Short Story Competitions
Short Story Competitions Intro
Below are tables listing various short story competitions, contests, prizes and awards. 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.
Last updated 2nd October 2024
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 short story competitions listed on this page accept entries from writers living anywhere in the world. The country each short fiction contest is run from is listed so you know which global market you are submitting to.
I’ve kept the information on the short story competitions 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 short story competition by visiting the different websites. I have provided links to make this resource as easy to use as possible 🙂
Do You Run Short Story Competitions?
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 short story competitions (eg, annually, quarterly, one-off)
- The name of your short story 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 short story competitions.
Short Story Competitions Page History
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 short story competitions in alphabetical order. Discontinued short story 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 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 competitions (flash fiction) 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.
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 Short Story Competition 1: Elegant Literature Short Fiction Contest
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.
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!
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 Short Story Competition 2: FanStory
At FanStory new writing contests with cash prizes are announced weekly.
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 Short Story 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.
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: The Letter Review Prize
The Letter Review Prize is free to enter and is open in the categories of Short Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Unpublished Books.
Deadline: 30th September 2024.
All writers may enter, and all genres encouraged. No theme restrictions. The Prize pool is $4000 USD, divided among the 12 winners. Up to 20 writers shortlisted in each category.
Winners are published at The Letter Review, and considered for submission to anthologies such as the Pushcart Prize. The Prize is judged blind to ensure fairness.
Read about the life changing, and career enhancing impact of our Prize on our Comments / Testimonials Page here.
Featured Competition 5: 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 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.
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.)
Original. Unusual. Crazy. But lots of fun. You can find out how to enter here.
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 open. The 9th competition will close for submissions on 30th June 2025. You can enter here.
You can see the most recent winner's video here:
Regular Short Story Competitions
The first table lists weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly and bi-annual short story competitions.
As mentioned above, details of very short story competitions (flash fiction) have now been moved to a dedicated resource. I mention it again here because there were a lot listed in the regular short story competitions list.
| Regular Short Story Competitions | Country | Closing Date | Winners Announced | Max Words | Entry Fee | Top Prize | Regular Short Story Competitions Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anansi Archive Short Fiction Competition | UK | Quarterly | Quarterly | 3,000 | £3 | £50 | 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 | 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 | 2,000 | $20 | $500 | Any style genre, but themes and prompts vary, so check website for current details - all finalists will receive $50 and publication in an anthology |
| Beagle North Quarterly Competition | UK | Quarterly | Quarterly | 2,500 | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 | Always Open | Everyone is a winner | Varies | FREE | See notes | 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 |
| Drapers Guild Short Story Contest | USA | See notes | See notes | no max | $15 | $100 | 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 Quest One Writing Contest | USA | Bi-Annual | Bi-Annual | 5 pages | $10 | $500 | 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 | $3,000 | See the prestigious comps listing below for full details |
| Eleventh Hour Literary Prose Contest | USA | Bi-Annual | Bi-Annual | 7,000 | FREE | $200 | Any style / genre - only requirement is for a piece to have gone through rejection and revision before - top ten submissions published in Eleventh Hour Literary Journal |
| FanStory Writing Contests | USA | Weekly | Weekly | Varies | Varies | Varies | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| F(r)iction Contest | USA | Biannually | Biannually | 7,500 | $15 | $1,000 | Any style / genre - they also have creative nonfiction, flash fiction and poetry categories - winners published online and considered for publication in print in the F(r)iction journal |
| Globe Soup Short Story Competitions | UK | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | FREE | $333 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | See main listing in the prestigious comps list below for full details |
| Reedsy's Short Story Contest | UK | Weekly | Weekly | Varies | $5 | $250 | 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 |
| ShortStoryStack | USA | Monthly | Monthly | 10,000 | FREE | $100 | Any style / genre - winner also receives 50% of subscription revenue - winners published on website |
| Stringybark Short Story Awards | Australia | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | 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 |
| Vocal Writing Challenges | USA | Weekly | Weekly | Varies | Varies | Varies | 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 | 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 | 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 of the Future | USA | Quarterly + Annual | Quarterly + Annual | 17,000 | FREE | $5,000 | SF & Fantasy - quarterly prizes + annual prize ($5K is the annual top prize) - amateur only, so if you've published more than 3 stories you're not eligible (published means at industry rates, in select locations - see website for full details) |
| WriteTime Short Story Competition | UK | Quarterly | Quarterly | 1,500 | £5 | £100 | Any style / genre - entrants must be aged 60 or over - winners published on website and in a printed anthology |
| Writing Magazine Short Story Competition | UK | Monthly | Monthly | Varies | Varies | Varies | Any style / genre - winners are published in Writing Magazine - WM run a variety of competitions, some open and some for subscribers only, so it's best to check the website to see what competitions are currently open |
Prestigious &/or Big Prize Short Story Competitions
The second table lists well renowned and prestigious short story competitions which offer big cash prizes. Any short fiction contest with a prize of more than £1,000 ($, € or other currency) is listed here. There are a couple of other big prize awards listed in the Regular Short Story Competitions above (it seems pointless to list them twice).
| Prestigious Short Story Competitions | Country | Closing Date | Winners Announced | Max Words | Entry Fee | Top Prize | Prestigious Short Story Competitions Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Futures: Financial Fallout Anthology Competition | Estonia | August | December | 3,000 | FREE | $1,000 | Any style / genre - 20 runner-up prizes, so 21 prizes in total - 21 stories will be published in the anthology (physical and eBook) - all published authors will receive a copy of the anthology |
| Accenti Writing Contest | Canada | February | May | 2,000 | C$30 | C$1,000 | Any style / genre - open to fiction and non-fiction |
| Aesthetica Creative Writing Award | UK | August | December | 2,000 | £18 | £2,500 | 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 | £3,000 | 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 | Any style / genre - winner published in Anthology Magazine - reduced early-bird entry fee available |
| Bath Short Story Award | UK | April | July | 2,200 | £9 | £1,200 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners also receive a place on a writing retreat |
| Breakwater Review Fiction Contest | USA | Varies | Varies | Varies | $10 | $1,000 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winning stories published in anthology - highly prestigious, so lots of competition |
| Bristol Prize | UK | Varies | Varies | 4,000 | £9 | £1,000 | 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 | 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 | 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 will close on 30th June 2025 |
| CRAFT Hybrid Writing Contest | USA | February | May | 5,000 | $20 | $1,000 | 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 | November | December | 3,000 | £9 | £1,000 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Edinburgh Short Story Competition | Scotland | February | August | 2,000 | £12.50 | £3,000 | 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 - managed by the Scottish Arts Trust |
| Elegant Literature Short Fiction Contest | Canada | Monthly | Monthly | 2,000 | $10 | Varies | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - they also have creative nonfiction, flash fiction and poetry categories - winners published online and considered for publication 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 - winners published in the Irish Times online - also accept non-fiction and poetry |
| Moth Magazine Short Story Competition | Ireland | June | Autumn | 3,000 | € 15 | € 3,000 | Any style / genre - winning story published as part of the summer fiction series in the Irish Times, and the 2nd and 3rd-prize-winning stories will be published in the Irish Times online |
| New Welsh Review Writing Awards | Wales | Varies | Varies | 30,000 | £12 | £1,000 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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) - to find competition page, put "Pritchett" into the website search function |
| Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition | Ireland | July | September | 3,000 | € 19 | € 2,000 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners published on blog - look in the footer of the website to find the link to the award page |
| Sisters in Crime Scarlet Stiletto Awards | Australia | August | November | 5,000 | A$25 | A$1,500 | 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 | 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 | 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 | See notes | FREE | $1,500 | Any style or genre - open to fiction and creative non-fiction - 5,000 words max for members, 4,000 words for non-members - 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | £8.50 / £6 for students | £1,500 | 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 - also open to poetry |
| The Masters Review Short Story Award for New Writers | USA | August | November | 6,000 | $20 | $3,000 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners published in The New Guard |
| The Plaza Short Story Prize | UK | November | March | 8,000 | £16 | £2,000 | Any style / genre - shortlisted writers (10) published in an anthology |
| The Plaza Sudden Fiction Prize | UK | November | March | 1,500 | £14 | £1,000 | Any style / genre - shortlisted writers (10) published in an anthology |
| The Short Story 'Cambridge Short Story Prize' | UK | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | £1,000 | Any style / genre - winners and shortlisted writers published in an anthology |
| The Writing District Prize | USA | May | July | 3,000 | $15 | $1,000 | Any style / genre - winners published on website |
| TNQ Peter Hinchcliffe Fiction Award | Canada | May | September | no max | $40 | $1,000 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners considered for representation by a number of well renowned writing agents |
Annual Short Story Competitions
The third table lists yearly short story competitions of different genres offering a wide variety of prizes. The majority offer publication to the winning writers and runners up.
| Annual Short Story Competitions | Country | Closing Date | Winners Announced | Max Words | Entry Fee | Top Prize | Annual Short Story Competitions Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Munro Festival Short Story Competition | Canada | Varies | Varies | Varies | $25 | Varies | 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 | June | September | See notes | $20 | See notes | Notes on AAWP Prizes: They run a variety of writing contests, please find the details below - Emerging Writers' short story prize: Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - 3,000 words max - top prize is a festival pass to Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) and accommodation for the duration of the festival + a one-year annual membership to the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) + fully subsidised conference fees for the AAWP conference + invite to read at the event - Meniscus Literary Journal will also consider work for publication - Translators' Prize: For translations of 30 lines (poetry) or 3,000 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 - prize is a festival pass to Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) and accommodation for the duration of the festival + a one-year annual membership to the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) + fully subsidised conference fees for the AAWP conference + invite to read at the event - winners considered for publication in Meniscus Literary Journal |
| Blandford Rotary Short Story & Poetry Competition | UK | September | November | 1,750 | £4 | £200 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre but sometimes themed so check website for full details - top prize has been up to $500 in the past |
| Bridgend Writers' Circle Open Short Story Competition | UK | March | June | 1,800 | £5 | £100 | Any style / genre - winners published on the BWC website |
| Burnham Book Festival Writing Competition | UK | February | May | 2,000 | £5 | £100 | 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 | 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 | Varies | Varies | 5,000 | £5 | £100 | 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 | 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 | Any style or genre - winners published on website |
| Cheshire Prize for Literature | UK | January | June | 1,500 | FREE | See notes | 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 - to find current competition page, put "Cheshire Prize" into the website search box |
| Christopher Fielden's 'To Hull And Back' Short Story Competition | UK | June | October | 2,500 | £10 / £12 | £1,000 and see notes | 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 |
| Cinnamon Press Writing Competitions | UK | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | See notes | 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 |
| Creative Future Writers' Award | UK | May | September | 2,000 | FREE | £75 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Mystery or crime - winner also receives 2 free tickets to CrimeFest - winning story published on CWA website |
| Cymera-Shoreline of Infinity-SF Caledonia Prize for Speculative Short Fiction | Scotland | March | May | 2,500 | FREE | £150 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Flash 500 International Short Story Competition | Spain | February | April | 3,000 | £7 | £500 | Any style / genre - winners published on website |
| Fosseway Writers Short Story Competition | UK | October | November | 2,500 | £5 | £50 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Ink of Ages Fiction Prize | UK | September | February | 2,000 | FREE | See notes | Entries must be historical or mythology-inspired - top prize is $320 worth of books and merchandising provided by Oxford University Press and World History Encyclopedia - winners will be published on World History Encyclopedia, a publication with over eight million monthly readers - they also run a competition for young writers aged 13-17 |
| Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writing Competition | UK / Australia | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | See notes | 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 |
| Killer Shorts Horror Short Story Competition | USA | December | April | 6,000 | $40 | See notes | Horror and all horror sub-genres - top prize is publication, a career mentorship call, increased rank on Coverfly’s 'The Red List', Scrivener writing software, Book Brush 1 year gold membership and a skull-shaped typewriter trophy |
| Knoxville Writers' Guild Writing Contests | TN, USA | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | $100 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd too - winners published in anthology |
| Ovacome Writing Competition | UK | September | December | 1,500 | £8 | £250 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - shortlisted stories published in an anthology, available in paperback and eBook - word limit is the same as the year, so in 2025 the word limit is 2,025 |
| Pen to Print Short Story Competition | UK | March | June | 2,000 | FREE | See notes | 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 | Any style / genre but themed so check website for full details - they also run a poetry competition |
| R C Sherriff Trust's Elmbridge Literary Competition | UK | February | February | 1,500 | £5 | £250 | 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 |
| Retreat West Short Story Prize | UK | Varies | Varies | Varies | £10 | £400 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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" or "What's On" section of the site |
| Shooter Literary Magazine Short Story Competition | UK | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | 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 | Any style / genre - all shortlisted entries will be considered for publication in the journal |
| SMK Contests | USA | November | Varies | Varies | $5 | $100 | 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 | 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 | 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) | 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 | £3.40 | £200 | Any style / genre - winners published on the website |
| The Masters Review Anthology Prize | USA | April | July | 7,000 | $20 | $500 | 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. |
| Tim Saunders Publications' "The Paul Cave Prize for Children's Literature" | UK | February | March | 5,000 | £30 | £75 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Speculative fiction, check website for current prompts - winners published on website - to find the competition details, look in the "Fiction" section of their website |
| Write by the Sea Literary Festival Writing Competition (Fiction) | Ireland | June | September | 2,500 | € 10 | € 500 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners might be published in anthology - usually closes for submissions around April / May |
Writing Competitions for Young Writers & Children
The fourth table on this page used to list short story competitions and other types of writing contests for young writers, children and students. This list has now been moved to its own dedicated page to improve usability. You can see the new young writer competitions page here.
There are sometimes other opportunities for young writers listed in the one-off competitions lists further down this page, or on the Flash Fiction competitions page. You can also find details of scholarships on my non-fiction contest page.
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.
| One-Off Short Story Competitions | Country | Closing Date | Winners Announced | Max Words | Entry Fee | Top Prize | One-Off Short Story Competitions Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No other one-off short story competitions to list at present | More one-off short story competitions coming soon | More one-off short story competitions coming soon | More one-off short story competitions coming soon | More one-off short story competitions coming soon | More one-off short story competitions coming soon | More one-off short story competitions coming soon | More notes about one-off short story competitions coming soon |
Other Short Story Competition Lists
There are a few other websites that offer useful short story competition information. They are listed below:
- Almond Press
- Arts Deadline List
- Australian Writers' Competition Resource
- Book Trust
- Cathy's Comps & Calls
- Chill Subs
- Creative Writing Ink
- DL Shirey's The Short List
- Duotrope
- First Writer
- Globe Soup
- Jerry Jenkins
- Kotobee
- Maura Yzmore
- NewPages
- Poets and Writers - look in the 'Publish Your Writing' section of their site
- Prize Magic
- Published to Death - focusses on free contests and links to other list providers
- Query Letter
- Reedsy
- ShortStops - they list competitions and literary magazines
- Stuart Aken's Writing Contest List
- Swagbag Stories Writers and Artists Group
- TCK Publishing
- The Grinder - list of thousands of markets with filters
- UK Writers College
- Writers' HQ - look in the 'Writing Resources' section of their website
- Writing.ie
If you run a list on your website and would like it included here, please get in touch.
Other Short Story Publishing Opportunities
I've launched pages listing many other publishing opportunities for short stories, flash fiction, poetry, novels and more.
You can find them here:
- Short Story Magazines lists - details of various printed and online magazines around the globe that publish fiction regularly
- Short Story Collection Competitions - a list of contests and awards specifically for short story collections and anthologies
- Flash Fiction Competitions lists - as the short story competitions page was getting so long, I decided to develop a separate resource for flash fiction competitions (awards with a word count limit below 1,000 words) to make the site easier to use
- Book / Novel Writing Competitions lists - details of prizes available for completed books - often, these can lead to decent publishing opportunities for collections of short stories and novels
- Essay Contests and Non-Fiction Writing Competitions lists - this resource includes details of memoir competitions
- Poetry Competitions lists - I started this resource because I receive a lot of enquiries about having poems published
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.
| Short Story Competitions | Country | Closing Date | Winners Announced | Max Words | Entry Fee | Top Prize | Short Story Competitions Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 Bedford Short Story Contest | USA | August | September | 8,000 | $10 | $150 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Active Writers Short Story Competition | UK | March | May | 3,000 | £7 | £500 | Any style / genre - winning stories published online - MERGED WITH SECRET ATTIC 2024 |
| Aeon Award (speculative fiction) | Ireland | November | December | 10,000 | € 8.50 | € 1,000 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Fiction, dystopia, dark humour, post-apocalyptic minds - CLOSED |
| Alsina Short Story Competitions | UK | Varies | Varies | Varies | FREE | £50 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Boston Review Short Story Contest | USA | Varies | Varies | 5,000 | $20 | Varies | Any style / genre - winners published in Boston Review - top prize has been up to $1,500 in the past - STOPPED RUNNING SHORT STORY COMPETITIONS 2022 |
| Bridgend Writers' Circle Short Story Competition | Wales | 30th November 2014 | January 2015 | 2,000 | £5 | See notes | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners published in print and eBook - website disappeared 2015 |
| Brit Writers' Awards | UK | March | ? | 5,000 | See notes | £10,000 | 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, so research before submitting - THE WEBSITE DISAPPEARED IN 2015 |
| Brittle Star Short Story Competition | UK | March | May | 2,000 | £4 | £250 | 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 | 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* | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 - 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 | 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 - Website disappeared in 2014 |
| Charroux Short Fiction Prize | France | August | October | 1,500 | £8 | £200 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| CIEDA's Perito Prize | UK | October | November | 2,000 | FREE | £250 | 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 - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| City Academy Short Story Writing Competition | UK | September | October | 4,000 | £15 | £1,500 | 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 | 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 |
| Colorado State University Nelligan Prize | USA | March | Varies | 12,500 | $15 | $2,500 | 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 - CLOSED IN 2022, after running for 19 years |
| Comma Press Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction | UK | October | May | 6,000 | FREE | £500 | Any style / genre but themed so check website for details - winners published by Comma in an eBook - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2024 |
| Commaful's Writing Contests | USA | Varies | Varies | Varies | FREE | See notes | 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 - NOT PUBLISHED ANYTHING IN YEARS, so removed listing 2024 |
| Commonwealth Short Story Prize | UK | November | Varies | 5,000 | FREE | £2,500 / £5,000 - see notes | 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 - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| Conium Review Short Story Competition | USA | Varies | Varies | 7,500 | $15 | $500 | Any style / genre - winners published in the Conium Review - deadline is usually between May and July - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2024 |
| Corncott Writing Competition | UK | August | September | 750 | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Cranked Anvil Short Story Competition | UK | Quarterly | Quarterly | 1,500 | £5 | £150 | Any style / genre - winners published on website and may also be published in an anthology - CLOSED 2024 |
| Crazy Cats Theatre Writing Competitions | UK | Quarterly | Quarterly | 2,500 | Varies | Varies | 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 - NOT RUN A COMP SINCE EASTER 2023, so removed listing summer 2024 |
| Creative Competitor Writing Competitions | France | Various | Various | Various | Various | Various | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - entry is £3 but for an extra 3 quid you can get a critique - CLOSED 2015 |
| Cyberworld Publishing 'The Good Life in Galicia' Competition | Galicia, Spain | August | Varies | 4,500 | FREE | € 15 | Any style / genre but must be about Galicia in a significant way - winners published in anthology - also accept non-fiction and poetry - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| Dandy Writers' Writing Contests | USA | Monthly | Monthly | Varies | Varies | Varies | 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 0 WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| Dark Places Short Story Competition | UK | Triannual | Triannual | 5,000 | £1.25 | Various | 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 | 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 | '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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Dream of Shadows Short Story Competitions | UK | Bi-Annual | Bi-Annual | 1,500 | £6 | £300 | Fantasy / horror and themed, so check website for current theme - they run Easter and Halloween competitions - website disappeared 2024 |
| Dylan Thomas Birthplace International Short Story Competition | Wales | Varies | Varies | See notes | See notes | £500 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - theme is 'survival' in support of the hospice staff undertaking the Arctic Survival Challenge next year - link 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Fictionette Contest | UK | Monthly | Monthly | Varies | FREE | See notes | Any style / genre - competition alternates between short story and flash fiction, so word limits vary - prize is publication online and in the Fictionette magazine - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| Fictionette Short Story Contest | UK | April | June | 3,000 | £7 | £500 | Any style / genre - winners published in Fictionette Magazine - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| Fictuary Short Story Contest | USA | Monthly | Monthly | 4,000 | FREE | $50 | 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 | 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 | 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* | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Flash Fiction Writers Short Story Contests | USA | Varies | Varies | Varies | FREE | See notes | Any style / genre but themed, so check website for current details - regular writing promts with the occasional prize - CLOSED 2024 |
| Forever Endeavour Charity Short Story Competition | UK | April | May | 3,000 | See notes | £100 | 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 - NOT RUN SINCE 2022, so removed listing 2024 |
| Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award | Ireland | March | ? | no max | FREE | € 35,000 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | April | May | 5,000 | FREE | € 1,000 | 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 | 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 | 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) | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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... |
| Headway in West Kent Short Story Competition | UK | 18th September 2015 | October 2015 | 500 | £3 | £50* | 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 | 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 | 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 | Sep-13 | 750 | FREE | £20 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners published in Hourglass Literary Magazine - NOT RUN since 2017, so removed listing 2019 |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners published on the website - CLOSED 2015 |
| Inclusive Works International Short Story Competition | Holland | August | ? | See notes | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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-17 | 2017 | £5 | £1,000 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Apr-23 | 3,000 | Free | $100 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Mar-13 | 2013 | 5,000 | $10 | $200 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - CLOSED 2014 |
| MJ Meads Short Story Competition | UK | Varies | Varies | 2,500 | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Themed, so check website for current theme - winners published on the NWC website - NOT RUN SINCE 2018, so removed listing during 2021 update |
| Nottingham Writers' Studio George Floyd Short Story Competition | UK | Varies | Varies | 5,000 | FREE | £250 | Any style / genre but themed so check website for current details - winners published in anthology in print and eBook formats - NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2024 |
| Nouvelles Magazine Short Stories From Pere Lachaise | France | Tri-Annually | Tri-Annually | 2,000 | € 10 | See notes | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Ouen Press Short Story Competition | UK | Varies | Varies | Varies | FREE | £300 | 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 - NOT RUN SINCE 2021, so removed listing 2024 |
| Oval Magazine Short Story Competition | USA | Varies | Varies | 5,000 | $2 | $5 | 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 | 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 |
| Painting the Palmetto; a Local South Carolina Anthology | USA | Mid-August 2024 | NA | 2,500 | FREE | None | The anthology will have South Carolina (in the United States) connections and the theme is local legends and unique stories, with a hint of mystery - open for submissions of poetry, short stories, artworks, illustrations and anything SC related that can be printed - selected stories published in an anthology - profits from sales will be donated to the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault |
| Palmnates Writing Prize | South Africa | Monthly | Monthly | 2,000 | FREE | $200 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners might be published - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2022 |
| Playboy Magazine College Fiction Contest | USA | February | ? | 5,000 | $5* | $3,000 | 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 | 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 | Mar-15 | 10,000 | FREE | $50 | Any style / genre, but must be REALLY scary - winners published in eBook |
| Plymouth Writers Group Open Writing Competition | UK | January | ? | 2,000 | £5 | £250 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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* | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Pulp Fictional Short Story Competition | UK | May | August | 2,500 | £9 | £250 | 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 - NOTE ON WEBSITE SAID ALL COMPS CANCELLED, so removed listing 2024 |
| Reader's Digest 100-Word-Story Competition | UK | February | March | 100 | FREE | £1,000 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winners published in anthology - CLOSED 2017 |
| Rejected Manuscripts Short Fiction Competition | Taiwan | December | January | 1,500 | FREE | See notes | 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 |
| Remastered Words | UK | May | August | 5,000 | FREE | £75 | 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 - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| Renay Allen's Woman vs. Muse Writing Competition | Australia | April | May | 2,500 | A$10 | A$100 | 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 | Oct-15 | 500 | FREE | See notes | 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 | Jun-22 | 1,500 | £7.50 | £150 | 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 | 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 | Aug-21 | 3,000 | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 |
| Ruminate Magazine William Van Dyke Short Story Prize | USA | Varies | Varies | 5,500 | $20 | $1,500 | 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 -NOT PUBLISHED SINCE 2022, so removed listing 2024 |
| RWL Short Story Competition | UK | Quarterly | Quarterly | 10,000 | FREE | £100 | Any style / genre - winners published on website - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED in 2019 |
| Ryedale Book Festival Short Story Competition | UK | Varies | Varies | 8,000 | FREE | £250 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Secret Attic Short Story Competition | UK | March | May | 3,000 | £7 | £500 | Any style / genre - winning stories published online - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| Segora Short Story Competition | France | June | August | 3,000 | £8 | £300 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - themed, so check website for current theme - CLOSED 2014 |
| Short Story Land Writing Contest | USA | Biannually | Biannually | 4,500 | $19 | $500 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | February 2013 | March 2013 | no max | see notes | £500 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - entries accepted in English or Spanish - winning entries published in the Southern Pacific Review - CLOSED 2017 after 6 years of publication |
| Southlands Art Centre Creative Writing Competition | UK | 31st July 2024 | 5th October 2024 | 3,000 | £3 | £100 | Theme is "the apple" - all winners and runners up will be published in a downloadable PDF book and a limited run of paperback books - also open to life writing - CLOSED, was a one-off |
| SouthWestFest Annual Writing Competition | UK | June | June | 500 | £3 | £50 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Stories must be about the first world war - winners published in an anthology CLOSED |
| Sweek's Writing Competitions | Holland | Varies | Varies | Varies | FREE | Varies | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Swoop Books Creative Writing Competition | UK | Varies | Varies | 3,000 | £5 | £100 | Any style / genre but their contests are often themed or based on a prompt, so check website for current details - winners published in anthology - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre 'The Page Is Printed' Creative Writing Competition | UK | Varies | Varies | 1 side of A4 | £5 | £100 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 Dillydoun Short Story Prize | USA | October | October | 8,000 | $25 | $5,000 | 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 - WEBSITE DISAPPEARED 2024 |
| The Once and Future Moon Anthology from Eibonvale Press | UK | 30th April 2019 | Summer | 5,000 | FREE | £10 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 Phare WriteWords Short Story Competition | UK | January | February | 2,000 | £8 | £100 | Any style or genre - also has poetry and flash fiction categories - winners published in anthology - COMPETITION NO LONGER MENTIONED ON WEBSITE, so removed listing 2024 |
| The Print Express Haiku Competition | UK | 31st October 2016 | 4th November 2016 | N/A | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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-18 | 2,500 | £5 | £200 | 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 | Jan-19 | See notes | FREE | £500 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - winning stories published on website |
| The Writing Competition | UK | Quarterly | Quarterly | 500 | £4 | £100 | Any style / genre - winners published on the website - website disappeared 2015 |
| The Writing District Competition | USA | Monthly | Monthly | 3,000 | FREE | $50 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Any style / genre - CLOSED |
| Tenby Arts Festival | Wales | July | September | 1,500 | £4 | £150 | 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 | 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 NON-WRITING RELATED WEBSITE so removed listing |
| Tryon Arts & Crafts School 'The Apparitionist' National Ghost Story Competition | USA | August | October | 5,500 | $10 | $200 | 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 | 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) | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | ? | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Willowdown Books 'RH Cunningham Memorial' Short Story Competition | UK | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies | 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 NOT RUN SINCEW 2020, so removed listing 2024 |
| Wimbledon Bookfest Young Writers' Competition | UK | April | ? | 500 | FREE | iPad | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Science Fiction - winners published in printed anthology - CLOSED 2013 |
| Words Mag Short Story Competition | UK | Bi-Annually | Bi-Annually | 2,000 | Varies | Varies | 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 | 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 | 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-15 | 3,500 | FREE | € 100 | 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 | 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 | Children's - CLOSED 2015 |
| Writers Fest Writing Contest | Canada | Varies | Varies | 1,500 | Varies | Varies | 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 |
| Writers' Forum | UK | Monthly | Monthly | 3,000 | £6, £3 for subscribers | £300 | 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) - CLOSED 2023 |
| Writer's Notebook Short Story Competition | UK | Monthly | Monthly | 1,500 | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Writer's Workout Writer's Games Competition | USA | April | June | Varies | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 | Feb-16 | 500 | FREE | See notes | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Jan-15 | 5,000 | FREE | See notes | 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 | Sci-Fi subgenre Cyberpunk - winner receives cash and custom artwork for their story - CLOSED, was a one-off |
More Writing Competition Lists
I hope you found this poetry competitions list helpful. You can find lots of other writing contest lists and other publishing opportunities by looking at the main writing competitions page, which contains links to all the resources on that topic.
More Writing Advice
I hope you found this "Short Story Competitions" page helpful. You can find lots of other publication opportunities and writing tips in the Advice section of this website.
This website was established in 2011. In 2024, it was redesigned. Between 2011 and 2024, thousands of people left comments. I’d like to thank every person for their engagement – it’s greatly appreciated.
When the website was rebuilt, transferring comments comprising hundreds of thousands of words was not feasible. I may re-publish the old Short Story Competitions page comments here at some point. In the meantime, new comments can be left below.
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