past - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing in 2020 update
Galtellì Literary Prize Sardinia, Italy June August 5,000 FREE €1,000
Notes on Galtellì Prize : A novel is selected to inspire and stimulate writers and a different genre is used every year, so check website for current details - 1st to 6th place winners all receive up to €1,000 in travel costs to Sardinia (1st place receives an additional €1,000 in prize money) - winners published in anthology - NOT RUN SINCE 2015, so removed listing 2017
Galtellì Literary Prize Sardinia, Italy April May 5,000 FREE €1,000
Notes on Galtellì Prize : A novel is selected to inspire and stimulate writers and a different genre is used every time the prize is run, so check website for current details - winners receive up to €1,000 in travel costs to Sardinia to attend awards ceremony (1st place receives an additional €1,000 in prize money) - winners published in anthology - runs every other year: 2015, 2017, 2019 etc. NEW WEBSITE disappeared during 2018
Giving Them Wings Prize South Africa Bi-Annual Bi-Annual 2,000 $3 $500
Notes on Giving Them Wings Prize: Any style / genre - winners featured in anthology - they also accept poetry - to find details of the competition, go to the 'Donate' section of their website - PRIZE NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so retired listing during 2022 update
GKBCinc International Short Story Competition UK Bi-Annually Bi-Annually 2,000 FREE £100
Notes on GKBCinc Short Story Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - the winner and 9 runners up from each comp published in an annual anthology (so each anthology contains 20 stories) - winners also published on the website - CLOSED 2014
Glimmer Train OR, USA Varies Varies Varies Varies up to $3,000 (see notes)
Notes on Glimmer Train Competition: Any style / genre - Glimmer Train run various competitions throughout the year, with prizes varying from around $600 to about $3,000 - entry fees range from FREE to around the $20 mark, depending on the competition - winners are published in the Glimmer Train Literary Journal, which is a highly respected US publication read by many literary agents and publishers - sadly, Glimmer Train will be closing in 2019, submissions are open until mid-May and the final issue will be published towards the end of the year - CLOSED 2019
Glittery Literary Lustrous Long Story Contest UK Varies Varies 2,000 £3 £30
Notes on Glittery Literary Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in Glittery Literary booklet - entry fee is optional - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2022
Global Short Stories Competition UK Monthly Monthly 2,000 £5 £100
Notes on Global Short Stories Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published on the website - competition supported by Bill Bryson - CLOSED in 2014
GoArchitect Architecture of Power Short Story Award USA Varies Varies 1,500 $25 $500
Notes on GoArchitect Award: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for full details - sometimes run monthly, sometimes quarterly, depending on number of entries - winners published on website - NOW RUNNING DESIGN COMPS, so removed listing during 2020 update
Golfwell's Golf Story Writing Competition New Zealand December February 700 FREE $300
Notes on Golfwell's Competition: Any style / genre but themed around golf - winners published on the website - they accept fiction and non-fiction entries - prize paid in USD - CLOSED 2016, now running regular flash fiction comp, see flash fiction lists
Grace Dieu Writers' Circle Short Story Comp UK February Summer 2,000 £6 £500
Notes on Grace Dieu Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website - CLOSED 2015 DUE TO LACK OF ENTRIES
Graffiti Writing Magazine Prose Competition UK Bi-Annual Bi-Annual Varies £4 £100
Notes on Graffiti Writing Magazine Competition: Any style / genre but themes vary - winners published in Graffiti Magazine - they don't have a website, so I have linked to their Facebook page where you can find details of how to enter - they also run a poetry competition - NOT RUN SINCE 2021, so removed listing during 2023 update
Grain Writing Contest Canada April August 2,500 C$40 C$1,000
Notes on Grain Writing Contest: Any style / genre - entry for Canadians is C$35, international entries are C$40, but every entrant receives a 1 year (4 issue) subscription to the magazine - CONTEST NO LONGER RUNNING, BUT THEY DO STILL ACCEPT GENERAL FICTION SUBMISSIONS
Green Lady Award for Fiction UK November ? 3,000 £5 £50
Notes on Green Lady Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check the website for the current theme - winners published in anthology - WEBSITE NO LONGERR EXISTS
Greenwich Writers 'Bump in the Night' Ghost Story Competition UK 15th September 2016 30th September 2016 3,000 £5 See notes
Notes on Greenwich Writers Competition: Ghost stories - top prize is 'something spooky' plus the winner is published in an anthology and the Greenwich Writers' newsletter - CLOSED
Grindstone Short Story Prize UK Varies Varies 3,000 £10 £500
Notes on Grindstone Prize: Any style / genre - winners and shortlisted entrants published in Grindstone's anthology - Closed, stopped running in 2022
Grindstone Short Fiction Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Grindstone Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published on the Grindstone website - CLOSED, now concentrating on annual comp instead - see lists above
Gulf Stream Summer Contest USA August September 5,000 $7 $100
Notes on Gulf Stream Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in Gulf Stream Lit Mag - also accept non-fiction and poetry - NOT RUN SINCE 2020, so removed listing during 2022 update
Hamilton's Literary Festival gritLIT Writing Competition Canada July ? 3,000 C$20 C$200
Notes on gritLIT Writing Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in the gritLIT literary chapbook - winner invited to read their story at LiT LiVe Reading Series and the gritLIT literary festival - WEBSITE APPEARS TO BE BROKEN, so removed listing 2017

Happy London Press Hi2020 Short Story Competition

UK 20th July 2020 October 2020 1,500 £6 See notes
Notes on Happy London Press Competition: Any style / genre but check website for topics - 20 winners interviewed on radio - selected winners have their stories read on radio, posted on podcast and may have their stories published by media partners - CLOSED, was a one-off
Harry Bowling Flash Fiction Prize UK September March 750 £5 £100
Notes on Harry Bowling Flash Fiction Prize: Any style / genre, but entries must have an urban setting - winners published on the Harry Bowling Prize and MBA websites - sponsored by Headline and administered by MBA Literary Agents - runs every two years - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
Hay on Wye Short Story Contest Wales July December 2,000 £6 £400
Notes on Hay-on-Wye Competition: Any style / genre - old site seems to be down (http://hayshortstory.com/Hay-Short-Story-Home.html) but there is some info on the new link I've provided. Unsure if this is still running, hence it appears on this list...
Headway in West Kent Short Story Competition UK 18th September 2015 October 2015 500 £3 £50*
Notes on Headway Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - prize paid in Waterstone's vouchers - winning story will be published in the Kent & Sussex Courier - run in support of Headway charity, which helps people with brain injuries CLOSED
Highlands & Islands Short Story Association Scotland July October 2,000 £5 Varies
Notes on HISSAC Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published on website - top prize usually around the £200 / £250 mark - CLOSED 2022

Historic House Short Story Competition

UK September 2014 November 2014 2,500 FREE £150
Notes on Historic House Competition: Any style / genre, but stories must be set in a historic house - winner also receives a tour and afternoon tea with the owners of Levens Hall in Cumbria and membership to the Historic Houses Association - winners published in eBook anthology - CLOSED

Holland House Books / Lost World Press Flash Fiction Competition

UK 30th October 2013 September 2013 750 FREE £20
Notes on Holland House / Lost World Press Competition: Speculative (lost worlds, sci-fi, parallel/alternative, parody, steam/clockpunk, Atlantis re-found, things that go bump in the night,  alternative universes, timeslip, parodies and parallels) - prizes paid in Amazon vouchers - CLOSED
Homestart-Bridgwater Short Story Prize UK February April 2,200 £7 £500
Notes on Homestart-Bridgwater Prize: Any style / genre - winning stories read out at a prize giving event and published on the website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
Hourglass Literary Magazine Writing Contest Bosnia May September 7,000 $15 $1,000

Notes on Hourglass Contest: Any style / genre - winners published in Hourglass Literary Magazine - NOT RUN since 2017, so removed listing 2019

Hourglass Literary Magazine Logo

Hour of Writes Weekly Writing Competition UK Weekly Weekly 2,000 £3 £50*

Notes on Hour of Writes Competition: Any style / genre, but themed, so check website for current theme - prize money based on number of entry fees, minimum usually £50 - winners published on website

I removed this listing in 2018 after I started receiving complaints about the website, EG:

Hour of Writes is listed on your website as a weekly competition but it appears to have stopped without announcement and some competition results are nearly three months in arrears. This website has never been well run but over the last few months it's been getting ever more erratic without the owner having the courtesy to properly inform anybody of what's going on and ignoring users' questions. If you look at the HOW web page you can see a new competition hasn't been posted since about April. Anyway, as you run a great website I often use I thought I'd give you a heads up.

Humanaagerie Anthology from Eibonvale Press

UK 31st May 2018 June 4,000 FREE £10
Notes on Humanaagerie Anthology: For 'liminal' work; pieces that would be classed as 'Slipstream'; work that has a speculative or surreal element - edited by Sarah Doyle and Allen Ashley - selected works will be published in the Humanaagerie anthology CLOSED, was a one-off
Hysteria Writing Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Hysteria Competition: Any style / genre - women entrants only - winners published in anthology - now run via Linda Parksinson-Harman's website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2022
Ibiza Quills Compilation Ibiza October November 2,500 €12 €100
Notes on Ibiza Quills Compilation: Any style / genre but themed around Ibiza - 12 euro fee allows 2 entries and includes membership to the Ibiza Quills Creative Hub, who host events and workshops - members can also become a reviewer for the website - NOT RUN FOR 2 YEARS, so removed listing during 2021 update
Iceland Writers' Retreat Short Story Competition Iceland 25th January 2015 ? 500 FREE See notes
Notes on Iceland Writers' Retreat Competition: Any style / genre, but themed so see website - winner receives writing retreat package at Iceland writers' retreat in April including hotel, tours and food, but you have to pay for your own airfare - CLOSED, was a one-off
Ifanca Hélène James Short Story Competition Wales July October 2,200 £4 £100
Notes on Ifanca Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the website - CLOSED 2015
Inclusive Works International Short Story Competition Holland August ? See notes FREE See notes
Notes on Inclusive Works Competition: Children's - entrants must be resident in the Netherlands - winners published as illustrated books in English and Dutch by Clavis publishers - stories can be written in English or Dutch - 2 categories; stories for 1 to 3 year olds with a 600 word limit; stories for 4 to 6 year olds with a 900 word limit - Not run since 2016 so removed from lists Jan 2018
Indelible Chaos Short Story Competition India Bi-Monthly Bi-Monthly 15,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Indelible Chaos Competition: Different competitions with different styles and themes run on a bi-monthly basis - prize is publication in a bi-annual anthology - CLOSED 2016
Independent Authors of Wales Network Writing Competition Wales October December 2,500 FREE* See notes
Notes on IWAN Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - entry is free, but you have to be a member - no cash prize, but 12 winners are published on the blog and in an anthology - WEBSITE NOT UPDATED FOR A YEAR, so removed from lists Jan 2018
Inexsilio (The Exiles) - The Lost Country Short Story Competition USA August ? 5,000* FREE $50
Notes on The Exiles Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in The Lost Country Journal - sometimes run bi-annually - 5,000 words is a soft limit, the editors don't want to receive novels, if they receive an excellent 6,000 word story they will consider publishing it - it is recommended that entrants read their manifesto prior to submitting - WEBSITE NOT UPDATED SINCE 2015, so removed listing 2017
Info 4 Writers Short Story Competition UK Monthly Monthly 2,700 FREE £15
Notes on Info 4 Writers Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - winners published on website - WEBSITE disappeared during 2018
Inkhead Short Story Competition UK April June 1,000 £5 £100
Notes on Inkhead Competition: Any style / genre - five story titles given on the site for you to choose from - four different age group categories: 7-9, 10-12, 13-14, 15-16 - winners published in anthology which is released in the October following the competition - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
InkTears Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 3,500 £7.50 £1,000
Notes on InkTears Competition: Any style / genre - winners and runners up published on website and also offered the possibility of having a collection of their short stories published through Ink Tears (I've been published through this competition and you can read more about my experiences here) - on occasion they also run a flash fiction contest with a £250 prize - CLOSED 2019
Inspired By Writing Short Story Competition UK Bi-Annually Bi-Annually 2,500 See notes £1,250

Notes on IBW Competition: Any style / genre - early entry fee of £7, then it goes up to £12 - stories published on website and in anthology - REMOVED FROM LISTS 2017

WARNING: I've received a few queries about this competition as users are experiencing some issues. The Inspired by Writing website has now disappeared. They have taken money from entrants and not refunded them without seeing the competition through to completion. If this business resurfaces, be very wary of entering the competition - it seems to be run in an unprofessional manner.

Here is an update I received from Inspired By Writing in March 2017 (about a month before the website disappeared):

We have had an extremely hectic period over the Christmas break on the run up to the February 28th. Unfortunately our original date got pushed back due to our judging panel being changed and not finding the right people to fill these positions prior to their professional calendars being altered and then after having to compensate for suitable replacements.

As most of you should know we have now had our original investors back out of the competition, leaving us in a somewhat sticky position on the run up to February. This is no fault of our own but our ambitions for back to back competitions is now going to have to be put on hold and more importantly, you need to be our first priority.

In saying this we have two alternatives we had to think about. Either give all the entrants a full refund or we stick at our search to get other suitable members to fulfil an agreement which was unfortunately not filled by our previous investors.

After long deliberating with other colleagues we have decided to move it one last date to the April 30th 2017. If we do not achieve our winner's announcements by then all entries will receive a full refund into their paypal account that they originally entered with.

I will finish with a full apology from everybody here at Inspired by Writing for the delay in the announcements. We wasn't anticipating this on our run up to our first competition but it has educated us in a situation which will not happen again in the future.

Irish Arts & Writers Festival Writing Competition USA September October 5,000 $15 $1,000
Notes on Irish Arts & Writers Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2019
Irish Imbas Books Celtic Mythology Short Story Competition New Zealand December February 4,000 US$7 US$500
Notes on Irish Imbas Books Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for details - winners published in Irish Imbas Celtic Mythology Collection - 2nd prize $250; 3rd prize $100 - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing during 2020 update
ITT Short Story Competition Ireland 13th August 2018 11th October 2018 2,000 FREE €500
Notes on ITT Competition: Any style or genre - 10 shortlisted stories published in an anthology - run by the Institute of Technology Tallaght, with South Dublin County Council and the Red Line Book Festival - started life as a one-off, now running annually -runs most years, but is dependant on funding, so may not run every year, hence listed as a one-off - CLOSED, was a one-off
James White Award Ireland Varies Varies 6,000 FREE £200
Notes on the James White Award: Science Fiction - the winner will be published in Interzone, the UK's leading sci-fi magazine - NOT RUN SINCE 2019, so removed listing during 2022 update
Jane Austen 200 Short Story Competition UK 28th February 2017 May 2017 2017 £5 £1,000
Notes on Jane Austen 200 Competition: Any style or genre, inspired by a Jane Austen quote, see website for full details - Hosted by Hampshire Cultural Trust and Jane Austen’s House Museum - CLOSED, was a one-off
Juliet B Madison 'DI Lyle' Short Story Competition UK 1st July 2015 4th July 2015 6,000 FREE See notes
Notes on DI Lyle Competition: Crime - winner receives signed copy of DI Lyle book of their choice - winners published on website - every entry (provided there aren't too many) will be included in an ebook anthology to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support - CLOSED, was a one-off
Junior Authors Short Story Contest Canada June October 1,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Junior Authors Competition: Any style / genre - winning story in each category is published on the website - 6 age groups: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18, 19-21 (you must be a student to enter) - CLOSED 2015
Just 100 Words Writing Competition USA Daily Daily 100 $5 $50
Notes on Just 100 Words Competition: Any style / genre - winners announced within 24 hours and published on the website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
KalliKids Short Story Competition UK June June 600 FREE See notes
Notes on KalliKids Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current theme - open to 4 age categories (school years 3,4,5 and 6) - winner in each age category will have their story published in a printed book and e-book - schools with the highest number of entrants per category receive a creative writing class - all entries published on the KalliKids website - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so listing removed 2017
Katie, Inc. Short Story Contest UK See notes See notes 2,000 £5 £50
Notes on Katie, Inc. Contest: Any style / genre - run as often as once a month (a winner is selected each time 10 entries are received) - winners published in a yearly anthology - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
King Author Short Story Prize UK March April 2,000 £3.50 £100
Notes on King Author Competition: Any style / genre - winning entries published in an anthology - CLOSED 2014
Kingston Writing School International Short Story Competition UK June November 5,000 £10 £3,000
Notes on Kingston Writing School Competition: Style genre varies, sometimes it's fiction, sometimes it's non-fiction - check website for current details - CLOSED 2017
Kite Journal Annual Short Story Contest Ukraine June September 10,000 $10 $1,000
Notes on Kite Journal Competition: Any style / genre - all entrants receive a one-year digital subscription to The Kite Journal and a digital copy of the Special Edition issue - entrants receive free critiques of submitted work - website taken down in 2013 so no longer running
Konsensus Network's 21 Futures Spain & Portugal 28th February 2023 April 2023 3,000 Free $100
Notes on 21 Futures: Themed around Bitcoin and stories should not feature any other kinds of "blockchain technology", "Web3" platforms, "cryptocurrencies" or "NFTs" - winners published in anthology - CLOSED, was a one-off
Kosta's Olive Tree Writing Competition UK September November 1,500 £4 £70
Notes on Kosta's Olive Tree Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check the website for current details - winners published on the website - Vasiliki, who runs the competition, lost her son Kosta in Northern Syria where he died fighting against ISIS, so profits generated by the contest are donated to charities in Costa's name, these include Rebuild, a registered charity for rebuilding war zones in an ecologically friendly way, Combatstress, a UK charity that helps ex-military personnel with PTSD and charitable causes that help Yezidi women and girls who are rescued from ISIS - NOT RUN since 2017, so removed from lists 2019

Kristell Ink Flash Fiction Competition

UK August 2013 September 2013 500 FREE £20
Notes on Kristell Ink Competition: Fantasy/science fiction/steampunk - a subgenre story involving something with a feline feel - prizes paid in Amazon vouchers - judged by Adam Dalton (Gollancz author) and Mark Lawrence (Harper Voyager author) as well as Alex Shepherd, a well respected reviewer from the website Fantasy Faction - winners published on the website - CLOSED
Kurious Arts Short Story Competition UK December March 2,000 £5 £500
Notes on Kurious Arts Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for full details - winners published in anthology - LOST FUNDING in 2020, so closed but may return if new sponsor can be found
La Piccioletta Barca Competition UK September October 5,000 $10 $400
Notes on La Piccioletta Barca: Any style or subject but themed, so check website for current details - also open to poetry - finalists published in competition issue of the La Piccioletta Barca journal - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing during 2022 update
Labello Press Gem Street: Dystopia Short Story Competition Ireland July September 3,500 €7 €500
Notes on Labello Press Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in anthology - particularly interested in stories from anyone who feels marginalised, ostracised and discriminated against due to the way of the world today - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed from lists Jan 2018
Lady in the Loft Writing Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 2,000 FREE £10
Notes on Lady in the Loft Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - prize money is awarded in WHSmith vouchers, 1st prize £10, 2nd and 3rd prizes £5 - winners published on the website and in an anthology - you can learn more about the anthology and see the cover art on the Lady in the Loft Blog - CLOSED 2015
Leaf Books Writing Competitions UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Leaf Books Competitions: Various competitions, from diary competitions to horror competitions to the infamous Tiny Weeny writing comp - prizes and entry fees vary - best to visit the website and see what comps they are currently running -Leaf ceased trading in 2014

Legendary Women, Inc. Literary Contest

USA Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Legendary Women Inc Contest: Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - all stories must feature a female protagonist - winner will have an author interview published - winner and 2 runners up will be published on the website - NOT RUN SINCE 2016, so removed from lists Jan 2018
Less Than 100 Words UK Weekly Weekly 99 FREE* See notes
Notes on Less Than 100 Words Competition: Any style / genre, but different prompt each week, so check website for current prompt - winners published on the website - entry free, but a £1 or £2 entry fee to be introduced soon - small cash prize given, but amount not stated - CLOSED APRIL 2016
Lightship Publishing Short Story Competition UK June ? 5,000 £12 £1,000
Notes on the Lightship Publishing Competition: Any style / genre - winning story and 9 runners up published in anthology - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
Limnisa Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies FREE See notes
Notes on Limnisa Competition: Any style / genre - winner receives a week long full board writing holiday in Greece or online personal tutoring sessions - usually closes around March / April - NOT RUN SINCE 2020, so removed listing during 2023 update
Literary Juice Flash Fiction Contest IN, USA June ? 500 $6 $200
Notes on Literary Juice Contest: Any style / genre - winner and runner up published in Literary Juice magazine - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, SO ASSUME IT'S NOT RUNNING ANYMORE
LiteraTea Spring Short Story Contest USA 5th July 2020 July 3,000 FREE $345
Notes on LiteraTea Contest: Any style / genre but themed around community - in addition to cash, the winner receives a free six-month membership in LiteraTea’s Advanced Writers’ Program - CLOSED, was a one-off
Little House Short Story Competition (Previously called Laurel House) Wales December ? 2,000 £5 £100
Notes on Little House Competition: Any style / genre - the 5 runners up receive a 400 word critique, winner receives full critique (I've won this competition in the past, so you can read a lot more about it here) - they also run a 200 word micro fiction contest with a £50 pound prize - no longer running
Living Springs Publishers Sightseer Saga USA June July 4,000 $25 $500
Notes on Living Springs Publishers SS Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - minimum of top fifteen finalists published in books - CLOSED
Livingston Arts Center 'New Deal' Writing Competition USA April May 10,000 $5 $200
Notes on Livingstone Arts Center Competition: Any style / genre, but stories must be inspired by a picture, so check website for current details - winners published in Artsphere magazine and on the website - WEBSITE BECAME A SPAMMY LOOKING LOANS SITE in 2019, so removed listing
Longworth Editors Annual Short Story Competition UK March ? 2,000 £10 £250
Notes on The Longworth Editors Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check the LE website for current theme - every entrant receives a small amount of feedback from the judges - winning stories published on the website - SITE NO LONGER THERE
Love on the Road Short Story Competition 2013 USA March 2013 2013 5,000 $10 $200

Notes on Love on the Road Competition: Themed around travel and love - 12 winning stories published in an anthology - CLOSED

Love on the Road Short Story Competition 2014 USA 31st July 2014 2014 5,000 $10 $200

Notes on Love on the Road Competition: Themed around travel and love - 12 winning stories published in an anthology - CLOSED

Magic Oxygen Literary Competition UK December February 4,000 £5 £1,000
Notes on the Magic Oxygen Competition: Any style / genre - winners and shortlisted entries published in anthology - Tracey and Simon, the competition organisers, plant a tree for every entry received (each entrant receives GPS coordinates to their tree so they can go and visit it if they wish!) and are also funding the build of a classroom at a school in Kenya - (short story author Christie Cluett was shortlisted and published by Magic Oxygen - read Christie's story and learn about her experiences here) - CLOSED 2019
Mane Chance Children's Writing Competition UK July July 1,500 £5/£2 £50
Notes on Mane Chance Competition: Any style / genre themed around animals - winners will be published on Mane Chance website, in Surrey Occasions and a newspaper, the title of which is TBC - 3 categories: under 10 (£2 entry), 11 to 14 (£5 entry) and 15 to 18 (£5 entry) - there is also an adult category which you can find in the annual competition list above - CLOSED 2016
Mane Chance Writing Competition UK July July 1,500 £5 £100
Notes on Mane Chance Competition: Any style / genre but themed around animals - winners will be published on Mane Chance website, in Surrey Occasions and a newspaper, the title of which is TBC - this competition is for adults, you can find details of the Mane Chance children's competition below - CLOSED 2016
MBS Publishing Short Story Competitions Scotland Varies Varies Varies Varies Up to £300
Notes on MBS Publishing Competitions: Style / genre / theme vary - flash fiction, short story and competitions for students run regularly (sometimes monthly) - entry from £2 to £5 - top prizes from £50 to £300 - all winners published in anthology - check website for current details - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
Meridian Writing Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 3,000 £5 £100
Notes on Meridian Writing Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the website - unfortunately, after 4 years of running their quarterly competition, the Meridian Writing Competition closed in 2013
Milton Keynes Speakeasy Short Story Competition UK October ? 2,100 £4 £125

Notes on Milton Keynes Speakeasy Competition: Any style / genre - CLOSED 2014

MJ Meads Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 2,500 FREE See notes
Notes on MJ Meads Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published on website - prizes vary but are not cash - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2021
MKGNAO Prize for writing in an animal language UK 31st December 2016 1st February 2017 1,000 FREE £10
Notes on MKGNAO Competition: Any style or genre - winner published on Speaking Animal website - in addition to cash prize, winner also receives a voucher for butcher's shop or a vegan alternative - CLOSED, was a one-off contest
Mogford Prize for Food & Drink Writing UK January April 2,500 £15 £10,000

Notes on Jeremy Mogford Competition: Theme is food and drink - used to run as part of the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival but is now run independently - in addition to cash, winner receives an engraved award and a professional audio recording of their story with The Story Player - winners published on website and in a linen-bound mini book - shortlisted entrants invited to party hosted by Jeremy Mogford and each will receive a night’s accommodation and all travel expenses including, where necessary, economy flights - CLOSED 2022

Mo-Joe Story Competition UK August September 300 FREE See notes

Notes on Mo-Joe Competition:  For children aged 4 to 11 years - write a story about Grandma Mo and Siamese Joe (see website for full details) - prize is a framed print of Grandma Mo and Siamese Joe and publication on the website - NO WINNER ANNOUNCED IN 2019, so removed listing 2020

Momaya Press Short Story Competition UK/USA April August 3,000 £11 / $15 £110 / $150
Notes on Momaya Press Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - 3 winners, 7 runners up and some short listed entries published in the Momaya Press Review - CLOSED IN 2020, after running for 17 years
MONO SCARS International Short Story Competition UK 3rd December 2021 December 3,000 £6 £300
Notes on MONO Competition: Any style or genre but theme is scars - winning entry will be published in the April edition of MONO - CLOSED, was a one-off
Multi Story Competition UK Bi-Monthly Bi-Monthly Varies £5 £300
Notes on Multi Story Competition: Any style / genre - length of entry varies, so check the website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
My Daily Story Competition USA Bi-Monthly Bi-Monthly 3,000 $10 $50
Notes on My Daily Story Competition: Any style / genre - also accept non-fiction and will consider poetry and blog posts - entry fee includes full edit and critique of your story AND you can submit up to 3 stories for the 1 fee, so that's a really good offer! - winners published on the website - website disappeared in 2014
National Association of Writers' Group UK October December 2,000 £5 £250
Notes on National Association of Writers' Group Competition: Stories for adults - link also contains details of lots of other short story competitions - website disappeared in 2014
National Galleries of Scotland Inspired? Get Writing! Creative Writing Competition Scotland January April 1,000 FREE See notes
Notes on National Galleries of Scotland Competition: Any style / genre - write a poem or piece of prose inspired by one of the works in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland - winners published in the Scotsman newspaper, runners-up and winners receive free entry into National Gallery of Scotland exhibitions and highly commended, runners-up and winners have work read at public reading and are all published in an anthology - CLOSED 2014
Needle in the Hay Writing Awards Australia Weekly / Monthly Weekly / Monthly 200 to 2,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Needle in the Hay Competitions: Any style / genre - LOADS of different competitions, run weekly and monthly all year round for different story lengths with varying prize amounts - best to check the website and see what is currently running - short listed stories published on the website and then a rotating panel of judges vote for winner - prizes vary from cash (up to A$400) to critiques - WEBSITE NOT UPDATED FOR MONTHS, so removed listing in 2020 update
New Writer Short Story Competition UK November March 3,000 £5 £300
Notes on New Writer Competition: Any style / genre (not children's) - winners published in the magazine - website disappeared in 2014
Nigeria Health Care Project 25th Anniversary Short Story Competition UK 30th June 2017 1st October 2017 3,000 £5 £100
Notes on Nigeria Health Care Competition: Any style or genre, but for 18 to 30 year olds only - all 15 shortlisted writers receive a free copy of Chibundu Onuzo's Welcome to Lagos - CLOSED, was a one-off
Nine Voices 50 Word Story Competition UK 31st October 2016 November 2016 50 FREE £25
Notes on 9 Voices Competition: Any style or genre but based on a picture so check out the blog for full details - winners published on the website CLOSED, was a one-off but may run again
Ninevoices' Short Story Competition UK 28th September 2019 December 2019 1,500 £5 £250
Notes on Ninevoices' Competition: Any style / genre but theme is 'summer' - entrants must have earned less than £300 from their fiction writing during 2018 - winner published on website - runner up prize £50 - CLOSED, was a one-off but may run again
Nine Voices Short Story Competition UK 31st May 2015 July 2015 2,000 £5 £100
Notes on Nine Voices Competition: Any style / genre - proceeds from the competition go to Polymyalgia Rheumatica & Giant Cell Arteritis charity CLOSED, was a one-off but may run again
Nottingham Short Story Competition UK April ? 2,500 £10 £1,000
Notes on Nottingham Short Story Competition: Any style / genre - 3 winners and 15 short listed stories published in anthology. 3 winners also receive critiques - website taken down in 2013
Nottingham Writers' Club Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 2,000 £5 £200
Notes on Nottingham Writers' Club Competition: Themed, so check website for current theme - winners published on the NWC website - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing during 2021 update
Nouvelles Magazine Short Stories From Pere Lachaise France Tri-Annually Tri-Annually 2,000 €10 See notes
Notes on Pere Lachaise Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in English and French in Nouvelles Magazine - if enough entries are received, a book maybe published too - CLOSED 2016
Odd Voice Out 'Not So Normal Narrators' Competition UK 31st August 2019 October 2019 5,000 £4 £200
Notes on Odd Voice Out Competition: Any style / genre, but themed, so check website for full details - winners published in anthology - CLOSED, was a one-off
Offside Stories Writing Competition UK 14th July 2014 2014 1,000 £8 £100
Notes on Offside Stories Competition: Themed around football - accept short stories, flash fiction, poetry and football chants as entries - you can enter 3 stories for the £8 fee - winners in each category receive a minimum prize of £100 - winners and shortlisted entrants published in anthology - CLOSED
Oh Zoe! Rising Talent Award UK March April 1,500 FREE £500
Notes on Oh Zoe! Award: Children's picture book (words only, not pictures) - winner receives cash prize plus a range of development courses and services - all winners and shortlisted entries offered the opportunity to have their book illustrated and published by Oh Zoe! - NO LONGER mentioned on website, so removed listing 2019
Omnestream Out of Frame Anthologies Competition USA 31st August 2017 Oct 7th 2017 4,000 $5 See notes
Notes on Omnestream Competition: Suspense, horror, mystery and crime - no cash prize, but every submission receives feedback - winners published in the Out of Frame Anthologies CLOSED, was a one-off
One Teen Story Short Story Contest NY, USA June ? 4,000 FREE $500
Notes on One Teen Story Competition: Any style / genre - winner published in One Teen Story magazine - in addition to the cash prize, the winner receives 25 copies of the magazine and a 28" x 20" poster of the OTS magazine's front cover - honourable mentions in 3 categories: 14-15, 16-17, and 18-19-year-olds - CLOSED 2014, but still accepting general submissions
Oriel Davies Open Writing Competition Wales November December 1,000 £3 £50
Notes on Oriel Davies Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - prize paid as a voucher to be spent at the Oriel Davies Gallery - winners published on the website and read to an audience at an event in February - NO MENTION OF COMPETITION ON SITE ANYMORE, so removed listing 2017
Oval Magazine Short Story Competition USA Varies Varies 5,000 $2 $5
Notes on Oval Magazine Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website and in magazine - magazine is published in October - CLOSED 2016
Oxford Festival of the Arts Stories: By & For Children UK 2nd May 2016 May 1,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Oxford Festival of Arts Competition: Any style or genre, but entries must be by or for children - winners invited to read their stories during an event at Oxford Festival of the Arts in June 2016 - CLOSED 2016
Palmnates Writing Prize South Africa Monthly Monthly 2,000 FREE $200
Notes on Palmnates Prize: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for full details - winners and minimum of 7 runners-up will be published in a Kindle anthology - WEBSITE disappeared during 2018
Pen & Ink Designs Spring Writing Competition UK May ? 4,000 £4 £25
Notes on Pen & Ink Designs Competition: Any style / genre - winner and 10 best entries published in a short story collection - CLOSED 2014 due to lack of entries
Pens of the Earth Writing Competition UK 14th January 2024 April 2024 2,000 £7 See notes
Notes on Pens of the Earth Competition: Themed around community, check website for full details - prizes include publication, a print copy of the book and an environmental prize - CLOSED, was a one-off
Petersfield Bookshop 'Ghosts in the Bookshop' Competition UK 30th November 2018 15th December 2018 See notes FREE £100
Notes on Petersfield Bookshop Competition: Ghost stories set in a bookshop - winning stories read at event - no word limit but stories must take less than 20 minutes to read aloud CLOSED, was a one-off
Pink Pen Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 2,000 £4.50 £100
Notes on Pink Pen Competition: Doesn't seem to be running anymore. Any style / genre - winners published on website and in ebook anthology - maximum of 100 entries, so competition might close early if 100 entries are received
Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition USA Varies Varies 10,000 $35 $1,500
Notes on Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society Competition: Any style / genre - winners might be published - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2022
Playboy Magazine College Fiction Contest USA February ? 5,000 $5*
$3,000
Notes on Playboy Contest: Any style / genre - entrants must be a college student over 18 years of age - no entry fee for Playboy subscribers - winner published in Playboy, 2nd prize $300, 3rd prize $150, 2nd and 3rd receive free subscription to Playboy for a year - CLOSED 2015
Playing Bingo Short Story Competition UK February March 3,000 FREE £300
Notes on the Bingo Competition: Any style / genre, but theme is about Bingo. Winners and short listed stories published on the site and in an anthology - CLOSED 2014
Play With Death Short Story Competition Vietnam 20th February 2015 March 2015 10,000 FREE $50
Notes on Play With Death Competition: Any style / genre, but must be REALLY scary - winners published in eBook
Plymouth Writers Group Open Writing Competition UK January ? 2,000 £5 £250
Notes on the PWG Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in anthology and on website - HASN'T RUN for a year, so removed from lists 2019
Poetic Republic Short Story Prize UK April ? 3,000 £12 £2,000
Notes on Poetic Republic Prize: Any style / genre - winners and shortlisted entries published in eBook - participants read each other's work and effectively judge the competition, see link for details - SITE NOT UPDATED SINCE 2015, so removed listing 2017
Portable Story Series Competition USA Tri-Annually Tri-Annually 4,500 $10 See notes
Notes on PSS Competition: Any style / genre - top prize is $250 or 75% of submission fees (whichever is greater) and winning story professionally recorded (valued at $5500) and made available on the website as a free download - each contest supports 3 charitable organisations - NOT RUN SINCE 2017, so removed listing 2019
Prarie Fire Press Short Fiction Contest Canada November ? 10,000 C$32 C$1,250
Notes on Prarie Fire Contest: Any style / genre - entry includes 1 year subscription to Prarie Fire magazine - winners published in the magazine and paid for publication - CLOSED THEIR CONTESTS IN 2019 :-(
Print Express Children’s Short Story Competition UK 31st March 2017 14th April 2017 500 FREE See notes
Notes on Print Express Competition: Any style or genre - top prize is £50 in book tokens and £175 in book tokens for the winner's school - open to children between 5 and 13 (two age brackets - 5 to 9 and 10 to 13) - winners published on the website - this is a one-off competition - CLOSED, was a one-off
Print Express Flash Fiction Competition UK 31st July 2016 5th August 2016 150 FREE £100*
Notes on Print Express Competition: Any style or genre - prize paid in Amazon vouchers - winner published on website - ONE-OFF CLOSED 2016
Print What Matters 'Write Christmas' Competition UK November December 200 FREE See notes
Notes on Print What Matters Competition: Any style / genre but themed around Christmas - open to children aged between 4 and 11 - winner receives a stocking filled with £50 worth of goodies and winner's primary school receives £1,500 - top 50 entries published in an e-book - NOT RUN since 2016, so removed listing 2019
Prole Books Prolitzer Prize Short Story Comp UK 21st January 2024 Announced in Prole Issue 35, 2024 2,500 £5 £200
Notes on Prole Books Prolitzer Competition: Any style / genre - winner published online and in print - CLOSED, was a one-off
Prole Books Prolitzer Prize Short Story Comp UK October December 2,500 £4 £200
Notes on Prole Books Prolitzer Competition: Any style / genre (I think - guide says 'writing that is accessible to all while not sacrificing quality') - winner published on website and possible publication through Prole - CLOSED, not run since 2016 so removed from lists 2018 - OPENED UP AGAIN in 2023/2024 as a one-off
Reader's Digest 100-Word-Story Competition UK February March 100 FREE £1,000
Notes on Reader's Digest Competition: Any style / genre but entries must be exactly 100 words in length - the full details of this contest have been moved to a dedicated resource for very short story competitions - DISAPPEARED during 2018
Reader's Digest 100-Word-Story Competition UK February March 100 FREE See notes
Notes on Reader's Digest Competition: Any style / genre but entries must be exactly 100 words in length - 2 age groups: under 12s and 12-18 year olds - winner in each group wins a Samsung Galaxy S2 Tablet, a Samsung Gear S watch and money for their school - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2019
Red Tuque Books Inc Short Story Competition Canada December March 5,000 C$15 C$500

Notes on Red Tuque Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in anthology - CLOSED 2017

Rejected Manuscripts Short Fiction Competition

Taiwan December January 1,500 FREE See notes
Notes on Rejected Manuscripts Competition: Any style / genre but stories must have been previously rejected for publication - winners decided by website visitors - top voted manuscripts published in anthology, authors receive a share of profits - WEBSITE NOT UPDATED SINCE 2020, so removed listing during 2022 update
Renay Allen's Woman vs. Muse Writing Competition Australia April May 2,500 A$10 A$100
Notes on Renay Allen's Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - all proceeds go to charity MS Queensland - NOT RUN SINCE 2014
Rochdale Literature Festival Bite-sized Enlightenment UK 19th September 2015 October 2015 500 FREE See notes
Notes on Rochdale Literature Festival Competition: Any style / genre - winners get to perform their story alongside acclaimed flash fiction writer, David Gaffney CLOSED
Rosemary Goodacre Memorial Short Story Competition UK 31st March 2022 June 2022 1,500 £7.50 £150
Notes on Rosemary Goodacre Competition: Any style or genre but the theme is 'friendship' - the winning stories won't be published, so that writers have the opportunity to be published elsewhere - CLOSED, was a one-off
Rubery Short Story Competition UK October ? 3,000 £7.50 £600
Notes on Rubery Competition: Any style / genre - winners and shortlisted stories published in an anthology - 2nd prize £150, 3rd prize £50 - STOPPED RUNNING 2015
Ruler's Wit Dark and Light Competition UK 31st July 2021 August 2021 3,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Ruler's Wit Competition: Any style or subject, but themed around dark and light - prize is a free copy-edit (up to 5,000 words); a free session with a writing mentor; a free 500-word marketing/blog post; a free cover design - winners publication in an anthology published in paperback and eBook formats - CLOSED, was a one-off
Ruler's Wit "Hamster Stories for Adults – A Tenuous Grip on Reality" Writing Competition UK 8th March 2024 22nd March 2024 3,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Ruler's Wit Competition: Stories must have a tenuous link to a hamster (or hamsters) but not necessarily be about hamsters - winners can choose from the following (1st place winner gets first choice): Book cover design, developmental edit of 3,000 words, copy-edit of 3,000 words, proofread of 3,000 words and a mentoring session for 3,000 words - winning stories published in a book - CLOSED, was one-off
RWL Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 10,000 FREE £100
Notes on RWL Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED in 2019
Ryedale Book Festival Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies 8,000 FREE £250
Notes on Ryedale Book Festival Competition: Any style / genre - ten winning stories published in print and ebook formats by Blackthorn Press - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing in 2020 update
Sash Writing Competition UK 10th October 2014 Early 2015 3,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Sash Writing Competition: Any genre, but theme is 'Homeless' - prize is an Arvon 5 day residential writing course - entry is free, but donations to the charity running the competition would be welcomed - winners might be published in an anthology - CLOSED, was a one off
SaveAs Writers "The Bigger Picture - Reflections on the Great War" Writing Competition UK 23rd August 2014 October 2014 3,000 £3 £50
Notes on SaveAs Writers Competition: Themed around the first world war - winners published in pamphlet - CLOSED
Scare the Dickens Out of Us Short Story Contest TX, USA October December 5,000 $20 $1,000
Notes on Scare the Dickens Out of Us Competition: Ghost stories only - nice cash prizes and trophies, but no publication for winners - the competition is run as a fundraiser for the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas - sadly, this comp closed in 2013
Scriggler BNBS Crime Thriller Short Story Competition UK 31st January 2015 28th February 2015 7,500 FREE See notes
Notes on Scriggler Britain's Next Best Seller Competition: Crime thriller - 10 to 12 winning entries published in an anthology - no monetary prize - proceeds of anthology go to charity
SEAM Short Story Jam Competition USA Monthly Monthly no max stated FREE $100
Notes on SEAM Competition: Any style / genre - choice of themes, see website for more details - CLOSED 2015
Secant Publishing and Book Bin's "Best Stories on the Human Impact of Climate Change" Short Story Contest USA 1st March 2024 May 2024 3,000 $10 $1,000
Notes on Secant Publishing and Book Bin Contest: Any style / genre - winner published online and in print - CLOSED, was one-off

Secant Publishing 'The Year’s Best Dog Stories'

USA 1st May 2021 21st June 2021 3,000 $10 $500
Notes on Secant Publishing Competition: Any style / genre but theme is communication between dogs and humans - winners published in an anthology by Secant Publishing, in coordination with contest sponsor The Greyhound-An Indie Bookstore, in Berlin, Maryland - CLOSED, was a one-off
Segora Short Story Competition France June August 3,000 £8 £300
Notes on Segora Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the Poetry Prose & Plays website and they publish an anthology every couple of years - they also run a variety of other writing competitions, so check the website for details - CLOSED 2022 after 15 years of running competitions
Selfpublishing.ie Winter Warmer Writing Competition Ireland December January 1,250 FREE See notes
Notes on Selfpublsihing.ie Competition: Any style / genre - themed, check website for current theme - winner receives a place at Listowel Writers’ Week Workshop, 2nd and 3rd place receive Amazon vouchers - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
Sentinel Literary Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Sentinel Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in Sentinel Literary Magazine - their short story competition is currently under review, but the poetry competition they run is still operating - SHORT STORY COMP NO LONGER RUNNING, so removed listing in 2020 update
Severance Publications Writing Competitions UK Varies Varies Varies FREE £50
Notes on Severance Publications Competition: Any style / genre but each competition has a different theme, so check website for current details - winners published in anthologies - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2019
Shade of Loud Short Story Competition UK January March 1,500 £5 £250
Notes on Far From the Madding Crowd Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - CLOSED 2014
Short Story Land Writing Contest USA Biannually Biannually 4,500 $19 $500
Notes on Short Story Land Contest: Any style / genre - multiple cash prizes - winners published on website and in an anthology by Myakka Press - CLOSED 2020
Short Story Project Competition Israel Varies Varies 2,500 $17 $5,000
Notes on Short Story Project Competition: Any style or genre but themed so check website for current details - runs 2 or 3 times a year, so entry times vary - winners published on website - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing from website during 2020 update
Sleek City Press Winter Fiction Prize Canada 7th December 2021 15th January 2022 5,000 $7 See notes
Notes on Sleek City Press Prize: Any style or subject, but prompt is 'double life' - top prize is full editorial mark-up plus co-piloting on up to 20,000 words of portfolio - cash prizes for second and third - CLOSED, was a one-off
Slingink Short Story Competition UK Monthly Monthly 2,000 FREE £30

Notes on Slingink Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in Slingink Magazine - RETIRED LISTING 2022

NOTE: I received a message from one of my email list subscribers telling me the slingink email address had stopped working in July 2022. I tested it and my email bounced. I tried contacting Eva (who runs Slingink) via Twitter but the account does not accept messages. As there is no other way of contacting them, I have had to retire the listing.

Small but Mighty Writers Competition for 7 to 11 year olds UK Quarterly Quarterly 1,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Small but Mighty Writers Competition: Any style / genre but sometimes themed so check website for current details - entrants must be 7 to 11 years old - winner receives a bundle of writing goodies and is published on the website, along with runners up - NOT RUN since 2017, so deleted listing 2019
Small but Mighty Writers Competition for 12 to 15 year olds UK Quarterly Quarterly 1,500 FREE See notes
Notes on Small but Mighty Writers Competition: Any style / genre but sometimes themed so check website for current details - entrants must be 12 to 15 years old - winner receives a bundle of writing goodies and is published on the website, along with runners up - deadlines are 1st of January, April, July, October - results on 14th of each month - NOT RUN since 2017, so deleted listing 2019
Solopress Story Writing Contest UK Feb 2013 March 2013 no max see notes £500
Notes on Solopress Competition: Any style / genre - 500 word minimum, no maximum - the £500 prize is paid in Amazon vouchers, not cash - rather than an entry fee, you have to like them on Facebook, subscribe to their blog and link to their site from your blog (where you also have to publish your story) - CLOSED
Solution Loans Short Story Competition UK Biannually Biannually Varies FREE £200

Notes on Solution Loans Competition: Any style / genre, but themed, so check website for current details - winners published on the Solution Loans website - started off as an annual competition, but due to the success of the inaugural contest, is now running twice a year

When this competition launched, I received a few concerns on Twitter. Some writers were worried that Solution Loans were exploiting writers for free content. I wrote to Solution Loans about these concerns and received this response:

The idea to sponsor a Short Story competition actually came from one of our employees who is a keen writer, and regularly enters competitions in her spare time. We thought it was a great idea, so offered to support it.

Finance can be a pretty dull area so we’re always looking for new ideas and ways to link to our Solution Loans brand. It’s just a form of sponsorship really – a bit like Costa and Bailey’s sponsoring book awards!

Yes, there are prizes - £200 for the winner and 3 x £50 for runners up. Only the four winning entries will be published on the website, and if a writer has a concern about that then I’m sure we could have a separate discussion. There’s no question about us gaining free content. We already employ a number of freelance writers to produce our blog and social media posts.

Hopefully aspiring writers will see it as an opportunity to have their work recognised and published and win a cash prize.

Alex Silverman, Competition Co-Ordinator

I understand the concerns of the writers who queried the legitimacy of this contest. However, having worked in digital marketing, I also understand what Solution Loans are doing. I've done the same things for clients in the past. As the competition is legitimate, and Solution Loans were good enough to prepare the response above, I will be continuing to list the contest on my website. Winning writers receive cash prizes, so I don't believe they are being exploited - they are being paid for their stories.

I hope this resolves any concerns, but if not, please feel free to contact me

NOT RUN FOR A YEAR, so removed listing during 2020 update

Sophie King Prize UK January March 2,500 FREE See notes
Notes on The Sophie King Competition: Romantic fiction only - the winning story will be recorded professionally and broadcast via an audio player on the Sophie King website - the winner also receives a £50 voucher for an online shop called the Handpicked Collection and a silver plated jug - no longer running
Sons of Joy Short Story Competition USA Monthly Monthly 1,000 FREE $100
Notes on Sons of Joy Competition: Any style / genre - themed about food, check website for current theme - prize paid as Visa giftcard - winners published on the website - CLOSED
Southampton University Green Stories Competition UK 19th April 2018 June 2018 3,500 FREE £200
Notes on Southampton Uni Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for full details - winning stories published in anthology and distributed via organisations interested in sustainability CLOSED, was a one-off
Southern Pacific Review Short Story Competition South America March April no max FREE $100
Notes on SPR's Competition: Any style / genre - entries accepted in English or Spanish - winning entries published in the Southern Pacific Review - CLOSED 2017 after 6 years of publication
SouthWestFest Annual Writing Competition UK June June 500 £3 £50
Notes on SouthWestFest Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current theme - winners published on website, recorded for radio/podcast and included in a curated art exhibition at Abbey Centre, London - shortlisted entries will be invited to exhibit at the art exhibition and may be chosen for recording opportunities - also accept poetry and scripts - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2017
Speakando European Literary Competition Italy May June 1,840 £10 Up to €1,000
Notes on Speakando Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current theme - prize is dependent on number of entries, so might be less - winners published on website - NOT RUN SINCE 2015, so removed listing 2017
Spinetinglers Short Story Competition N Ireland Monthly Monthly 5,000 FREE £100
Notes on Spinetinglers Competition: Themed, so check website for current theme - 2nd prize £50, 3rd, 4th and 5th prizes of £25 - each monthly winner published in yearly anthology - NOT RUN SINCE 2015, so removed from site 2017
Staunch Short Story Prize UK September October 3,500 FREE See notes
Notes on Staunch Short Story Prize: A prize for thrillers in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered - winners receive publicity and might be published in anthology - CLOSED 2022
Stirling Health Food Store 'I Love Nature' Competition Scotland 4th October 2015 17th October 2015 See notes FREE See notes
Notes on Stirling Health Food Competition: Any style / genre - 3 age groups: 7 – 10 years old 500 words max; 11 – 14 years old 750 words max; 15 – 18 years old 1,000 words max - winners receive an animal themed prize that supports the RSPB and the SSPCA CLOSED, was a one-off
Stirling Robyns Publishing Short Story Competition UK/USA Quarterly Quarterly 5,000 $3 $100
Notes on Stirling Robyns Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in anthology and on website - winner also receives a free reading of their novel/novella/poetry chapbook - not run since 2017, so removed listing 2019
Storgy Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Storgy Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the website and in the Storgy Competition Anthology - prizes vary but have been up to £1,000 in the past - CONTEST NOT RUN FOR YEARS, so removed listing during 2022 update
Storgy's 'Shallow Creek' Competition UK 31st August 2018 September 5,000 £10 £500
Notes on Shallow Creek: Prompt competition - entrants emailed a character, location (within Shallow Creek) and item that needs to be used in story, see link for full details - winners published in Shallow Creek Anthology - CLOSED, was a one-off
Story Planner Monthly Writing Competition UK Monthly Monthly 1,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Story Planner Competition: Any style / genre but for a novel or short story outline or summary - winners receive writing books and free subscription to the site - CLOSED MAY 2016
Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize UK 14th June 2019 Summer 2019 2,500 £1 See notes
Notes on Streetcake Prize: Any style or subject - two age bands (18-21 and 22-26) - winners receive personalised mentoring sessions - other prizes include personalised feedback and book bundles - winners published online and in a hardcopy anthology - also accept poems - CLOSED, was a one-off
Stringybark Dog Eat Dog Short Story Award Australia 16th July 2017 26th September 2017 1,500 $12 $450
Notes on Stringybark Award: Any style or genre, but inspired by cliches, so check website for full details - winners published in anthology - CLOSED, was a one-off
Stringybark Stories Seven Deadly Sins Short Story Award Australia 23rd April 2017 11th July 2017 1,500 $12 $450
Notes on Stringybark Award: Any style or genre but themed around the 7 deadly sins - winners and highly commended stories published - Notes on Stringybark Award: Any style or genre but themed around the 7 deadly sins - winners and highly commended stories published - CLOSED 2017, was a one-off
Subtopian Magazine Short Story Competition USA May 30th 2014 ? 1,000 $10 $100
Notes on Subtopian Competition: Any style / genre, but stories must be written in the first person and be on the topic of a Dystopian future - 20 winning stories published in anthology and performed live on stage in Portland - winners will receive a digital copy of the performance - if successful, this will become a regular short story competition CLOSED
Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award UK Varies Varies 6,000 FREE £30,000
Notes on Sunday Times Competition: Any style / genre - offers the largest prize for a single short story that I'm aware of - you can enter from anywhere, but have to have a history of prior publication in creative writing in the UK or Ireland - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED IN 2022, and all mention of the comp online was from 2021, so removed listing during 2023 update
Swansea & District Writers' Circle Short Story Competition Wales Varies Varies 2,500 £6 £150
Notes on Swansea & District Writers' Circle Competition: Any style or genre but themed, so check website for current details - winners published in eAnthology - top prize includes 1 year’s free membership of Swansea Writers’ Circle - NO MENTION OF COMPETITION ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2017
Swanezine Short Story Competition UK August September 1,000 FREE £30
Notes on Swazine Competition: Any style or genre - UK residents only, 2 entries per author. This is a new competition, launched in 2012. Shortlisted stories will be published on the website - CLOSED 2014
Swansea Writers WW1 Short Story Competition Wales 16th June 2014 July 2014 2,500 £5 £100
Notes on Swansea Writers WW1 Competition: Stories must be about the first world war - winners published in an anthology CLOSED
Sweek's Writing Competitions Holland Varies Varies Varies FREE Varies
Notes on Sweek's Competition: Any style / genre - Sweek run a wide variety of regular writing competitions, so it's best to check the website to see what's currently running - ONLY RUN FLASH FICTION NOW, so moved listing to flash comps page
Sweek's Write Your 2017 Competition Holland 31st January 2017 9th February 2017 No max FREE See notes
Notes on Sweek's Competition: Any style or genre - winners receive Samsung Galaxy Tab and various plus multiple giftcards up to $75 in value - winners published on website - CLOSED, was a one-off
Swift Satire Festival Battle of the Books Competition Ireland July July 1,000 €5 €500
Notes on Swazine Competition: Any style or genre but themed, so check website for current theme (humour is not essential, but will probably help!) - winners maybe published - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2016
Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre 'The Page Is Printed' Creative Writing Competition UK Varies Varies 1 side of A4 £5 £100
Notes on Tacchi-Morris Competition: Any style or genre - see the 'what's on' section of the website - short stories, poetry, or any type of creative writing but entries must be no longer than 1 side of A4 - entry fee includes a ticket to the evening event - lots of cash prizes in addition to winner - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing in 2021 update
Talent River Shortz Competition UK September ? 5,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Talent River Competition: Any style or genre - winner receives a £250 Amazon voucher - winner selected by public vote - winners published on website - look in the 'About' section of the website under 'Writing' to find the details - SITE ABANDONED 2014
Tales of Eltham Short Story Competition UK 21st February 2014 23rd April 2014 300 FREE £15
Notes on Tales of Eltham Competition: Any style / genre but stories must be set in Eltham, London SE9, UK - winners published on the website CLOSED
Tamworth Literary Festival's Annual Writing Competition UK Varies Varies 1,500 £4 £100
Notes on Tamworth Lit Fest Competition: Any style or genre - winners published in anthology - NOT RUN SINCE 2020, so removed listing during 2022 update
Tarbert Book Festival Writing Competition Scotland 30th June 2016 October 500 £5 See notes
Notes on Tarbert Book Festival Competition: Any style or genre, but theme is 'West Coast Wonders' - top prize is a week's course at Moniack Mhor - all shortlisted entrants receive a critique and a festival pass - may become an annual competition in the future - ONE-OFF CLOSED 2016
Tartan Treasures ‘Dear Diary’ competition Scotland 20th February 2015 ? See notes FREE See notes
Notes on Tartan Treasures Competition: Themed, see website for details - 2 categories; under 16's, max words 400, prize Kindle Fire HD Tablet; over 16's, max words 800, prize Dinner and B&B for 2 at the Carnoustie Golf Hotel
Thanet Writers Short Story Competition UK May November 5,000 FREE £1,000
Notes on Thanet Writers Competition: Any style / genre but entrants must have some sort of link / connection with Thanet - shortlisted entries published in print anthology - longlisted entries receive a payment of £10 and published online - did not run in 2021, but have left listing live for now in case it runs in 2022 - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2022, so removed listing during 2023 update
Thapasvi Manoharam Publications Contest India 1st September 2022 September 2022 1,500 FREE ₹500
Notes on Thapasvi Manoharam Publications Contest : Any style or subject, but themed, so check website for full details - they accept entries in English - site is not presented in English, so use Google Translate to view it - they also accept poetry up to 25 lines in length - CLOSED, was a one-off
Theatre Cloud 'Tell A Tale' Competition UK 19th November 2016 24th November 2016 500 FREE £300
Notes on Theatre Cloud Competition: Any style or genre but themed so check website for details - all shortlisted stories performed by an actor, recorded and made available online - CLOSED, was a one-off competition
The Bedford Competition's Rainbow Short Story Prize UK 31st October 2020 December 2020 3,000 £6 £500
Notes on The Bedford Competition's Rainbow Prize: Any style / genre but for writers aged 70+ years - all proceeds donated to charities helping COVID-19 victims - winning stories published in paperback and Kindle formats - CLOSED, was a one-off
The Blend Future Visions Award Australia Varies Varies 7,000 Varies $500
Notes on The Blend Award: Any style or genre - winner published in The Blend journal - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2020
The Caterpillar Story for Children Prize Ireland September December 1,500 €12 €1,000
Notes on Caterpillar Prize: Any style / genre but story must be written by an adult for children aged 7-11 - winners published by The Caterpillar - they sometimes run a poetry prize instead of short story prize - HASN'T RUN SINCE 2019, so removed listing during 2022 update
The Cult Of Me Short Fiction Contest Iceland Monthly Monthly 500 FREE £50
Notes on The Cult Of Me Contest: Any style / genre but inspired by a different image each month, so check website for current picture - prizes paid via PayPal or as an Amazon voucher - winners published on the website - CLOSED MAY 2016

The Once and Future Moon Anthology from Eibonvale Press

UK 30th April 2019 Summer 5,000 FREE £10
Notes on The Once and Future Moon Anthology: Award-winning editor Allen Ashley says: "I am pleased to announce that I am editing a brand new fiction anthology called The Once and Future Moon for Eibonvale Press. I am looking for unpublished science fiction and science fantasy stories involving the Moon. Must relate to Luna – not Jovian moons, Martian moons, etc. Sorry, no flash and no poetry." - CLOSED, was a one-off
The Maine Review Writing Contest ME, USA September November 1,500 $10 $150
Notes on The Maine Review Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in The Maine Review and all submissions also considered for publication - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2017
The Missing Slate New Voices Fiction Writing Competition 2014 Pakistan 1st July 2014 August 2014 10,000 $10 $150
Notes on Missing Slate Competition: Any style / genre - winner and runners up published in print anthology - if enough people enter, the prize money will increase - although the magazine originated in Pakistan, the editorial staff are sprawled across five continents and have published poetry and fiction from over 50 countries including work from Pulitzer winner (and Booker Prize 2013 shortlisted writer) Jhumpa Lahiri, Musharraf Ali Farooqi, Mohsin Hamid, Moniza Alvi, Kamila Shamsie, Anis Shivani, Luke Kennard, S.J. Fowler, Jeet Thayil, Sidin Vadukut, Tishani Doshi, Shikha Malaviya, Anuradha Roy, Ravi Shankar, among others CLOSED
The Monkey Collective's Monkey Collection UK Quarterly Quarterly 5,000 FREE See notes
Notes on The Monkey Collective Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in short story collection and get a royalty on sales - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2019
The People’s Friend Writing Competition UK 5th February 2024 24th February 2024 2,000 FREE £10,000
Notes on The People’s Friend Competition: Any style / genre - entrants must be amateur, unpublished writers - accepted categories are Romance, Thriller and Comedy, with each category having an under 30 age group and over 30 age group subcategory - CLOSED, was a one-off

The Print Express Haiku Competition

UK 31st October 2016 4th November 2016 N/A FREE See notes
Notes on Print Express Competition: Family friendly haikus - top prize is £100 Amazon voucher - CLOSED, was a one-off competition
The Red Line Short Story Competition UK Bi-Monthly Bi-Monthly 3,500 FREE £50
Notes on The Red Line Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check the website for the current theme - winners and short listed entries published on the website CLOSED 2016
The Short Story Competition UK September December 5,000 £8 £500
Notes on The Short Story Competition: Any style / genre except sci-fi, fantasy or stories for children - winner published on the website - NOT RUN SINCE 2019, so removed listing during 2022 update
The Squat Pen Rests Short Story Writing Competition UK Quarterly (ish) See notes 2,000 £3 £50
Notes on The Squat Pen Rests Competition: Any style / genre but each competition has prompt, so check website for current details - shortlisted writers read at live short story performance event held in Swindon, UK, where the winner is selected by the audience - in addition to cash, winner receives a mug emblazoned with ‘Writing Champion of the World’ (or similar) - all finalists' stories published on the competition website and receive a runners-up mug - not run since Jan 2018 so removed listing 2019
The Steyning Festival Short Story Prize 2018 UK 11th March 2018 May 2018 2,500 £5 £200
Notes on Steyning Festival Prize: Any style / genre - entrants must live or have lived in East or West Sussex - winners published on West Sussex Writers website - trophy awarded to winner - CLOSED, was a one-off
The Trafalgar Way Short Story Contest UK 6th November 2018 January 2019 See notes FREE £500
Notes on Trafalgar Way Contest : Any style or genre but themed, so check website for full details - 3 age categories: ages 7-11, 500 words, top prize £100; ages 12-16, 1,000 words, top prize £250; ages 17-21, 2,500 words, top prize £500 - prize presentations take place on HMS Victory - winners published in book - CLOSED, was a one-off
The Woolf Short Story Competition Switzerland December February 2,000 20 CHF 150 CHF
Notes on The Woolf Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - 3 winning entries win a cash prize and publication in The Woolf- sometimes run a poetry competition instead of short story - NOT RUN SINCE 2017, so removed listing 2019
The World's Greatest Writing Competition Australia 9th November 2013 10th November 2013 no max stated FREE See notes
Notes on TWGWC Competition: Any style / genre - re the prize, I'm told all entrants will be able to gain some benefit either in the form of financial benefit and/or exposure to TWGWC's global audience - may become a regular comp - CLOSED
The Woven TalePress Hampton’s Competition USA Varies Varies Varies Varies See notes
Notes on The Woven Tale Press Competition: Any style / genre - top prize is a retreat in the Hamptons, NY - top 3 stories published in print and eBook - runs every year, but one year is short story, the next poetry (2020 poetry, 2021 short story etc.) - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing in 2021 update
The Write Place UK August ? 1,500 £4.50 £100
Notes on The Write Place Competition: Any style / genre - winning stories published on website
The Writing Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 500 £4 £100
Notes on The Writing Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the website - website disappeared 2015

The Writing District Competition

USA Monthly Monthly 3,000 FREE $50
Notes on The Writing District Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website - NOT RUN FOR OVER 6 MONTHS, so removed listing during 2020 update
The Writing World Short Story Competition UK See notes See notes 3,000 £5 £100
Notes on The Writing World Competition: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - runs every month for a 6 month period between October and March - winners published in eBook anthology - Doesn't seem to be running anymore, so removed listing 2019
Thinkerbeat 'Shorties' Writing Competition USA Quarterly Quarterly 3,000 $4 $125
Notes on Thinkerbeat Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in anthology at the end of the year - entry includes a free copy of the previous year's anthology - 2nd prize $50; 3rd prize $25 - if enough people enter, prizes will be given to runners up CLOSED 2016
This Very Breath Flash Fiction Competition USA see notes see notes 750 $3 $50
Notes on This Very Breath Competition: Any style or genre - competition closes after 100 entries have been received - winners published in This Very Breath Journal - may become regular if first one is a success - Website disappeared 2016
Those That Breathe Environmental Writing Competition UK Monthly during 2021 Monthly during 2021 Varies £4 See notes
Notes on Those That Breathe Competition: Any style or subject, but themed so check website for details - the competition is open from the 1st until the 25th of each month during 2021 - proceeds from entry fees are donated to charities that are trying to make a difference to climate change - winners published on website and in anthology in 2022 - open to short stories, flash fiction, non-fiction and poetry - CLOSED, was a one-off

Thresholds International Short Story Forum

UK February April 2,000 ? £250
Notes on Thresholds Competition: Any style / genre - CLOSED
Tenby Arts Festival Wales July September 1,500 £4 £150
Notes on Tenby Arts Festival Competition: Any style / genre - NO MENTION OF COMPETITION ON WEBSITE ANYMORE, so removed listing 2017
Totally 4 Women Short Story Competition UK Monthly Monthly Varies FREE Varies
Notes on T4S Competition: Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - men and women are welcome to enter - winners published on the website - WEBSITE NOW REDIRECTS TO HENPICKED.NET (??)
Tryon Arts & Crafts School 'The Apparitionist' National Ghost Story Competition USA August October 5,500 $10 $200
Notes on Tryon Arts & Crafts Competition: Ghost stories - winners published on website and their stories will be performed at the Black and White Gallery Show on Halloween - open to US residents only - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing 2020
TU Dublin Short Story Competition Ireland August October 2,000 FREE €500
Notes on TU Dublin Competition: Any style or genre - winners published in an anthology - run by the Library, TU Dublin Tallaght Campus, in conjunction with South Dublin County Council and the Red Line Book Festival - the link takes you to the festival website and you need to look in the news section of the homepage to find details of the competition - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing during 2022 update
Twist & Twain Short Story Contest India August Varies 4,000 Rs 499 / $9 Rs 25,000 (approx £280 / $350)
Notes on Twist & Twain Contest: Any style / genre - entry for Indian residents is Rs 499, for international entries it is $9 - judged by international authors from US, India and more - winners published in Twist & Twain - generous prizes for runners up - CLOSED 2021

UK Short Story Competition

UK August October 2,500 £12 £1,000
Notes on UK Short Story Competition: Any style / genre except children's or erotica - 2nd prize £500, 3rd prize £250, 27 x runner-up prizes £50 - top 30 stories published in a book which has 10,000 copies distributed throughout the UK - CLOSED, website disappeared 2017
Umm Kulthum Short Story Competition Egypt 1st January 2015 ? 2,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Umm Kulthum Competition: Any style or genre - winners published in a book - entries in Arabic only - CLOSED, was a one-off
Under the Hood 'Hooded Monster' Contest USA 31st August 2020 30th September 2020 10,000 FREE $100
Notes on Under the Hood Contest: For stories about facing down a monster and overcoming it - winners published on website and reviewed on YouTube - for US residents only - CLOSED, was a one-off
University College London 'Changing The Human Brain' Writing Competition UK 15th September 2013 ? 1,500 FREE ?
Notes on UCL Competition: Themed: the brain - more details to follow - CLOSED
University of Bristol Secret Life of Data: Short Story Competition UK 12th September 2022 October / November 2022 4,000 FREE £1,000
Notes on Bristol University Competition: Any style or genre but stories must be themed around "what does our data looks like, what does it do or feel as it moves around hidden inside our phones, computers, digital devices, our apps and networks?" - generous prizes for runners up - winners published in anthology - CLOSED, was a one-off
Valentine's Day Ideas Romantic Story Contest USA February ? 3,000 FREE $1,000
Notes on Valentine's Day Ideas Competition: Romance and love stories - 9 runner's up prizes - winning stories published on the website and in an eBook - NO LONGER RUNNING
Vanda 'n' Linda's Write Space Short Story Competition UK Bi-Annually Bi-Annually 2,000 £6 £250
Notes on Write Space Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on website - they also run other free contests throughout the year, so best to check website for current details - CLOSED 2018
Vintiques Of Surrey Curious Tales Competition UK 1st September 2022 September / October 2022 3,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Vintiques Of Surrey Competition: Any style or genre but stories must be themed around items found in Vintiques Of Surrey online shops / social media / physical shop - prize is two tickets to Harry Potter Studios Tour London - CLOSED, was a one-off
Waiheke Island Literary Festival The Collinson’s Short Story Competition New Zealand September November 2,000 NZ$20 See notes
Notes on Waiheke Island Literary Festival Collinson’s Competition: Themed, so check website for current details - the top prize (worth NZ$475) is a place on a creative writing course by The Creative Hub, Auckland’s waterfront writing centre, either in class or online - NOT RUN SINCE 2015, so removed listing 2017
Wakefield District Sight Aid Short Story Competition UK 31st August 2016 27th September 2016 2,000 £5 £100
Notes on Wakefield District Sight Aid Competition: Any style or genre - winning stories published on website - any money raised from the competition will be used to help visually impaired people - CLOSED
Wanderway Short Story Travel Writer's Competition USA / Malta December January 5,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Wanderway Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - prize is a 'travel essentials package' which consists of lots of travel kit donated by outdoor gear companies - if they wish to, the winner can sell their story for publication on the Wanderway website - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing Jan 2018
Webook Writing Competition UK Varie Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Webook Competition: Themes, lengths, styles, genres and prizes vary - check website for current requirements - CLOSED, now a novel competition, so see novel comps lists for details, might reopen short story contest in future, will update if that happens
West Country Writers' Association Short Story Competition UK December ? 1,200 £5 £50
Notes WCWA Competition: Any style / genre - entrants must have had no more than 2 short stories professionally published, or read on the radio - the winning story will be published on the WCWA website - CLOSED
Westgate Literary Festival Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Westgate Literary Festival Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in a festival anthology - often have different age categories - WEBSITE HASN'T BEEN UPDATED FOR 2 YEARS, so removed listing during 2021 update
West Sussex Writers National Short Story Competition UK March July 3,000 £5 £250
Notes West Sussex Writers Competition: Any style / genre (not children's) - NOT RUN SINCE 2015, so removed listing 2017
WGM Atlantic Young Writers' Short Story Competition UK 20th June 2020 15th July 2020 See notes FREE £75
Notes on WGM Atlantic Competition: Any style / genre but themed around favourite animals - for children aged between 5 and 12 - 2 categories: 5-8 (500 word limit) and 9-12 (750 word limit) - CLOSED, was a one-off
Willesden Herald Short Story Competition UK August ? 7,500 £5 See notes
Notes Willesden Herald Competition: Any style / genre - winner receives the Willesden Herald Mug and a bottle of champagne - after 150 entries have been received, all fees go into a prize fund that will be divided among the ten winning authors - winners published in an anthology - NOT RUN since 2017, so removed listing 2019
Willesden Herald Short Story Competition UK December ? 7,500 £3 £300
Notes on Willesden Herald Competition: Any style / genre - the ten short-listed stories will be published in "New Short Stories #" - an anthology by Pretend Genius Press - CLOSED 2014 and REOPENED 2016, so see lists above
Wimbledon Bookfest Young Writers' Competition UK April ? 500 FREE iPad
Notes on Wimbledon Bookfest Competition: Themed, so check website for current details - winners published in 'Bookfest Book of Stories' anthology - various categories for different age groups - NOT RUN since 2017, so removed listing 2019
Winchester Writers' Festival Short Story Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Winchester Writers' Competitions: Style and genre vary - Winchester Writers', associated with the University of Winchester, run 10 (yep, you read that right - ten) different writing contests - check the website for full details - did not run in 2019, planning to run again in 2020 - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing during 2021 update
Winning Writers Sports Fiction & Essay Contest MA, USA May ? 6,000 $15 $1,000
Notes on Winning Writers Competition: Any style / genre, but must have a sporting theme - winners published on the Winning Writers website - CLOSED 2014
Wise Writer Award Short Story Contest Brazil June July 2,500 $13 $2,000
Notes on WWA Award: Any style / genre - winners published on website - during 2020 update I noticed that no winners have been announced in 2019, even though that was promised back in November, so have emailed them to see what is going on and removed listing until I hear back from them
Wollongong Writers Festival Short Story Prize Australia October November 2,500 $15 A$1000
Notes on Wollongong Writers Prize: Any style / genre, but themed, so check website for current details - winner published in Mascara Literary Review - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2021
Word Hut Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 1,000 £4 £70
Notes on Word Hut Competition: Any style / genre - winners published on the Word Hut website - also see the meet the writer and writers' showcase sections of the website as these can offer great exposure to new authors (I've been published by Word Hut, you can read more about the competition here) - CLOSED 2016
Word Periscope's Wordsmiths Competition UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on Word Periscope Competition: Any style / genre but check website for current theme - top prize has been up to £1,500 in the past - winners published online - CLOSED 2021, they now run a flash fiction competition instead called 'The Periscope Prize' on a new website
Words & Women ‘About’ Writing Commission UK 26th September 2014 ? See notes £12 See notes

Notes on Words & Women Competition: Any style or genre, but only open to women living in East England - story must explore the life of women and their relationship to place in East England - prize is worth £950 - £1,400, paying authors to write and be mentored by Words & Women - writers submit a proposal, a CV and a writing sample, best to check website for more details - CLOSED

Words & Women Short Prose Competition UK November January 2,200 £10 See notes
Notes on Words & Women Competition: Any style / genre - 2 categories; 1st is women living or working in East England with a top prize of £600; 2nd is for women living in the UK aged over 40 and has a top prize of £1,000 - winners and shortlisted entries published in an anthology, published in partnership with Unthank Books in Norwich - currently on a break, but hoping to get funding to continue - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing in 2020
Words Alike 'Écrire' Competition Australia April Varies 10,000 FREE $30
Notes on Words Alike Competition: Any style / genre but check website for current theme - winning stories published as PDF ebook - NOT RUN SINCE 2020, so removed listing during 2022 update
Words for the Wounded UK Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies
Notes on W4W Competition: Any style / genre - their writing competitions vary every year, so check the website for current details - CLOSED 2021
Words Just Words Science Fiction Short Story Competition UK May July 3,500 £3.50 £50
Notes on Words Just Words Competition: Science Fiction - winners published in printed anthology - CLOSED 2013
Words Mag Short Story Competition UK Bi-Annually Bi-Annually 2,000 Varies Varies
Notes on Words Mag Competition: Any style / genre - all winning and commended short stories are published in Words Magazine and online anthologies - entry fee varies, but is often free - prizes up to £75 - WEBSITE HACKED, so removed listing 2020
Words on the Waves WOW! Award Ireland November February 3,000 €15 €750
Notes on WOW! Competition: Any style / genre - winners published in WOW! anthology - Words on the Waves is affiliated with Words on the Street publishers - LAST RUN 2015, so removed listing 2017
Words with Jam Short Story Competition UK November February 2,500 £6 £500
Notes on Words with Jam Competition: Any style / genre - run by Triskele Books - they also run other writing competitions, so check the website for full details - NOT RUN SINCE 2017, so removed listing in 2020 update

World City Stories Short Story Competition

Ireland

30th Sept 2015

Oct 2015

3,500

FREE

€100

Notes on WCS Competition: Any style / genre, but story must be set in a city - winners published on the website - this competition may become a regular comp depending on popularity - CURRENTLY CLOSED
Worlds Adrift Creative Writing Contest - See Your Work In-Game UK 9th February 2016 ? 500 FREE See notes
Notes on Worlds Adrift Contest: Any style / genre - winner's work will feature in the game 'Worlds Adrift' as a piece of discoverable lore - ONE-OFF, CLOSED 2016
Write a Story for Children  UK March May 2,000 £3 £2,000
Notes on Write a Story for Children Competition: Children's - CLOSED 2015
Writers Fest Writing Contest Canada Varies Varies 1,500 Varies Varies
Notes on Vancouver Writers Fest Competition: Any style / genre - sometimes for adults, sometimes for younger writers - prizes up $300 - check website for current details - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2022
Writer's Notebook Short Story Competition UK Monthly Monthly 1,500 FREE See notes
Notes on Writer's Notebook Competition: Themed, check website for current theme - winners published in an anthology at the end of the year - CLOSED, website has not been updated since 2015 so removed from lists
Writers' Reign UK May July 1,500 £3.50 £100
Notes on Writers' Reign Competition: Themed, so check their website for current theme - winning stories published on Writers' Reign website - 2 entries for £6 - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing Jan 2018
Writers Type Short Story Competition USA Monthly Monthly 6,000 $10 $25
Notes on Writers Type Competition: Any style / genre - prize awarded as an electronic gift card - each monthly winner and runner up is automatically entered into the yearly part of the competition which has a prize of a $225 gift card - winners published on the website - they also run a 'flash fiction' and 'first chapter' competition, check the website for more details - CLOSED 2016
Writers' Village UK Bi-Annually Bi-Annually 3,000 £15 £1,000
Notes on Writers' Village Competition: Any style / genre - all entries receive critique or tips on how to improve their writing, so you get feedback from the judges which is excellent - 2nd prize now £500, third prize of £250 and there are 15 runner up prizes of £50 - winners and runners up published on the website (I have been published through this competition - read more about it here) - Suspended in 2016 but might come back
Writers' Village UK Bi-Annually Bi-Annually 3,000 £15 £1,000
Notes on Writers' Village Competition: Any style / genre - this competition is run bi-annually, so for more details see the Writers' Village listing in the regular competitions list (I have been published through this competition - read more about it here) - Suspended in 2016 but might come back
Writer's Workout Writer's Games Competition USA April June Varies FREE See notes
Notes on Writer's Games Competition: Any style / genre, but themed, so check website for current prompts - winner receives free social media consultation ($75 value), free copy of Games Anthology and an interview on Writer’s Workout website - all entrants receive critiques - winners are published in the Games Anthology, all proceeds go to charity - WEBSITE NOT UPDATED FOR OVER A YEAR, so removed from lists Jan 2018
WriterWriter's International Short Story Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 7,500 $4 $75

Notes on WriterWriter's Competition: Alternates genres between sci-fi, fantasy,  and horror so check website for current details - winner author interview published on personalised author page on website - winners published on our website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED IN 2019, so removed listing in 2020 update

Writing Magazine 'Iceland Writers' Retreat Northern Lights Competition' England / Iceland

3rd January 2016

February 2016

500 FREE See notes
Notes on Iceland Writers' Competition: Any style / genre - winners receive a writing retreat in Iceland with all flights and accommodation paid for, worth £1,500 - flights only available from UK airports - ONE-OFF COMPETITION, CLOSED 2016
Writing Times Children's Writing Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 1,500 FREE A book
Notes on Writing Times Children's Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - prize is any book up to £10 in value - winners published in the Writing Times - also a prize for drawing - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED, so removed from lists Jan 2018
Writing Times Short Story Writing Competition UK December March 7,000 £3 £50
Notes on Writing Times Competition: Any style / genre but check website for current theme - winner published in the Writing Times along with a feature about the author - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED, so removed listing Jan 2018
Writing Times Senior's Writing Competition UK Quarterly Quarterly 1,500 £1.50 A book
Notes on Writing Times Senior's Competition: Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - prize is any book up to £10 in value - winners published in the Writing Times - CLOSED, website disappeared 2017
Writing Writers Christmas Chaos UK December January 2,500 £3 £100
Notes on Writing Writers Competition: Any style / genre but themed around Christmas - winner published on website - CANCELLED because judge pulled out
Wundor Short Fiction Contest UK February March 45,000 £10 £500
Notes on Wundor Editions Competition: Any style / genre - 5,000 words minimum, 45,000 words maximum - novellas and collections of short stories also considered - winners published on website and strongly considered for publication in print - BECAME PHOTO COMPETITION, removed listing Jan 2018
XPRIZE Sci-Fi Anthology Short Story Contest USA 25th August 2017 29th September 2017 4,000 FREE See notes
Notes on XPRIZE Contest: Sci-fi - winning stories published on website - winner receives all-expense paid trip for two worth $10,000 which includes flights, hotels, $1,500 spending money and more, so see website for full details CLOSED, was a one-off
Year of Listening Competition Scotland 28th October 2016 11th November 2016 500 FREE See notes
Notes on Year of Listening Competition: Any style or genre but themed around 'What does listening mean to you?' - top prize is an MP3 player - winner is published on the website and in printed publications - CLOSED
Yoga Tribe Short Story Competition Austria March April 8,000 € 15 €500
Notes on Yoga Tribe Competition: Any style / genre, but themed around yoga - prize is either cash or a yoga teacher training scholarship - CLOSED 2015
Youth 4 Tomorrow Horror Writing Contest Portugal 31st December 2014 January 2015 5,000 FREE See notes
Notes on Youth 4 Tomorrow Competition: Horror - open to people aged up to 35 living in Portugal - you can submit in English or Portuguese - winners receive an award and are published in English and Portuguese in a digital anthology - CLOSED, was a one-off
YSCI-FI Cyberpunk Short Story Competition UK 31st October 2017 1st December 2017 7,500 FREE $150
Notes on YSCI-FI Competition: Sci-Fi subgenre Cyberpunk - winner receives cash and custom artwork for their story - CLOSED, was a one-off

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Writing Advice

By Christopher Fielden

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Gary D
The Ruth Rendell short story comp actually closed in 2011 – this is not entirely clear from their website, even the ‘terms and conditions’ just said closing Oct 29th and (as I discovered) the online form still lets you submit a story and send them £10 – they returned the entry fee and sent an apologetic email, but it might be worth noting so no-one else makes the same mistake I did. Thanks for your website, I very much enjoyed your short stories and find your competitions listings page to be very useful … now I’m just looking for a good market for my 1,000 word story that I’d oh-so-carefully crafted for the Ruth Rendell comp!

Chris Fielden
Thanks for the info Gary, I've updated the Ruth Rendell competition details, listing it as closed. Best of luck getting the story placed!

Tim
Thanks for doing this, very nicely laid out and easy to follow salient facts, it is much appreciated. I'm pretty new to short story writing and was looking for comps for a short I've just written. I didn't realise the problems I'd face with it being around 7,500 words though! 

Chris Fielden
Thanks Tim, yes, there are very few competitions which accept over 5,000 words. You can try the magazines page as a lot of the US publications take submissions around the 7,000 word mark.

F Venn
Greetings, I've noticed the 'Dark Lane Quarterly Collaborative' magazine, is not an addition to any of the listings. As well as short stories, this non-profitable [and micro compact] fiction publication, also welcomes submissions - such as proses, poetry and black & white artwork.. 
Perhaps, it could be added to the 'Other short Story Publishing' list.

Chris Fielden
Thanks F, I've added the DLCQ mag to the magazines page (see link in comment above yours)!

Brenda
Thank you for compiling all these contests. The first time I was on this site I thought I saw a contest pertaining to anything to do with horses, but now can't find it. Is it here?

Chris Fielden
Hi Brenda, it's called Equestrian Fiction Finder and is in the regular short story competition list :-)

John W
Hi. I have written 18 short stories for children (say 4 to 8 years) about a young bear and a hedgehog and their adventures. Perhaps you could recommend suitable competitions I could enter? Regards, John

Chris Fielden
Hi John. Your best bet is to try the Write a Story for Children competition, which is in the Prestigious &/or Big Prize Short Story Competitions list on this page, although they get a lot of entries, so competition is tough!

Jo B
This is a brilliant resource.  Thank you.

Harshita N
Thanx for providing so many opportunities on a single page. But it would be absolutely fantastic if u would also list competitions outside the UK, USA. etc. and include Asian countries.

Chris Fielden
Thanks Jo :-)

Harshita, I will list any short story competitions from any country (there is one Egyptian one listed) but I need to know about them! If there are any you know of that you'd like listed here, please tell me.

Richard B
I just wanted to say thanks. Yours is the best competition list I've found. Cheers, Richard

Chris Fielden
Thanking you Captain Rich

Jane B
Hi Chris - your list is most useful, thank you. Bristol Prize has a word max of 4,000 rather than 3,ooo according to the website. J 

Chris Fielden
Thanking you Jane, much appreciated - I have updated the details accordingly :-)

Pamela A
Wonderful, comprehensive listings - thank you very much. I've wasted too much time compiling lists instead of focusing on writing - procrastinating and getting too tidy! Cheers and good health, Pamela

Russell S
Your site is an excellent resource for someone such as myself looking to get on that tricky first rung of the publishing ladder. Can I recommend adding details of a new short story/poetry journal called Sixfold which I have recently submitted to? They have had to postpone their first issue in order to allow more submissions. It is to be writer voted i.e. everyone who submits gets involved with the reading/rating process to pick a winner. I think it's a great concept and would be grateful if you could help spread the word by adding it to your list. Thanks

Chris Fielden
Thanks Pamela.

Russell, thanks for the information. I've added Sixfold to the prestigious, big prize competition list. Best of luck - I hope you do well in the competition :-)

Honor W
I was searching for the annual competition for a book of Scottish Short Stories, which used to have the closing date of 31st Jan - but I can't find it. Does it no longer exist do you know or am I using the wrong search terms? Thanks for this list - it's very useful. .

Chris Fielden
Hi Honor, the only one I'm aware of is the HISSAC competition. That closes in July, but the organisers might have changed the entry dates.

K I
Thank you sooo much for putting this up! Honestly, it has been of a great help to me. KI

Anne
Thank you so much for compiling this list! It's saved loads of time for me, and it's given me a lot of motivation too!

Julie C
Hi Chris,

Love your competition website!  Incredibly useful to me. 

I've written a collection of short stories and have decided to enter them in various competitions this year, since publishing them as a whole collection is proving to be quite difficult (as a previously unpublished author). 

However, there is one thought that is concerning me and I can't find the answer to it anywhere. Hence my asking you! 

If I win a competition, or am a runner-up, can I then use the story again in a collection at a later date?  I don't want to enter and possibly win competitions if that means I then can't use the story again, as part of a complete collection.  My purpose for trying to get a mention in competitions is to make publishers more likely to consider taking my collection as a whole. 

Any knowledge or advice you have in this area will be most welcome. 

Thanks! Julie

Chris Fielden

Hi Julie

Thanks for getting in touch.

What you're talking about is exactly what I'm planning to do with my short stories long term - put a collection together, ALL of which will have been previously published. So I think it's a fantastic idea, but I am slightly biased :-) 

However, I'm afraid I can't give you a definitive answer to your question, as I don't actually know. I'd assume it would vary from publisher to publisher.

I believe that having stories in your collection that are previously published would make your work far more saleable as the stories are of a proven quality - an editor or competition judge has already thought they were good enough to publish. And if you have work published, it means you already have an audience, so a publisher is more likely to consider you seriously. It also gives you some great experience in dealing with editors so it's fabulous for your writing CV.

The only time you might run into issues is with the contracts you enter into when your work is published through competitions. The vast majority of competitions and short story magazines ask for previously unpublished works and ask for first publishing rights in their Ts & Cs. The copyright generally remains with the author, meaning that after the magazine or competition have published your work, you are then free to resell it. That is certainly the case for all of the stories I've published, including one which is due to be in the Chapter One promotions anthology 'Primed' this year. For this particular story, I've had to sign quite a lengthy contract, but the copyright remains with me and, once their book is published, I'm free to do what I want with the story.

So  I really can't see it being a problem (in most cases) if some or all of the stories in a collection have been published previously.

To back this theory up, 'The Golden Apples of the Sun' and 'The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl' are examples of 2 very famous books that contain stories that have been previously published in a wide variety of magazines. Admittedly, these are old books from established authors, but the fact that the stories were previously published didn't stop a publisher releasing them as a collection. The books actually say where and when they were first published - maybe because they are obliged to, but probably because the reader will find it interesting.

In the end, I'd advise you to try and get as many stories published as you can through competitions, always aiming to WIN! Even if it turns out that you can't use them in a collection, they might get a publisher's interest. Then you can write more stories for the collection once you have a publishing contract!

I hope that's useful.

Chris

Julie C
Hi Chris, Thanks for such a swift and helpful reply. 

Your answer is very encouraging, and pretty much what I suspected myself.  It means that I can go ahead and enter loads of competitions in the meantime.  I will be super-aware of the contracts aspect, though, and try to ensure that the copyright remains with me. 

My husband suggested I 'just write more' if I can't re-use the stories, but you know how precious they become - I want to see them belong together, since I deliberately wrote them with similar themes to fit together neatly into a collection. 

It would be annoying if I can only use them once. Many thanks again, and best of luck with your own collection.  It sounds as if you're well on the way to putting one together! 

Julie

Chris Fielden
Hi Julie

No problem, I'm glad you found it helpful :-)

I know what you mean about stories becoming precious. I must admit though, over time, I've become less precious about them - I just like to see them in print!

Best of luck with the competitions. If you have any joy, please get in touch and let me know.

Cheers, Chris 

Roger S
Christopher, I plan to enter one of the short story contests you mentioned. But I do have a 7,000-word short story set in England -- where we have often travelled to from here in the Colonies -- and wondered if you might be able to suggest a contest in the UK that accepts entries of that length. All help appreciated. Roger

Chris Fielden
Hi Roger

The only one I'm aware of in the UK is the Earlyworks Press Competition. The BBC Short Story Award also takes stories of this length, but you have to be from the UK and previously published to enter it.

There are a couple of UK magazines that take longer stories - you can see them here.

Best of luck with getting your story placed! Chris

Sarita
Really useful list. Thank you for sharing :)

Christopher O
This is a brilliant resource. Thanks. I wish I knew of it earlier.

Anne K
Thanks for such a useful web site, just thinking of starting out again decades after having some small success with short story writing with HE Bates. Feel very inspired now!

Samantha D
This is so useful.  I have a short story that I would like to try and get published but have found that most sites/competitions are for stories around the 2,000 words mark (mine is just under 5,000).  I have seen a couple of possible sites/competitions here, so THANKs. Sam

Alison C
I run the Frome Festival Short Story Competition - can you add the fee please?  It\'s £5 plus £47 for in depth critique. Thanks, Alison

Chris Fielden
Hi Alison - updated for you :-)

And thanks Sarita, Chris, Anne and Sam - all good to hear!!

Dave P
Thanks for this Chris, kind of you to share it. Very useful. Dave

Monica G
Hi !! I'm sixteen years old and I'm an Indian. I would love to register in a competition but  really don't know which category to look under. My story is about adventure and little bit of detective work. I would really like your suggestions. Thank you so much ! :)

Chris Fielden
Thanks Dave :-)

Monica, try the list of Writing Competitions for Young Writers & Children. It contains competitions aimed at younger writers around your age. Best of luck!

Pierre F
You missed the Writers Type competition. They offer Amazon Gift Coupons as prizes. It's a monthly affair, and winners qualify for re-entry in the Annual Competition, where the Coupon prize is more substantial.

Chris Fielden
Thanks Pierre - added!

Dee J
What about the monthly short story comps in Writing Magazine and Writers' News? I had a quick look at your regulars listing but didn't see these mentioned. The magazines come together these days, one inside the other. Available at newsagents in the UK and probably elsewhere. They have a website.

Thanks for compiling these lists. Very useful.

Chris Fielden
Thanks Dee, added!

Cathy M
There's also the Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story prize - it actually closed today (sorry!) but seems to be an annual thing, open to writers of any nationality.

Chris Fielden
Thank you Kathy, added :-)

Judith W
Fascinating - the entire site - shall get weaving at once - thank you very much. Judith

Moody C
Hi Chris, I live in Australia (originally from Yorkshire).  This site is fanbloodytastic!  Thank you so much for taking time to create it.  My teeny worry is you mention Brit Writers.  I was short listed in their 2011 Awards and travelled from Australia to England for the ceremony (which was no hardship whatsoever!). However, I have serious concerns about this lot - they will not reveal anything about themselves and wouldn't even say who the judges were apart from 'famous authors, members of book clubs, editors ...'. See Harry Bingham's Writers' Workshop blog about them (post 1 here and post 2 here).  Dodgy as.  Thanks again, MC

Chris Fielden
Thanks for the heads up Moody :-) If you have any other info about this, please let me know! Chris

Moody C
I felt really deflated by Brit Writers - in fact, I even wondered if I'd been chosen because I live in Australia and it looked good on their fancy programme. A lad at our table on the evening had been shortlisted in the song writing category. He said that when he received the phone call (re the shortlist) he was told that if he didn't travel to London for the ceremony then he couldn't win!

Another lady was there with her two young daughters.  One daughter (12) had been shortlisted in the children's category. The other daughter was 9 and they travelled from Cornwall. They charged the mum £100 for the 9 year old's ticket! A few months later I got an email saying the CEO of the company wanted one-to-one meetings with all finalists 'to see what he could do to help...' I was, coincidentally, coming over to England in the Dec/Jan, so wrote back immediately, saying I would be available for 6 weeks and would be delighted to travel from Yorkshire to London to meet him. I never heard another word. Perhaps I'm being harsh but you know when you just have a bit of a funny old feeling?

Chris Fielden
Certainly do Moody! Thanks for sharing this, it's really useful for users of my website to be able to see this kind of information. Anyone else got any info on Brit Writers they'd like to share?

Jackie P
This is a great resource and wonderful of you to have put so much of your time and effort into putting this together. Tired of writing "legalese", I'd like to try and return to a more creative format and was wondering where to look for short story contests. Look no further! Thank you!

Stella S
Hello, first time visitor to your site, I'll definitely bookmark it! Thank you.

Carol W
Hello,

 Are you familiar with the Manchester Writing School with its B-I-G prize money? ( closely linked with the poet laureate C.A. Duffy, to boot). Am I having a dim moment, or does merely entering a story to them mean that it will never be free of them again? My 'copyright' as author merely assures my right to have my name linked with my work and any quotation from the same, doesn't it? £17 seems a high price to pay to lose control of one's story for ever and ever. Regards, and thanks for your helpful page. Carol

Chris Fielden

Thanks Jackie & Stella! Carol,

I am familiar with the Manchester writing competition - I've entered it before, but not got anywhere. If you enter, you retain all rights to your story. You just grant the Manchester Writing Competition first publication rights. This is standard stuff and very fair, especially given the 10K prize. This means, once the they have published your story, you can do what you want with it. At least, that's how I understand it.

Hope that's helpful, and best of luck with the competition! Chris

Venu G
Hi there, thanks so much for this super-helpful list. Just to help you keep it updated I'd like to let you know that one link is broken. It's in the notes of the Bridgewater competition, where it says you can get way more info by clicking 'here'. I'm in India now so there's a chance it just doesn't work here. Thanks again! Venu

Chris Fielden
Thanks Venu, it was broken! I've updated it :-) Cheers, Chris

Petrina F
I am an EL school teacher from Malaysia. I'd like to get my students interested in writing so I thought participating in writing competitions would be a good start. Unfortunately, due to the dearth of such competitions in Malaysia, I'm forced to search the international scene. I came across your fantastic website. I need to know: Do they accept international entries? Thank you.

Chris Fielden
Hi Petrina, most of the competitions listed on the site accept entries from residents in any country as long as the stores are written in English. There are a few which only accept entries from specific countries, so you’ll have to check each competition website to see the exact rules, but most are happy to accept entrants from anywhere.

Lynn L
Hi Chris, a writer friend put me onto your site and it's great. It's well organised, honest whilst remaining encouraging and it's great to see that you update so regularly as some sites allow their info to become out of date quickly. Thanks for your hard work.

Chioma C
Hello Chris, thank you for such a comprehensive list! I'm a budding poet, and wondered if you could point me in the direction of poetry competitions please? Many thanks!

Chris Fielden
Hi Chioma, you could try getting a copy of Writers Forum magazine as they list poetry competitions regularly and also run a poetry competition every month. Or try the Poetry Library. They list many competitions and it looks like it's kept quite up to date :-)

Chioma C
Hello Chris, I looked it up, many thanks! Followed you on Twitter too... Looked at your activity there and I see you list competitions there as well. Chioma

Chris Fielden
No probs, thanks Chioma :-)

Tim K
I received a mail recently to say the Ruth Rendell Interact comp is running.

Here is an extract from the mail: Entries can be submitted online or by post. Please find more details and terms and conditions of entry on the InterAct Reading Service website.

Fionnuala K
Hi Christopher, I wanted to say " Thank you" for your tremendous  chart of all the competition possibilities - great to see it all in one place and a smashing research job.

I just wanted to add some things - although the Frank O Connor is only for published writers, there is another competition through MunsterLit, which is the Sean O Faoilain short story which is (I think) open to all, needing just an unpublished story. There are other great opportunities in Ireland, including the fantastic Listowel Writers week where there are both short story,  and playwriting opportunities thanks to Bryan Mac Mahon (short story) and Eamon Keane (full length play). Listowel writers week staff are also a tremendous group of people to work with - very supportive and helpful.

Chris Fielden
Many thanks Tim & Fionnuala! I've updated the page accordingly :-)

Fionnuala K
You are welcome, Chris. Thank you again for a great resource and good luck with the writing, Fionnuala

Bree W
This is a great list, thanks Chris for putting it together. Just a quick question, I'm very new to this and was wondering if you could enter the same story in multiple competitions? Just wondering.  Thanks in advance.

Chris Fielden

Hi Bree, it depends on each individual competition's rules. Some are happy for you to enter your work elsewhere, like the Bristol Prize for example, but many prefer you not to enter your work for consideration elsewhere until they have announced their winners. Personally, I think you should be able to enter stories into as many competitions as you like as you will sometimes be waiting for months to hear about results and it can seriously slow up your publishing rate. However, I can see why competition administrators ask you not to enter your work elsewhere, as it can cause them problems if your work is placed and they select you as a winner.

I'd just use your common sense, but bear in mind that the probability of being placed in more than one competition at once is unlikely, no matter how good your writing is! If you do enter more than one competition at once, I'd just let any other competitions know when your work has been accepted elsewhere so it causes them minimum inconvenience.

Hope that's helpful, and best of luck with your writing.

Bree W
Thanks for the reply :-) Now to filter through the competitions and pick a couple. Thanks again :-)

Anthea C
Thank you so much for all the work you have put into your website. So helpful. Do you have any ideas of a competition that I could enter my lower sixth A level English students into? They have just returned to school after taking their AS levels and I want them to study narratology and am going to get them to write a short story. It would be great if they knew it was being entered for a competition, because then it would make it feel more important to them. Any ideas? Many thanks. Anthea (Head of English, Kent College, Pembury)

Chris Fielden
Anthea, you could try one or two of the competitions from the list I have for young writers and children on this page.

Aside from that, maybe one of regular competitions, like Writers' Forum, as you can enter that at anytime during the year. But you'd have to check they don't have an age limit.

Hope that's helpful :-)

Edmund W
Just wanted to say thanks very much for collating all this information - extremely useful to aspiring novelists!

Maureen O
Thanks so much for this list and for all the effort that you obviously put into it. I may have missed it but I did not see the Glimmer Train Stories. They run different competitions year long. Cheers, Maureen

Chris Fielden
Thanks Edmund!

Glimmer Train added Maureen - thanks for the heads up :-)

Palash P
Thank you so much, Christopher. It's quite an exhaustive list. I belong to the Writers' family in India. Of late I felt the hunger to put my thoughts into words and it resulted in immense gratification. I do not know if I have the X factor in me to become a writer and create a niche in someone's heart, but I can try!

Chris Fielden
Welcome, Palash - best of luck with your writing :-)

Bill C
First time I saw all the comps listed. Very helpful!

Mandy T
Just wanted to thank you for such an excellent website. I found out about Myslexia and Scribble magazines here and now subscribe to both - waiting to hear back from Scribble re a short story I recently sent them as I write this ... I've also entered several competitions this year from your extensive listings, and have just found four more I'd like to try my hand at. Happy writing!

Chris Fielden
Thanks Bill!

Mandy - glad you found this resource so useful. It would be great to hear how you get on with the competitions :-)

Marlene P
Hi Chris, this is excellent. I write a lot of short stories. What you have done here is very helpful . Can you let me know what Writing Course you did? Thanks a lot.

Chris Fielden
Hi Marlene, I did the Writers Bureau course. I found it very comprehensive and did the non-fiction and fiction modules. Let me know if you have any questions about it .

Marlene P
Thanks Chris... I've been reading your stories....:-):-):-)

Emma W
Hi Chris, thank you very much for this resource. 

My question - In your experience do successful short stories usually approximate the maximum word limit? In other words, would a 2,000 word short story be considered an acceptable entry in a competition with a 5,000 word limit? Thanks

Chris Fielden
Hi Emma, in my experience, it doesn't matter how long the story is, it's the quality of the story that counts. For example, I've had 2,500 word story published through a 5,000 word limit competition before.

The only exception to this is if a contest stipulates a minimum and a maximum, which some magazines do to fit their print requirements. But if no minimum is stated, you should be fine entering any length of story. Hope that's helpful :-)

Helen M
Was wondering why the Hennessy New Irish Writing in conjunction with the Irish Indo is not listed? It can be entered throughout the year and is free. Fiction, non published and free.  Regards, H

Chris Fielden
Hi Helen, to list the comp, I need the details and I can't find any entry rules or anything online. Are you familiar with the rules (how to enter, entry dates, prizes offered, dates, word limit, frequency of the comp etc)? I'd need all these to list the comp. If you could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated :-)

Ruth
Thank you for this information, it was helpful...

Helen M
Hi Chris, thanks for reply. It's a noted competition in Ireland. I've added a link. I've been shortlisted for the 43rd Hennessy  in 2013 and like yourself found it difficult to find any info on it. I was sent a link by a friend which is how I ended up entering. Hope this helps and if not please feel free to email me back. Well done on the comp list you have provided. Regards, H

Chris Fielden
Thanks Ruth!

And thanks very much Helen :-) I've contacted www.writing.ie to see if they can give me more details, or point at the right website to find out all the entry details. I'll let you know if they get back to me.

Tanya V
Hi. I'm looking for competitions in Canada and only see 2 on your list. CBC Books has a competition underway shortly. I wonder if you could look up more from Canada. Thanks.

Chris Fielden
H i Tanya, I've added the CBC Books short story competition to the lists - thanks for the heads up :-)

I'm not very familiar with the Canadian writing market, so if you know of any other short story competitions based in Canada, please let me know and I'll be happy to list them. Thanks, Chris

Tanya V
Will do – I’ve been researching them so I’ll send you links to the ones I’ve found. Thanks for replying.

Another question – if a competition is set in, say, England, does that mean it’s only open to English citizens?

Chris Fielden
That would be great, thank you Tanya :-)

In my experience, most competitions will accept entries from anywhere in the world as long as they are written in English. But it's best to check the rules and submission guidelines for each competition carefully to make sure, as there are some exceptions to this rule.

Iris A
This site looks good, but you should have a section for younger writers; I'm 13 and none of these competitions are what I'm looking for.

Chris Fielden
Iris, try the Writing Competitions for Young Writers & Children list on this page ;-)

Will H
I'm far from the first to say this, but what an excellent site! It's been most helpful to me as I've written a couple of shorts recently and have decided to put them into a few competitions to test the water.

I have a small conundrum, which is probably as much me getting ideas above my station as anything else, but I've entered them into a couple of the more prestigious competitions (omitting the ones that demand exclusivity of submission) and a couple from the regular short competitions, including a monthly one whose submission deadline is very near. While it would be amazing to receive any acknowledgement to help give me a platform, I'm considering withdrawing from this one as if it was published it appears it would mean needing to withdraw from Glimmer Train which has a much later deadline for submission. It's unlikely that I'll find out if GT will be interested in my submission before the less prestigious competition publishes its winner, and though my odds of success are considerably less on GT, I'm quite confident about the piece. Or do you think it would be best to get over myself and just cross that bridge when I get there? Thanks very much.

Chris Fielden
Will, I'd definitely leave the story in both competitions. Glimmer Train is brilliant but incredibly competitive. From what I've read, they have thousands of submissions and the chance of being published is slim, even for an amazing story. That's not to say we shouldn't submit to them, but I feel it would be shortsighted to withdraw from a regular competition given the small chance of success with GT. Even the regular competitions can have hundreds of entries, so it's pretty tough to get published through them too. The likelihood of success in both competitions is probably akin to winning the lottery! OK, maybe a little melodramatic, but it really isn't likely. If you are placed in either, be happy. For that reason I'd leave your story in both and deal with the 'problem' (and it's a nice problem to have) should it arise :-)

Will H
Thanks so much for the advice. That's incredibly helpful and I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly!

Paul A
I just wanted to say thank you for the list of various competitions available for short story writing. 

I must say the more comps that appear, thanks to you updating, the more encouraging it is to keep writing and trying new things. Paul

Chris Fielden
Thanks very much Paul :-)

Rochelle P
Hello, firstly I would like to thank you for compiling together this list............... Boy,  does it save a lot of time. Secondly I appreciate the effort at unfailingly ensuring your response to each comment. I mean it's quite encouraging for beginning writers like me. I am trying my best to pen stories written from my heart.... of course it may take a while to see them published anywhere but for now, the mere fact of writing is rewarding enough for me......

Chris Fielden
Thanks Rochelle :-) 

I'm glad you find the site useful and encouraging. Best of luck with your writing!

Ben S
Hi Chris, thank you so much for the list! This is a great resource and has enabled me to quickly find and enter a number of competitions, and hopefully many more in the future. You've done a great service putting these lists together. So again, thank you! Ben

Chris Fielden
Thanks very much Ben :-) Glad you find it useful!

Carla D
Thank you very much for doing this, all the time that you went through to gather this information and to put it nicely here... thanks!

Archie D
Hi Chris, very useful website, thank you.

Just thought I should let you know that the Meridian Competition is no longer running. Neither, it seems, is PinkPen or Friends of Dickens.

Plenty left though!

Chris Fielden
Thanks very much Archie, I've updated the listings accordingly :-)

Oke I
Nice work Chris. So helpful. I did list you as a source in one of the competitions.

Chris Fielden
Great, thanks Oke!

Seana S
Hi, thanks for all your hard work... invaluable stuff, for sure.

I reckon I am probably too late for this year, but have recently written a short story which has surprised me a lot. It has a Christmas theme, some family/aging angles as well,  but I seem to have avoided any kind of  shlocky sentimental quality. It has had a very good response from my usual readers, all agreeing it MUST be sent off in time for  Holiday publication. All well and good, but I am having trouble finding any competitions in this area, or even publications looking for submissions with a Christmas theme. Any suggestions?? Again, many thanks, Seana

Chris Fielden
Seana, I'm not familiar with any competitions with a Christmas theme, but I'd consider submitting to some of the more regular competitions (see the regular comps list). Writers' Forum might be good, probably between now and the end of October, ready for the magazine released closest to Christmas. And maybe some of the quarterly competitions, like Writers' Village. While these competitions don't specifically ask for a Christmas theme, your story might appeal to them more at this time of year. It's worth a go!

Hope that's helpful :)

Gerelyn D J
Many thanks for your very comprehensive listing of writing opportunities. The search was a pleasure which has indeed provided me with options. I'm encouraged too, to  press ahead for the five figure prizes!

Chris Fielden
Great, thanks Gerelyn :-)

Laura J
Hi Chris! Thanks for creating this website! Extremely helpful and organised!

Do you know of any free, early teen English competitions? Thanks.

Chris Fielden
Hi Laura, the only competitions I know of that are for younger writers are in the Competitions for Young Writers and Children list. There are a few free ones listed there, so you could try those :-)

Lawrence C
Thank you so much for all your alerts on the time schedules of writing contests. I wish to know if you're allowed to submit a story to two different competitions that fall within the same time, date and month? Thank you.

Chris Fielden
Lawrence, different competitions have different rules about this. Some will let you submit while submitting elsewhere and some won't. You will have to look at the rules for each individual competition to see what they say.

However, I tend to enter multiple competitions at once where possible or if a competition has long turnaround times (4 months or more). It's very rare that you will have a story accepted by two competitions at once, so I wouldn't worry too much about it, and that speeds up how quickly your stories are likely to be published. But with competitions that have quick turnarounds, I tend to wait, as it doesn't hinder your submissions too much. I hope that's helpful :-)

Gale B
I now have too many competitions that I want to enter! Thank you for listing them all like this,  I have been trolling the net for ages looking for a list like this. I'm new to this writing lark so really appreciate this site. Can we have some updated one off competitions now as some in your list have now expired. Cheers.

Chris Fielden
Thanks Gale :-)

I will add more one-off competitions as I hear about them - if you know of any, please let me know!

Betty H
Thanks for such and excellent resource.

Nigel H
Thank you for your site. It is the most useful tool I have ever come across. Fantastic. Thanks for all the work you must have put in in order to tabulate all that information. Wonderful.

Chris Fielden
Thanks Nigel!

Simon M
Just to say that the "My Daily Story" link above now leads to a dead webpage.

Also Apostrophe Books at the very top, while still active, don't now appear to be running any competitions - the link above goes to a "page not found" notice.

This is, nevertheless, a very useful resource - having just won a writing competition (for scripts) I'm keen to enter more, especially for prose as it's not something I've done before, and a site like this is very helpful.

Chris Fielden
Thanks very much Simon. I've updated the links accordingly :-)

Stefani H
Mr. Fielden, I was checking out the list of writing contests on your website. When I checked out the Glimmer Train contest there is a $15.00 "Reading Fee" for each entry. On your site it is listed as a free contest. Just letting you know.

Thank you very much for the list!

Chris Fielden
Thanks for letting me know, Stephani!

I’ve had a look and Glimmer Train run a couple of free competitions throughout the year, but, like you say, the rest do have a reading fee, so I’ve updated the information accordingly :-)

Miranda N
Do you know of any international writing competitions? Or are they mentioned in the notes, 'cause I only checked the country...? Especially contests in Northern Europe :)

Chris Fielden
I'm afraid I'm not familiar with many writing competitions based in Northern Europe, Miranda, so can't really help there.

However, most of the competitions listed are international, accepting entries from writers residing anywhere in the world, providing their stories are written in English. There are a few exceptions, but around 95% are international. You'll just have to check the rules of each competition to be sure.

Hope that's helpful :-)

Jennifer M
Dear Chris, congratulations on an absolutely brilliant resource for budding writers.  You deserve serious kudos for the time and effort you must have put in to this web-site.  Also loved your story on Ninjas and zombies. Not a word wasted.  Perfect.

Keep up the good work,

one grateful reader...

Chris Fielden
Thanks very much Jennifer :-)

Deb T
I enjoy your site very much - thank you for keeping it so well-stocked!

I was wondering if you have heard any news about the Ruth Rendell short story competition - is it actually being judged at all, for instance? Strange question, but I entered a story last autumn (£15, fairly expensive) and apart from the acknowledgement I've heard nothing more and can find nothing out. There appears to be nothing about it on the website (Interact Reading Service). Just wondered...

Thanks!

Chris Fielden
Deb, you're welcome - I'm glad you like the site :-)

I don't know about the Ruth Rendell competition - I couldn't find anything about it on their site either. I've tweeted them asking if they're judging and will let you know if they get back to me. Have you tried emailing them to ask?

Deb T
Hi Chris, I finally got round to asking them today - why I didn't before now I don't know!

Apparently the entries have been judged and there is a date next week when Ruth Rendell presents the prize. I do think it odd that there is no indication on the site as to when this would happen. I had a very nice email from the organiser, who said that because the competition begins and ends in May of consecutive years it would be too confusing, and they have to work around Ruth Rendell's busy schedule. Hopefully they've taken my comments on board, as I also think it's a bit confusing not to mention the "end" at all!

I appreciate your website very much - thank you for all the hard work. Deb

Chris Fielden
Great, thanks for letting me know, Deb.

They also responded to my tweet today and said: Hi Chris, the awards ceremony is being held next Tues 20th, where Ruth Rendell will announce the winner.

Best of luck with your entry!

Kay
Hey, this is a really good list! I'm 14 and really struggling to find a competition to enter my 400 word short story into! Do you have any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Chris Fielden
Kay, there are a few suitable competitions aimed specifically at your age group in the Writing Competitions for Young Writers & Children list on this page.

Hope that's helpful and best of luck with your writing :)

Preeti
Do you know about any short story writing competitions held in India?

Chris Fielden
Preeti, I'm afraid I don't know of any competitions in India. If you hear of any, please let me know and I'll list them :-)

Nira M
Hi, I wanted to say thank you so much. I'm from Iran and I was very disappointed about how to publish my stories and through your site I realized that there are competitions for writing short stories. So you encouraged me to write more and translate my stories into English and try my best.

I wish you the best.

Chris Fielden
Thank you so much, Nira. I wish you the best of luck with getting your stories published.

Ruby S
Thank you for this - this list and your comments are such a help. Seeing all these competitions gives hope to aspiring writers!

Chris Fielden
Thanks Ruby :-)

Arta S
I'm a writer from Iran. I have to win a big prize, so that I can live, support myself and my profession. I have no problems with  writing,  I can write in any genre. Can you please guide me - which one is the right one for me.

Thank you.

Chris Fielden
Arta, you'll have to some research and see which competitions would be most suitable for your style of writing. The lists I provide will help you to do that. I would say that the competitions that offer large prizes are hard to win, as so many people enter them and the standards are extremely high. If you're new to writing, it might be more sensible to start with some of the smaller competitions that offer feedback so you can improve your work and get a feel for the right markets to submit your stories to.

I hope that's helpful and best of luck with your writing.

Kevin C
Chris, I have just stumbled across your website while looking for information on outlets for short stories. I just wanted to say what a terrific job you've done in putting this together. It's really a one-stop shop for anyone getting started in writing short stories and looking for places to submit them and other relevant advice. It's amazing how much there is out there and great to have some kind of a guide as to where to start.

I have just had a short piece of 'flash fiction' published on the Mashstories website and I don't think they are included in your list of competitions, unless I missed it, so you might want to consider adding them. Maybe you don't include 'flash-fiction' (?). I have had a good experience in submitting my piece to them: prompt response, prompt sensible and helpful feedback from the judges, and they put all short-listed stories into the form of a podcast.

Your own short story pieces on the site are very good, I especially enjoyed Mr Kill - well done.

Unfortunately, I also wasted a lot of precious time when I should have been writing, thanks to your 'Stuff what makes I laugh' section, so thanks a lot for that. I'll put it down as 'research'.

Keep up the good work.

Chris Fielden
Kevin, thanks for your kind words – I’m glad you find the site useful.

I do list flash fiction competitions, so I’ve added the Mash competition to the lists. Thanks for making me aware of it.

Sorry if the Stuff What Makes I Laugh page distracted you from your work, but I think having a giggle once in a while helps the brain to work more efficiently and makes your writing better. I’m no doctor, but that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.

Best of luck with your writing and congratulations on having your work published by Mash Stories.

Claire R
Hi Chris, what a helpful site and great advice! One to add to your short story competition list: Bloody Scotland do a crime fiction based competition, 3000 words with a £1000 prize. It is closed for this year but it looks like an annual competition.

Thanks, Claire

Chris Fielden
Thanks very much, Claire. I've added Bloody Scotland to the lists :-)

Cleo N
Thanks for the helpful list. I want to know if these competitions are open to anyone, no matter country they live in?

Chris Fielden
Cleo, you will have to read the submissions criteria on the different websites to check their rules. Most of the competitions listed are open to entries from writers living anywhere in the world, but there are a few that are country and / or area specific.

Frank W
Chris: I am an unpublished writer of fiction, both short stories and a recently completed novel.  After accumulating a collection over many years, I have never had the opportunity to focus on finalizing and publishing any of my works until recently reaching retirement from my other pursuits.  I am seriously considering competition in writing contests as a means to achieve recognition.  Your very helpful website is very impressive indeed, and I commend your diligence in updating it, which cannot be an easy task.  Thank you very much for providing this wonderful resource to us.   Whether I win or not, your efforts are very much appreciated.

Chris Fielden
Thanks Frank, glad you're finding the site useful.

Best of luck with publishing your stories :-)

Billy F
Hiya - I don't know if anyone else has had the same (lack of) response, but I've been trying to contact Talent River re: Shortz and it seems as though the site's been deserted. Several e-mails (+1 submission), nil response.

Chris Fielden
Thanks for letting me know, Billy. I've emailed my contact there to ask him if he's still running the website / competition. I'll let you know if I hear back.

John M
First, thank you for your efforts in maintaining this list. It's a great resource and I plan to enter several of the competitions.

My view is that you can't guarantee winning a competition, but you can certainly guarantee not winning. Plucking numbers out of the air, I guess that 50% of entries would be ruled out right away for bad spelling/grammar, breaking the submission rules or clearly bad stories. Another 30% would be competent but undistinguished. 10% would be good, but not quite top rate, leaving 10% to be considered for the prizes. 5% would be great stories, but with some flaw, or just outweighed by someone else's brilliance. Only 5% would really be in the running as possible winners. Then it comes down to the individual taste of the judges.

I'd appreciate your view on whether my general idea is correct, and, if it's possible to say, if my numbers are in the right ballpark.

Chris Fielden
John, I can only talk about my direct experience with running competitions.

The first competition I was involved with was free to enter. The first time it ran, there were over 200 entries and 46% were disqualified. Writers submitted stories way over the word count limit and with terrible formatting. It was obvious they hadn't read the rules. So there was a high disqualification rate. Of the remaining 54%, between 10% and 15% were considered for prizes.

In contrast, the competition I run on my site had 94 entries this year and a 0% disqualification rate. There were a few entrants that made errors, but these were minor mistakes and did not warrant disqualification, they just scored lower to make it fair for the writers who had obeyed all the rules and made no mistakes. Around 45% of entries were considered for prizes - the quality of entry was very high and it was hard to select a winner as so many of the stories were good.

The difference between the two competitions - the entry fee. In my experience, if there's an entry fee, the quality of entry is much higher. It seems to put off the lower quality entrants.

So, as you can see from these 2 examples, the percentages you're talking about vary massively. So it's impossible to say as it will be different for every competition.

Judge's opinions do differ greatly. The writers in my writing group (all published authors) are currently helping me select winners from the shortlist I compiled. With a couple of exceptions, they are all selecting different stories as favourites to win. I think having a panel makes it fairer, because you have a variety of opinions so the strongest stories win through. My advice to any writer is to never give up. What one judge dislikes, another might love. Keep on submitting.

Hope that's helpful :-)

John M
Thanks Christopher, that's great. Appreciate your help.

Sarah SK
Thank you for somehow or other reticular(ly) activating my brain system to Inktears and Writers' Forum.
Am not entirely sure from which technological mechanism or social media community these tentacles reached me; suffice to say I know you formed the foundation for them so this email is to serve as an ether message of appreciation.
Regards and humble cursatives (as I sit in the hellhole of a soft play area, awaiting my son to finish his climbing class).

Chris Fielden
Welcome John :)

Sarah, they both run excellent competitions, and if you don’t succeed first time (especially with Writers’ Forum) keep trying. They are both fine publishers.

Best of luck with your entries.

Dave S
Hi Chris, nice site and to find information on what publishing outlets are out there!

I have a couple of questions.

Tenses:- When, in your experience, do you think it is correct to use the past and the present tenses in a manuscript, or can you alternate between the two depending on the context? I've noticed, when skimming through other short stories that have been published, that a great deal of them seem to be in the present rather than the past. I've sent a story off to a competition found on your site but then realize to my horror that I should have written 'belongs' rather than 'belonged' in one small area. If this omission jeopardizes my entry, better luck next time.

I find, when correcting a manuscript, that it's a bit like a puzzle or a minefield; finding omissions or ways to improve my writing. In your experience, do you hire editors to do your correcting, or do you rely on your own intuition? If you have editing intuition, do you need to employ an editor?

I'm finishing a book; not sure whether to use kdp select or some other publishing source to get it published.

Look forward to your reply.

Chris Fielden
Dave, I don't think it really matters which tense you use - whichever suits your story best. I think the reason that short stories often use the present tense is because many readers find it more immediate and engaging, so it works well for shorter works where it's important to suck the reader in quickly. So there is no right or wrong way of doing it, you simply have to pick which tense works best for you.

You can switch between tenses, but I would recommend making clear breaks in the story, like you would when switching character viewpoint. That way the reader understands the need for the switch and doesn't become confused.

Editing is something you get better at as you write more and learn from your mistakes. When I first started out, I paid professionals to critique my work. It helps you learn and improve your writing. This is particularly important with novels or longer stories as they need more editing. With shorter works, I ask family, friends, and the members of the writing group I belong to, to proofread my work and find typos and mistakes. The other thing to do is read your story many times, preferably with a break of 2 or 3 days between reads. That way, you edit with a clear head and mistakes are easier to spot.

KDP Select is good, as is Create Space and Lulu. All are worth investigating, but if you intend to sell online, Amazon is probably your best bet as it is most widely known.

I hope that's helpful and best of luck with your writing!

Dave S
Hi Chris, many thanks for your comments. I'll certainly bear them in mind as I continue to do more writing. Thanks once again for your list. It is proving useful.

Adi B
Hey Chris. First of all thanks a lot for all you're work! I think you've made the question of how to get read a lot less scary and open. Secondly, and sorry if I'm being a bother - where are the international competitions - if say I'm neither British, American, Canadian etc?

Is there such a thing?

Thanks a lot!

Chris Fielden
Adi, you're welcome - I'm glad you find the site useful :)

The vast majority of these competitions are international and will accept entries from writers residing anywhere in the world. The countries are just listed for information.

Best of luck with your writing!

James W
Chris, I thought you might be interested in adding the Poetic Republic short story competition to your very useful list of competitions on your website. It works a bit like Scribble, with the readers of the competition reading and scoring other entrants' stories. The first prize is a very decent £2,000. You also receive comments from readers on your stories. I entered last year (the first year they ran a short story competition) and had about 20 different comments back. It's well worth taking part, though you do have to commit to reading quite a lot of stories in order to enter.

Chris Fielden
James, thanks very much for letting me know about this.

I’ve added details of the competition to the list :-)

Chris G
Hello Chris, I am hoping to enter a story in a Christmas short story competition for 2015. I am wondering if you can recommend any please?

The story is set in 2114 but I am not really looking for something specifically Science Fiction, just one that will take stories of 2,500 words without being too specific about criteria.

I am hoping you can help.

Great website by the way. I expect most people say that, they should.

Chris Fielden
Chris, I don’t know of any specific Christmas short story competitions I’m afraid. That kind of competition is often launched as a one-off nearer the time, so I’d search for one later this year and see if any are running.

There are plenty of open competitions you could enter, so I’d try that too. I often recommend Writers’ Forum as a good place to start as they publish a wide variety of genres and run a monthly competition, so you can enter at any time of year. It has a 3,000 word limit, so fine for your story.

I hope that’s helpful.

Chris G
Chris, I really appreciate your help. Thanks so much.

Lani N
Hi there, thanks for this very comprehensive list!! I live in South Africa and there are a number of these competitions I'd like to enter. Am I allowed to enter a competition in Scotland, for example, if I don't live there? Kind regards, Lani.

Chris Fielden
Lani, you will have to check the submission rules for each competition, but the majority of short story contests accept entries from writers living anywhere in the world :-)

Lani N
Hi there, awesome, thank you for letting me know. I appreciate it. Kind regards, Lani

Simon H
Hi Chris, I love your web site - thought you may like to know Askance Publishing are back with a 2015 short story competition after a year off. Cheers.

Chris Fielden
Thanks for letting me know Simon - I've added the Askance competition to the lists!

Ashley W
Hi! Thanks for your very valuable resource here!

I have a question about entering short story competitions. Should I enter my stories in one competition at a time?  Or is it OK to submit the same short story to multiple contests?  I am a little concerned that if I win in one then it becomes a published story and that means if it also wins in another then it is actually no longer eligible.

What do you think?

Chris Fielden
Ashley, there are some competitions that welcome simultaneous submissions, and some that accept previously published work too. So with those, it's fine to submit elsewhere.

It's also highly unlikely that you'll win two competitions, even if you're some sort of literary genius as competition judges and magazine editors' tastes and requirements vary so much. If you did have a story accepted whilst it was under consideration elsewhere, you would simply have to withdraw it. You'd probably lose any submission fee and run the risk of being blacklisted for that particular competition, if they specifically requested previously unpublished work that was not under consideration elsewhere. But the likelihood of that happening is slim.

I do submit simultaneously as it results in more publishing success far more quickly. But I think very carefully about where I simultaneously submit. For example, I do not do this with prestigious competitions and publications that I submit to every year as it's not worth the risk of potentially being blacklisted if Fate were to work His magic :-)

I hope that's helpful and I wish you best of luck with seeing your stories in print!

James K
Great writing website.

Can you recommend a good crime short story competition? Not sure which to enter from your website.

Chris Fielden
James, the Bloody Scotland competition is the only one I'm aware of that is currently running and just about crime. It's featured in the lists above.

Best of luck with getting your story published!

Sara P
Thank you very much for all this information! I'd like to ask if you know about any Spanish speaking competitions based in England. Thanks a lot!

Chris Fielden
Sara, I'm afraid not. The only competition I'm aware of that asks for entries in Spanish or English is based in South America. It's called the Southern Pacific Review and is featured in the lists above.

I hope that's helpful :-)

Sara P
Christopher, thank you very much for your information. I'll have a look at the competition you mentioned. Have a lovely day!

Ashley W
Hi Chris! Just a note re: NEEDLE IN THE HAY, the readers don't vote. They have a panel of judges which they rotate.
Thanks for your advice in answer to my previous mail in March, your site is truly very useful. Thanks to you I have been able to be shortlisted 7 times in the last two months, 4 times at NEEDLE, twice at Writers Notebook and once at Chaptercheckers. I am currently shortlisted at NEEDLE and Writers Notebook if you want to take a look (and you can vote for my current tale at Writers Notebook until May 13th, that would be appreciated). I haven't won a comp yet, but hope springs eternal.

I got a mail from Chaptercheckers regarding them going monthly rather than weekly and apologising for their slow feedback. Glacial might be more apt. Let's hope they get their act together.

Cheers mate!

Chris Fielden
Ash, that’s great news! Congratulations on all the short-listings. I’ve voted for you on Writers’ Notebook. And have updated Needle in the Hay info too.

I recently heard from Chapter Checkers and they said they were overwhelmed with entries so had to go monthly. I’m not surprised – running a weekly competition is pretty ambitious. Must be a nightmare to keep up with comms. I find it hard enough with my yearly comp!

Anyways. Hope you win something soon – sounds like you’re on the right path so keep at it!

Frank WM
Hey Mr. Fielden, I'm somebody who writes and submits short-stories, and I have used your lists many times. Thanks to your meticulous index, I've discovered so many journals that I otherwise would never have known about! And I've had two stories accepted now, so that feels great. Anyway, I owe you a big thanks. Thank you, and know that your work is exploited and appreciated :=)

Chris Fielden
Frank, that’s great to know! I’m really glad to hear about your success – it's always nice to receive feedback like that.

May you see many more of your stories in print!!

Deshraj
Sir, how can I participate in these competitions and submit my stories because all my stories are written in Hindi. Please give me suggestions about my problem.

Chris Fielden
Deshraj, I'd suggest trying to find competitions that are run in countries that speak Hindi and therefore request stories in that language. I'm afraid I am not aware of any competitions like this, so you'd have to research and see if you can find any.

Failing that, you could have your stories translated into English and then submit to competitions in English speaking countries. You would have to have them translated professionally, preferably by a native speaker, or they would be unlikely to be published.

I hope that's helpful and wish you the best of luck with your writing.

Darrell B
You might like to add the Wimbledon Bookfest Short  Story Competition to your list of annual competitions.

Chris Fielden
Thanks for the heads up Darrell. I've added the short story competition and children's writing contest.

Shirley M
Dear Chris, I know you can't do everything, but can you insert a 'search' option that will allow me to find, for example, sci-fi? (my most recent endeavour)

Can you sort your competitions additionally according to date of deadline?

Even if you can't do these additional things, I believe yours is one of the most comprehensive target opportunities for writers and I commend you for that.

Chris Fielden
Hi Shirley, thanks for your suggestions. I’d love to make the lists interactive and sortable by the user. At the moment I don’t have the money to pay a developer for the work unfortunately. The reason I don’t put the competitions in date order is because they often change and become out of date and it’s too much admin work to stay on top of it all, hence the listings are alphabetical.

However, you can use your browser’s search function to do what you're asking (assuming you have an up to date one). So, when you’re on a webpage, press the Ctrl key and F key at the same time. A search box will appear (top right in Chrome, but may vary on other browsers like Firefox, IE, Safari etc). If you type ‘sci-fi’ (for example) into the box, the search function will then allow you to click arrows that take you straight to those words on the page. I hope that makes sense and is useful!

Linda T
I wondered if you had any information on WriteStars. Their website shows they are running two themed flash fiction competitions, but one has a different word count depending on the webpage, and I've been unable to contact them. My email of six days ago hasn't been answered and the connection dropped when I tried to ring them. Given there's an entry fee for the competitions, this is worrying..

Chris Fielden
Hi Linda, I haven’t heard of WriteStars competition before I’m afraid. It looks like they only just launched this year’s competition, so I would assume it’s still running.

Have you tried contacting them on Twitter or Facebook? That sometimes forces a response as it’s more public.

Ted I
Hey Christopher, thank you so much for collating such extensive lists! A fellow writer passed this along to me when I was looking for contests to enter & I didn't dream there'd be so many. I really appreciate the effort you put/are putting into this.

I have some updated information, if you would like to add it to your Regular Short Story Competitions list:  Entry fee for Writing Maps Short Story Contest is $5 (approx £3) per submission.

All the best, Ted

Chris Fielden
Thanks very much, Ted! Have updated the Writing Maps listing accordingly :-)

Ted I
My pleasure and cheers.

I noticed another couple of glitches as I've been making my way through the list so I thought I'd also send them to you, just in case:

Prestigious and/or Big Shorts

  • The link to the Aeon Award comes up with an error message. I tried to locate is myself through google>wikipedia but still no luck so maybe this lead is dead.

Other Competition Lists

  • The Stuart Aitken link takes us to his old blog

Lastly the Etherbooks page seems a little silent on the comps front—none for over two years—so I'm not sure whether that is soon to be a dead end.

Once again, thanks a lot. I have just this minute finished my ploughing through the list (and others that they led on to) and need to give my eyes and mind rest. A few days reading pulled up some 40 or so competitions that suit me well so I'm excited to now gun for them.

All the best.

Chris Fielden
Hi Ted, thanks so much for this.

The Aeon Award website is now back, so I presume that was a temporary blip.

I’ve updated the link to Stuart Aken’s website.

I’ve also changed the Ether books link – it seems they have a new site!

Ted I
No problem.

I've just tried the Aeon Award link through your site and have once again found no luck with either safari or firefox. Should the link take me to this site: albedo1.com? Because that's where I end up, with the error message.

Moreover, the Etherbooks link takes me to a page which looks the same as the old one to me, with no comps listed under the headings.

I apologize if I am missing something very obvious here or doing something wrong but I'd rather risk ridicule and mention it again, just in case.

Chris Fielden
Hi Ted, nope, no ridicule at all, your input is very helpful :-)

It looks like Albedo 1 are having some technical issues with website updates – details on their Facebook page. Judging by the latest comment, it looks like they will have 2 sites up and running at some point (a .com and .net), but they both seem to be broken at the moment.

As the Ether Books site has recently undergone an overhaul, I’m assuming details of comps will be added soon so have left the link live.

I do a big update on all links over the Xmas period, and if no details are added or if sites seem to be dead, I’ll remove them then. I guess a lot of sites are run by hobbyists or companies with small budgets, meaning updates can a tad on the slow side!

Thanks for your continued support - muchos appreciated.

Ted I
Ah, I see. No worries and thanks for the info! I'm sure most people are as grateful and patient as I am for the fruits of your 'hobbying' labour. I'm just glad to return the favour, in whatever small way. So if I spot anything when looking through the whole list again next year, I'll just pop it this ol' mailbox here, for whenever you're ready. Ted

PS I entered my first ever comp at NiTH last week and got short listed, so a nice start and a good spring board towards other sites' comps with deadlines this week. It's all a go go!

Chris Fielden
Thanks Ted, yes, please keep me updated with any issues you spot – your help is very much appreciated :-)

And congratulations on being shortlisted – that’s awesome, especially for your first competition entry!

Ted I
Hey Chris, stumbled upon a short story comp and entered it last week. It's a monthly contest that's been going a while and doesn't appear to be stopping. I just saw it wasn't in your list so thought I'd share it, in case you deemed it worthy - it's called The Cult Of Me. Not sure how blogspot works but the link seems to have added the .is, yet I presume he's not in Iceland like me.

Just found you on Twitter. And thanks, the piece ended up winning!

I just finished that mad week of deadlines (six!) and have another seven coming up before the month is out. This is a lot of fun (and a bit cray cray). Ted

PS If it happens you aren't open to suggestions of comp finds such, or if you are but have specific criteria, feel free to let me know so I don't bombard you unnecessarily (:

Chris Fielden
Hi Ted, congratulations on the win – that’s awesome!

And thanks for sharing. I’ve added the competition details to the lists. I’m always open to suggestions, so feel free to send more through as you spot them.

Best of luck with your other submissions.

Maggie D
Ninevoices Short Story Competition:

Just to let you know that although the Ninevoices Short Story Competition we held this spring was a great success - we raised £500 for charity - we do not intend to repeat this in 2016.

We MAY have another competition in 2017, though. If, as they say, we\'re spared, and will let you know if we do so.

Just thought you'd like to know for your competitions listings.

Congratulations on your own To Hull & Back. Am still preening myself on getting a commended...

Chris Fielden
Thanks for letting me know, Maggie.

That's great news about raising so much money - always nice to hear about things like that!

And congrats on the special mention - much deserved :-)

Tristan M
Thank you for these links, Christopher.

Sam C
Hi Chris, I'm sure I came across, on your site a year ago, a competition run by a publishing house where on some forum web-portal thingy budding authors submit a chapter of their work, and then it gets pier reviewed by other participants, and they do the same... and then the best ones go forward for the prize or publishing. Do you have any idea what I might be on about? I can't find it anymore.

I see your competition is now closed. Shame, I would have made you laugh ;) OK, next year.

Cheers.

PS Great site, thanks.

PPS Just put some of my own writing up on a website. It's a thrill going public for the first time :)

Chris Fielden
Hi Sam, was it the World’s Greatest Writing Competition? If so, they have a new website called Publisher Free.

My competition is open for entries all the time – next closing date is 31st July 2016.

Congrats on getting your writing out there – it’s a great feeling. I wish you the best of luck with it.

Carmen W
Thanks - very helpful

Simon M
You may like to know that the "e-Literate-World Cut A Long Story Short Competition" link is dead - the domain appears to have been closed down, suggesting they no longer exist at all (a quick Google search didn't bring them up anywhere else).

Chris Fielden
Thanks for letting me know, Simon.

I've updated the lists accordingly :-)

Brian O
When a competition in your table is classified as 'England'do you mean 'England' or do you mean 'Britain'? Not a trivial difference. Thanks. I enjoyed your informative material.

Chris Fielden
Hi Brian. It means England, not Britain. This is because I try and list Scotland and Wales separately - it's just so writers know the locality of the market they are submitting to.

I hope that clarifies things :-)

Peter N
Christopher, thank you for this site. It is an act of great generosity on your part. In the interests of keeping the site up to date - without leaving it all to you to do - can I mention to you that Writers' Village have as of 2016 suspended indefinitely their short fiction contest? They explain why on the website.

Chris Fielden
Thanks for letting me know, Peter - much appreciated. I've updated the lists accordingly and (sadly) moved Writers' Village into the history of closed competitions.

Jill O
Hi Chris, your very extensive list of competitions is excellent. However, I have a memoir of approx 2,300 words which I would like to submit. Most competitions request fiction. Do you know where I can find a non-fiction/memoir competition.

Thank you.

Chris Fielden
Hi Gill. I list some non-fiction competitions on this page, which might be appropriate.

Fish Publishing run an annual memoir contest, so it might be worth checking out their site.

I hope that's helpful. If you find any other memoir competitions, please let me know as I do get asked about them from time to time - it seems there aren't that many out there.

Lyn T
Just a quick thank you for putting together these lists, most helpful.

Chris Fielden
Thanks, Lyn. Glad you find them useful :-)

Ayo O
You are doing a good job for writers of various genres and interests. This is really appreciated. Please could you add the REGION or Location that can participate in the competitions? For instance: are Africans expected to be a part of this or would an application from India or China be welcomed and rewarded accordingly without prejudice or bias? Thanks.

Chris Fielden
Hi Ayo. Glad you find the lists useful. And thanks for the suggestion.

Unfortunately I can't add these details to the lists as they change frequently and the amount of admin involved makes it impossible to maintain. Most competitions accept entries from writers located anywhere in the world. Some have limitations. Please check the websites of any competition you plan to enter to see what the current details are prior to entering.

Ayo O
Thanks Chris, I appreciate your contributions to the Arts. I work with a group of indigent young people whom I am encouraging to write and earn some money.We shall keep trying. Thanks...

Chris Fielden
Hi Ayo. Excellent stuff, good luck with it all – I hope some of them see their stories in print soon :-)

Chris H
Dear Chris,

I've been reading your website and find it very useful. I'm just starting out in the short story business and have been having a look at what's out there. I found a competition not on your website with a prize for $10,000 Australian dollars and wondered if you think it is legitimate or not. I'm planning on entering tomorrow night just before the deadline. The details are below, what do you think? I guess I'm just suspicious as the prize is so big and it's free to enter:

Success Tax Professionals - Twisted Tax Tales Short Story Competition

Chris Fielden
Hi Chris, glad to hear you are finding the site useful.

I haven’t heard of that one before. It’s a bit odd that a tax website is running a short story competition (doesn’t seem all that relevant to what they do, but asking for a character to be an accountant kind of ties it in I guess…). I suspect they have a decent marketing budget and therefore are able to offer a good prize with no entry fee. Many of the big prizes out there (BBC, Sunday Times etc.) are free to enter. Looking at the amount of physical locations they have on their contact page, they must be a pretty big business. Also, the level of engagement looks good – there are quite a few entries. And they are supporting a very worthy charity through the competition, so it looks legitimate to me.

The thing that would worry me is the license in clause 11 of their T&Cs. While it looks like the copyright remains with the author, Success Tax Professionals can edit your work and publish it (with a different title if they want) without crediting you as the author. That’s an unusual condition – I’ve certainly never seen it before. But then I’ve never been published in Australia and it might be standard there. Still, personally I wouldn’t be happy with that – if I write a story, I expect to be credited as the author.

I’m not trying to put you off entering. The competition looks legitimate and there’s a really decent prize on offer. And the legal gumf might mean nothing – it’s only if they chose to do something with your story that it would matter. Given the company’s niche, it’s unlikely they’d be using an entry outside the competition, except for promotional purposes. Still, it is worth thinking about prior to entering as in my experience it’s a very unusual (and unfair) condition for a license agreement.

I hope that’s helpful.

Michael W
Hi Chris. Most/all comps state that the material submitted must not have been published anywhere before.

Do blogs count in this respect? Just checking.

Chris Fielden
Hi Mike. It varies from competition to competition - some say that if you've self-published on your blog it's fine, others say it's not. I'm afraid you'll have to review the guidelines for each competition and see which are OK with it. Some comps accept previously published stories too, so it's always worth looking.

Auriel R
Hi Christopher, I just wanted to thank you for putting together the detailed list of short story contests because I had no idea what to do with the rather good little story I wrote last year which ended up being selected for the HG Wells story anthology. That boost led to me spinning this story into an entire novel which is published this year with Unbound.

Chris Fielden
Hi Auriel. That’s fantastic news – congratulations :-)

It’s so nice to hear success stories, especially when my site has played a small part in an author’s journey.

Rex G
Dear Chris, your site is fascinating and informative. Thank you.

Audio Arcadia Short Story Competition claim on their website that the closing date for submissions is 30th September 2016 and that the winners will be published on 10th October 2016. How can this be? They must receive hundreds of manuscripts in the week before closing date, or I’m a Dutchman. Which I’m not, having lived in Bristol on and off since I took a job there in 1948 - the last stretch from 1957 to 1995 where I raised a family until I retired to the South Coast.

I am now an old man, fairly new to this writing business, looking for a home for a cracking good 5,000 word story (fiction) of mine but in a hurry as I’m well passed my expiry date. Audio Arcadia might well pass judgment on my work in my allotted time frame but can their timetable be true? Sounds fishy to me - what do you think?

Chris Fielden
Hi Rex, I suspect they read the entries as they come in (I do with the competition I run). And they may not receive that many entries. As they run the competition regularly, that is quite possible. I run an annual contest and received 284 entries this year (its 3rd year of running, so becoming established). So, if a contest is run more regularly, they probably receive fewer entries than that.

They may also have a team of readers, which speeds up the judging process considerably. I'm a one-man-band and had read all the entries 3 weeks after my contest closed, even though I received around 60% of entries in the final month. So it is doable. Admittedly, it took a bit longer than that to decide on the longlist and shortlist, but like I said, I am but one man. A team can do things much more quickly.

I've also liaised with the people that run Audio Arcadia and they seem like genuine people.

I hope that helps :-)

Jayne J
This is a brilliant site.

I have just started a Creative Writing course in university and I have been looking on sites for competitions but it gets  time consuming as you get onto another link then another. I am going to make a competition diary so I don't miss out on any and always have something to enter. Thank you once again.

Chris Fielden
Thanks very much Jayne.

Great to hear you find the site useful :-)

Dominika S
Hi Chris, guess I won't be original by congratulating you on the research and data presentation - that's really helpful to all young writers out there! My problem is that I'm based in Poland but write in English. Are you aware of any short story competitions I could take part in? You mentioned there are some with global reach but in the country secrion it's usually UK or US and I guess I'm not elibible to enter these. Thanks in advance for your help!

Chris Fielden
Hi Dominika. Thank you - glad to hear you find the lists useful :-)

Most of the short story competitions listed (around 80%) will accept entries from writers residing anywhere in the world. There are some that are aimed at local audiences, but most are open to anyone.

The countries mentioned in the listings just show you where the competitions are based (many users like to know what market they are submitting to). This doesn't mean you have to live there to enter. The best bet is to look at the different websites listed and read their submission guidelines.

I hope that helps and I wish you the best of luck with your writing.

Brendan M
The Bridport  Competition entry fee is now £10 rather than £9 as you stated. I just entered it!

Chris Fielden
Thanks for letting me know, Brendan - much appreciated. I've updated the details accordingly :-)

Moshe P
Thank you so much for such a useful list. Very much appreciated.

Where are literary magazines such as Granta, Tin House, Ploughshares, The Masters Review, Paris Review?

I myself am looking for kids magazines written by ... the KIDS themselves (9-12 years old). Any clue about? Thank you very much.

Chris Fielden
Hi Moshe. Glad you are finding the list useful :-)

Many of the publications you mentioned are listed on my short story magazines page.

I'm afraid I'm not aware of any magazines written by children. Sorry I can't be of more help with that. Please let me know if you find any.

Moshe P
Thanks Chris, for your message. I have another question, please.

A short story of mine recently received an Honorable Mention from Glimmer Train and I need now to re-submit it to the world.

My question is, am I 'allowed' to make some changes, to expand a paragraph or two after it won this really exciting mention? Is it 'normal'? Is it OK, or I should leave it untouched, as it is?

Thank you very much.

Chris Fielden
Hi Moshe. Congratulations on the honourable mention from Glimmer Train – that’s great news.

If the story hasn’t been previously published, you can do what you want with it. If Glimmer Train are going to publish it, then you will have to ask them if you can make changes prior to publication.

The story is yours so you can do whatever you want. Some magazines and competitions won’t accept previously published stories. A small handful won’t accept stories that have been shortlisted, longlisted or received honourable mentions, but that’s rare. Rules usually apply to published stories only. Still, if you do submit to a competition or magazine that does accept previously published work after your story has been published, you could make changes prior to submitting. I’ve never seen any submission guidelines state that as a problem.

I hope that’s helpful.

Andy C
Hi Chris, just wanted to say thank you for the information you provide on here. It's really helpful!

Chris Fielden
No problem, Andy - glad to hear you find it useful :-)

Jeff D
Currently, I am writing a full novel. But, this is a list of exciting opportunities for new writers. Competition motivates you to become a better writer.

Chris Fielden
Thanks, Jeff :)

Good luck with your novel.

Mitchell T
Hi, Chris F and commenter Julie C. I have entered several short story collection competitions this year and will enter more. My experience in a small sample of fiction contests is that most allow 'some' previously published stories. (One stipulated no more than 50%.) As always, the definition of 'previously published' varies.

Some competitions read blind; some require credits for previously published work; some stipulate that you shall NOT list credits (because it would break the blind). Some offer critiques of your submission.

Some will DQ your entry if it is submitted in anything but Courier. Wow, eh? Does the Church of TNR know about this? The Garamondites? Anyway - Julie, good luck on climbing Everest, in the dark, in winter, without oxygen. Just like me! :-)

Chris Fielden
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Mitchell - very useful and appreciated :-)

HS C
Thank you for such a fantastic resource! This is really well put together and incredibly helpful (Excel may hate me now, but oh well). I've been busy checking out the finer details of some of the competitions and choosing which to submit to. It's taking a long while to compile so I cannot begin to imagine how long this must have taken you!

Chris Fielden
No problem, HS, glad to hear you find the lists useful. They do take a long time to put together and keep updated, but I think it's worth the effort :-)

Donna W
This is my first time on this site and its overwhelming.  Some of the contests have closed and they should be removed from the site.

I'm happy that I visited the site.

Chris Fielden
Hi Donna. There is a lot of information and it can be overwhelming at first :-)

I undertake a clean-up of the competition pages once a year (usually in January).

If you've spotted some that have closed, please let me know which ones and I'll amend the listings accordingly - any help is much appreciated. Many of the contests run annually, so those listings remain active continuously, even if they have closed this year. Please bear that in mind when using the lists :-)

Donna W
OK, thank you.

Simon C
Hi Chris. Just wanted to say a big thanks for the lists of short story competitions you maintain. I finally decided to try my hand at writing, entered the Audio Arcadia short story competition, pointed to by your web site, and was lucky enough to be one of the winners! It's answered for me (finally!) whether its worth having a go, and indeed I will. Thanks again for putting up the list on your web site. Best regards.

Chris Fielden
Hi Simon. Congratulations – that’s awesome news!

And thanks for letting me know the lists helped you find the competition – that kind of feedback makes it all worthwhile :-)

Michael H
Dear Mr. Fielden, I have previously found your schedules very helpful but currently I appear to have struck a blank. Last year I submitted a story of 4,892 words to Costa but without success and decided that this year I would send it off again – this time to the Kingston Writing School where you indicated that submissions would be between June and November this year. In view of the fact that the relevant entry form was not online I wrote to the organisers who have now told me that the competition will not be taking place.

I have researched your lists but cannot find an alternative suitable competition which I can now enter of up to 5,000 words.

I should be grateful if you would kindly point me in the right direction.

Chris Fielden
Hi Michael. Thanks for letting me know about the Kingston Writing School competition – I’ve removed the listing from the active lists and put in the history section.

I’m afraid that all the competitions I’m aware of are listed on my site, so if you haven’t found anything there, I don’t know of any more. You could try getting Writers’ Forum – they have listings in the back of the magazine every month. And Writing Magazine also run competition lists, but I think they only do that every 6 months or so. Or try the other sites I link to on my competition lists page, that also run lists like mine. You might find some other opportunities there.

Sorry I can’t be of more help. I hope you find a home for your story.

Shirley M
Hi Chris, I just clicked on the Writing Times Senior's competition and it says 'website disabled'. Just wondered if they had closed up shop.

Regards.

Chris Fielden
Hi Shirley. Thanks for letting me know about this. I've contacted Sue, who runs it, to see if it's a glitch, or if it has actually closed.

Chris Fielden
Hi Shirley. Further to previous, the email I sent Sue bounced with a 'this email doesn't exist anymore' message, so I guess the site has closed.

I've updated the page accordingly.

Shirley M
Hi Chris, what a shame.

Thanks for your quick response.

John N
Wish you would update your website regularly. Have been waiting for a nature based competition to open based upon what you have written on your site - turns out it ended 2 years ago.

Chris Fielden
Hi John. Sorry about that. I assume you're referring to the New Welsh Review? I have updated that listing accordingly.

I update this page around once a week. Unfortunately, it's impossible to check every listing that regularly. I do a full update every January. Even then, if a website I link to is out of date at that time (still referring to the previous year's competition), or the administrators of the competitions don't inform me when they make updates, it's impossible to make every entry 100% accurate all the time. This is why I always recommend going to the websites I list and contacting them directly if you have any queries about the competition they run (EG, when they are going to run next, what the current theme is etc.).

I appreciate it when people, like you, let me know if any of the information I list is incorrect as it helps keep everything up to date. So thanks for letting me know. I hope the above explains the situation. I do my best to stay on top of it, but due to the amount of websites I'm dealing with, it's not easy!

Sarah H
Such a useful list, thank you so much!

Chris Fielden
No problem, Sarah - glad you find it useful :-)

James A
Great website and loads of useful information here as well as in Chris's book. I found the list of competitions very useful as well as the explanation about why this is a good route to follow. One listed is the UK Short Story Competition but I can only find info on-line referring to 2016 and a website which won't accept my email/password. Anyone know if this competition is still running and how to enter?

Chris Fielden
Hi James. Thanks for letting me know about this. The UK site seems to have disappeared, but there is a US one now. See usissc.com.

I've retired the UK listing and emailed the US site. I'll add full details to the lists when/if I hear back from them.

Dai L
Cool site, but I thought I'd make you aware of a competition you seem to have overlooked.

The Scottish Arts Club here in Edinburgh runs an internationally open competition with, as of next year, a £1,000 first prize, with a special extra award for unpublisehd writers with a Scottish connection. I administer the entries and distribution to the judges (so I can't enter, shucks).

If you want to know more and maybe add us to your list, do have a look at our site and if you have any questions, do let me know.

I'm currently trying to streamline the entry process and make the entry form a purely online affair, if I can get it to attach the story files and send the punters to the Charities Aid Foundation to pay their ten pound entry fees.

Chris Fielden
Hi Dai. Thanks for letting me know about your competition.

I'd be happy to list it for you. Please send me all of the information requested at the top of this page.

Re the online entry, you could try submittable? A lot of competitions and magazines seem to use that, so I guess it must be good.

Chris M
Just want to say a huge thank you for providing such an invaluable resource list. It is through this site that I started to enter my work into various competitions after years of self-doubt about the value of my writing. I have had some success already, which has buoyed me to keep going.

Chris Fielden
That's great to hear, Chris, thanks for letting me know. Congratulations on your successes - let's hope there are many more to come in the future.

Brendan M
Chris can you advise me please.

I submitted ashort story to a site you have included under the 'Prestigious prizes' category in your listings. It was the Long Short Story contest by Freeditorial.  I received the reply, 'The Contest is in Spanish. Thank you.' There was no name provided.

I checked the rules again and rule B under terms and conditions of competition clearly states, 'Long-Short Stories must be fiction or historical and written in English.'

I feel I have been treated unfairly. Can you help me please? 

Thank you.

Chris Fielden
Hi Brendan. Sorry to hear about your experience with Freeditorial. I see it's a free competition, so I assume you didn't lose any money with your submission? Please let me know if I have that wrong.

I can try contacting them, if you like, and see what they say? That approach has sometimes helped in the past.

If you want me to do that, please forward me all the correspondence you have had with them so I can take a look through it and then see who I need to contact.

Brendan M
Hi Chris. I queried their email and they replied as follows:

You are reading an old contest. The 2018 contest is only in Spanish as you can see on the web freeditoral.com/es

Thank you

I have checked it out and it seems this is the case so the entry in your list appears to be the 'old contest' and now out of date, sadly, so would need altering.The contest is free.

Chris, I should have said that I am interpreting the site as written in Spanish as best I can, but I could be wrong. In other words it may not specifically say the submissions must be made in Spanish. The other issue is that if in fact it does say this in Spanish what is the logic behind such a change? To be totally certain would require a person fluent in Spanish translation.

Chris Fielden
Hi Brendan. OK, thanks for the information.

I can’t find a link to the competition on their homepage, so will retire the listing for now. Websites that change their competition URL every year rarely let me know, so unless I link to homepages, it’s nigh on impossible to keep the lists up to date.

I have some old correspondence with them from 2016, when they first requested a listing, so will get in touch and ask them what’s going on.

Thanks for highlighting this – much appreciated.

Charlie T
Any chance of listing free to enter competitions under their own category?

Chris Fielden
Hi Charlie, thanks for the suggestion.

It's a possibility, but would mean a lot of work to restructure the page. I'll consider it when I next do the next major update.

For now, the best bet is do Ctrl F (hold down the control key and the F key) and type 'free' into the search box. That will allow you to find all the free competitions easily.

Ray D
The Solutions Loan Comp seems to have mysteriously vanished. I've tried to check the status on their site and the page won't load. At ALL.

Chris Fielden
Hi Ray. The Solutions Loan page loads fine for me. Looks like the spring contest is closed (did so on 31st May) and the winter one will open later in the year.

You used a fake email address when you left your comment so I couldn't reply. Hopefully you'll see this comment. Cheers, Chris

Katie DG
This evening I was told about the way the Davy Byrnes Short Story Award came to be. If you would like to know more about that and perhaps be in touch with the Irishman who proposed the idea, please let me know.

Thanks!

Chris Fielden
Hi Katie. That sounds interesting - please do tell me more :-)

Katie DG
Hi Chris. My Dubliner friend, Paul Jacob, was relaxing with a coffee at at Davy Byrnes, discussing Bloomsday with the staff. He suggested they celebrate by hosting a short story competition in honor of James Joyce’s connection to the pub. They loved the idea and ran with it! The rest is literary history - LOL!

Once or twice, the staff has recalled  it while he was there. If you ask, they will know Paul and acknowledge his creative contribution. Paul told me that years ago he was mentioned in the newspaper - it would be fun to find that article.

Because the founding of the Davy Byrnes Short Story competition can be traced to a specific conversation, it would be nice to preserve that memory for posterity.

Paul, originally of Ranelagh, Dublin, now lives in Drogheda. I imagine he could recount the incident in an entertaining way if you were to ask him. He just mentioned it to me as a friend in passing and isn’t looking for attention. It might be a fun anecdote for the record, though, since 2019 - 5 years since the last competition -  is fast approaching.

Paul lived here in Colorado Springs for awhile and instigated other projects/ commemorations (one being a celebration of the San Patricios who defected from the U.S. Army to Mexico in protest for their mistreatment as Irish immigrants.) He loves and is very conversant with history. You would undoubtedly enjoy talking to him.

Thanks for your interest, Chris!

Chris Fielden
Thanks for sharing that, Katie - that's really interesting :)

Well, if nothing else, the story is now recorded in the comments here!

David B
Just had a story (max 4,000 words) rejected without giving a reason from the editors. Replied answering what is it about the story that doesn't meet your editorial criteria? Yet to receive another reply. It is quite hard to find somewhere that'll take stories that fit your theme and word count. I don't agree with asking for reading fees. You pay someone to read your story only to have it rejected and you've wasted money.

Chris Fielden
Hi David. Thanks for your message.

I think it's unlikely you'll receive a reply. Having been on the other end of this, I understand why. Most magazines and competitions will receive hundreds, if not thousands, of submissions. It's just not possible to give writers feedback without payment. This is why some comps and mags offer critiques for a fee.

There are various reasons for charging reading fees. A fee can put off time wasters. I've been involved with free competitions before. They attract a lot of entries and the standard is often poor. Having a fee tends to result in higher quality submissions from writers who at least adhere to the submission guidelines. Charging a fee also encourages writers to undertake their research properly before submitting - reading back issues and studying the publication thoroughly, before writing a story and submitting. The fees also help cover staffing costs. Considering submission takes time and staff have to be paid.

If you submit to a magazine and aren't prepared to pay a fee, then you're essentially asking the editors to do their dayjob for free. Most magazines and comps operate with very low budgets and can't afford to pay staff to give feedback to every writer who submits. By paying a reading fee, or a competition entry fee, you're supporting small publishers, non profits and independent press. I certainly wouldn't regard it as wasting money.

But that's just my opinion. Having been on the receiving end of people expecting me to work for nothing and offer free advice, as a writer, I am now a lot more sympathetic towards mags and comps that charge fees.

It's also worth bearing in mind that you might have been rejected because they simply received too many excellent stories. Every year, I reject fabulous stories simply because I only have 20 places in the anthology. It isn't because I don't like them, it's because I can't publish them all. I just chose the ones that are best suited to my publication.

The best advice I can give you is to move on and keep submitting your work elsewhere. And, if you haven't already, get your work critiqued and see if you can make any improvements. I'm in a writing group and every short story I write is critiqued and then edited to improve it, before it is submitted anywhere. That process has helped me see most of my stories in print.

I hope that's helpful. I wish you the best of luck with finding a home for your story :-)

David B
Hi Chris, thanks for your detailed reply. It certainly is helpful, and I have been thinking that reading fees do help to cover costs and take submissions seriously and also contribute towards cash prizes and so on.

I agree that there is a lot of 'bad' or poor quality writing that gets submitted and this is also true in the self-publishing world. Even if the writing has been carefully edited, the content or meaning is trash. It's usually about erotica. horror, thrillers, etc., which to me, frankly, is boring. So, authors are having to come up with further flashy in-your-face book covers just to get noticed and to write what most people want to read, which is a shame because it reduces talent or writing quality.

Regarding stories. Yes, just keep writing more about different themes and word counts and to keep submitting seems to be the answer.

Never give up if you have a writing talent.

Chris Fielden
Hi Dave. No problem :-)

I guess that one of disadvantages of self-publishing and the internet is that anything and everything can be published, making it harder to find those hidden gems. Still, like you say, never give up and keep on submitting – that’s a great ethos to have.

All the best.

Suzy AB
I was just wondering if there exists a short story-reading competition where authors read their own stories out loud thus being judged on writing and reading at the same time. Entries could be submitted by Soundcloud. Thank you for this wonderful site - very inspiring indeed.

Chris Fielden
Hi Suzy. The only one I'm aware of is called The Squat Pen Rests, run by Steve Tuffin. It's a live performance event, held in Swindon and it doesn't run very often.

It's a great idea though. Maybe you should think about launching a competition like that?

Qudsia T
Thanks very much for all your work on this - it's a fantastic resource.

Chris Fielden
No problem, thanks Qudsia :-)

Tristan M
Unfortunately the admirable Magic Oxygen competition closed for good.

Thank you for your hard work as usual, Christopher!

Chris Fielden
Thank you for letting me know, Tristan - very much appreciated.

Sad news... I have retired the Magic Oxygen listing to the history section of the page.

Richard C
Hi, do you know if the Aeon Award is legit? Doesn't seem to respond to emails or post updates...

Chris Fielden
Hi Richard. So far as I know, yes - it's been running for years and seems well respected in the writing community.

However, I haven't dealt with them directly myself.

Have you tried contacting them via Facebook or Twitter? Might be worth a shot. Public posts can sometimes work better :)

Mr. Jan S
Love the site and enjoyed the comments. Everyone dreams of having their collection published by a well known publisher. However, the brutal fact is that it isn't going to happen. Not unless you are a very well known novelist. Then they may accept a volume secure in the knowledge that your name alone will sell it and make a profit. Publishers are in business to make money. They are not interested per se in art. I have yet to discover an agent who accepts short stories.

Self publishing is, of course, an option. But once published you have to sell the book yourself. Most people, I think, put it on Amazon where they hope it will be miraculously noticed among the 8.5 million others on there. Well, good luck with that then. I have been published on line, in print, won competitions with my short stories and had poetry, essays and articles published in various magazines including the glossies. However, I live in the real world. I write because I need to and thoroughly enjoy it. I write for fun and if my work brings pleasure to others then that should be enough for anyone. When it stops being fun, I shall give it up.

Chris Fielden
Hi Jan. It's always great to hear when people enjoy the site, so thank you.

I agree, writing for pleasure is important and selling short story collections is hard. However, it's not impossible. There are a lot of small presses out there now that consider publishing them, so the market has grown. My short story collection was published by Victorina Press recently - they're a UK based indie press that follow the principals of bibliodiversity, which is why I approached them. Is my book their biggest selling release? No. Readers do seem to prefer buying longer works and novels. But it does sell, it's won a couple of awards and the stories are being well received by reviewers and used on radio etc. And I do make money from it. That's because I spend time marketing the book, as do the publisher.

As a self-published writer, I also spend a lot of time marketing my books. The most effective way I've found of doing that outside of my website audience is by using Amazon ads. It takes a while to learn how to make a profit, but I have sold thousands of books as a result.

So, in my experience, it's not impossible to enjoy success from writing shorter works. If writers are interested in exploring the UK market, there are 2 useful books that contain details about our publishing industry, including short story publishers. They are the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook and the Mslexia Indie Publishing Guide. They're both worth a look.

I hope my thoughts are of interest to you and I wish you the very best with your writing.

Mr. Jan S.
Thank you for you kind and quick reply. Forgive me for saying so but I feel that you are painting an optimistic picture. Readers do not dictate the market. Publishers do and profit is everything. It has always been very difficult to publish short stories. Even Orwell remarked on it. One of the problems being too many writers and not enough outlets for our work. In the heyday of the short story, the twenties and thirties, stories were published in daily newspapers. New York alone had over thirty. We no longer have that luxury. The tiny market that survives is heavily over-subscribed. Even your small publisher is no longer taking submissions until September 2021. It is a shrinking market. One no longer needs to be cleverly artistic or well qualified to succeed (I have a creative writing MA) or a good CV. One simply needs to be lucky.

Chris Fielden
Hi Jan. No problem. Thank you for your reply.

You are forgiven :) You're right, I do paint an optimistic picture, but that's my nature. It encourages me (and others) to keep writing short stories. It's my favourite medium as a writer, and a reader. And many writers hone their craft through shorter works, before going onto novels, so they have their place in that respect too.

True, older outlets like newspapers are dwindling. Still, in my experience, opportunities are growing in the short story market, not shrinking. I list more magazines, journals and contests on my site now than I have before. I think the internet is playing a significant factor in that growth. I would add that the majority of my experience is with the UK market, not the US, and I appreciate there are some significant differences. For example, in the UK we have festivals dedicated to short works. I'm not sure if it's the same on the other side of the pond.

My publishers have a backlog because of delays caused by the current pandemic. It wouldn't surprise me if other publishers are in the same situation. I guess that would have a negative impact on all forms of publishing, not just short stories. Still, I have found publishers for two of the three shorts I have written this year to date, and the third is currently 'out there' being considered. My publishers know I'm writing a second collection and are encouraging me to do so, but I suppose I'm in the luxurious position of already having my foot in the proverbial door.

I agree that luck plays a big part in success. But so does hard work and proactively marketing published works. If you don't do that, how can you be lucky? That's why I stay positive and have an optimistic approach. It means my stories are out there, being read and hunting for luck. You never know... :-)

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. I find discussions like this very interesting.

Yap Swi N (Mary)
Hi Chris I enjoy reading the stories. I do write short stories. I would like to submit one for your consideration. How do I do it? Many thanks and stay safe.

Chris Fielden
Hi Mary. Thanks for your message. I don't accept general story submissions. You can learn about the typos of guest post I do accept on my submission guidelines page.

I run a lot of flash fiction writing challenges. You can learn how to submit to those here.

And you can find the rules and submission criteria for my short story competition here.

If you have any other questions, please let me know. I hope you're staying safe and well :-)

Festus
Well... a lot of people have already laid the well-deserved commendations at your doorstep but I guess there's always room for more.... Actually, I stumbled upon your website as part of my search for funding from writing competitions and I can authoritatively say ( to the extent applicable ;-)  ),  it's  one of the best out there.... and I admire the spirit of including the list of other websites that could be checked out.

By the way, I didn't see the Queryletter.com blurb competition... though the deadline is past but it's something I entered earlier on and others could benefit from the next time it is run ( as applicable).

And as afterthought, I wouldn't mind being referenced to solid websites with info on photography competitions (or yours, if you have one).

Chris Fielden
Hi Festus. Thank you for your message. Glad to hear you've been finding the site helpful :)

Thanks for mentioning the Query Letter comp. I do list it - it's on my book and novel comps list.

I don't have a list of photography comps, and don't know of any I'm afraid. I'm sure the fine purveyor of search known as Google will send you somewhere helpful :-) Sorry I can't be of more help on that front.

All the best.

Michelle M
Thank you so much for providing this comprehensive page. I have already come across many contests I had never heard of that peak my interest, and I haven't even made it through half of them. It is greatly appreciated!

Chris Fielden
Hi Michelle, thanks for your message.

No problem - great to hear you're finding the lists useful :-)

Tariq R
What benefit would be given to the winning short story writer on Reedsy?

Chris Fielden
Hi Tariq. Thanks for your message.

I believe Reedsy have a very large website audience, so you'd probably receive some good exposure. However, the best bet is to read their terms and conditions for more information. And if you have any questions, approach Reedsy directly.

I hope that helps :-)

Rosalind P
Hi Chris, can someone confirm to me that Word Periscope is bonafide? They have a current competition and I would like to enter. There is little on their 'website'. I cannot find anything on the web about them, so would like some reassurance that they are genuine. Word Periscope are listed in lots of competition listings.

Thank you.

Chris Fielden
Hi Rosalind. Thank you for your message.

To the best of my knowledge, Word Periscope is legitimate. They have been running for a couple of years and Ciaran, who administers the competition, has always been responsive and helpful when I've dealt with them. I last liaised with him about 2 months ago. I can try putting you in touch with him, if you like? Or you can use the contact form on their website.

I hope that puts your mind at rest, but please let me know if I can be of any more help :-)

Rosalind P
Thanks Chris. Most useful.

Chris Fielden
No problem, thanks Rosalind :)

Jay T
Hi Chris. Thank you for compiling this list, immensely useful.

Just wondering if you've had any experience with Freelance Writing dot com's Writing Contests?

Chris Fielden
Hi Jay. Thanks for your message. Glad to hear you find the lists useful.

No, I'm afraid I haven't heard of them and I can't find any previous correspondence with them in my email archive. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Aida R
Hi Christopher. Thank you, first of all, for compiling such a wonderful list of writing contests. I've been looking around, but do you have any recommendations for wartime (e.g. WWI, Civil War, etc.) short story contests? Any advice would be helpful, thank you!

Chris Fielden
Hi Aida. Thank you for your message - it's great to hear you find the lists useful.

Story contests with wartime themes do come up from time to time, usually around military anniversaries. For example, around the time of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain there were a few one-off competitions of this nature.

I'm not aware of any running at present, but it is worth doing a Google search for military themed writing contests from time to time, as they do come up on occasion.

I hope that's helpful :-) All the best.

Luke M
I've been working on stories that honour the work of Flannery O'Connor while also featuring historic encounters between conquistadors and natives. Sort of fictionalised history with kudos to Flannery. I haven't started looking but I'm not real sure where to try to get this published. Do you have any ideas?

Chris Fielden
Hi Luke, thanks for your message.

I've just done a quick online search and the University of Georgia Press run the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. I don't know if it's currently open or how often it runs, but that might be the best place for you to start.

I'd also research historical fiction competitions, magazines and journals. None spring to mind, but I list many mags / journals here, so it might be a good place to start your research.

I wish you all the best with your submissions.

Luke M
Wow, thank you for the quick reply. I’ll check all that out.

Chris Fielden
No problem, thanks Luke :-)

Claire B
Dear Chris. It would appear that the Costa Short Story Prize has ended - although it is not entirely clear from their press release or the website FAQs.  The Costa Book Award certainly has closed for good.  Do you have any further details?  Best wishes.

Chris Fielden
Dear Claire, thanks for your message.

The Costa Short Story Award is part of the Costa Book Awards, so I'm assuming it is also closed. Your message has reminded me to retire the listing, thank you - I'll do that now :)

If I hear anything different, I'll be sure to reinstate the listing, but for now I'd assume it's closed. Sad news. All the best to you.

Claire B
Dear Chris, yes it is a shame - I was just about to submit a story! Best wishes.

Chris Fielden
Dear Claire, luckily there are plenty more opportunities out there :) I wish you all the best with your submissions.