Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize
Closing date: 10th February 2017.
Prizes: £1,500.
Entry fee: £12.
Looking for: The opening of an unpublished novel by a woman writer.
Email: executiveassistant@lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk
Website: www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/fictionprize/
Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2017 Short Story Competition
Closing date: 13th February 2017.
Prizes: A place on an Arvon course of the winners' choice, online publication.
Free entry.
Looking for: Stories up to 2,000 words.
Website: www.writersandartists.co.uk/competitions
The Kit de Waal Scholarship
Closing date: 15th February 2017.
Prize: a fully funded MA place at Birkbeck, University of London.
Free entry.
Looking for: Writers from disadvantaged backgrounds who would not otherwise be able to afford a part-time creative writing MA.
Website: www.bbk.ac.uk/news/birkbeck
Reader's Digest 100-word Competition
Closing date: 20th February 2017.
Prizes: £2,000, £200 for two runners-up.
Free entry.
Looking for: Stories told in exactly 100 words.
Email: 100wordstory@readersdigest.co.uk
Website: www.readersdigest.co.uk/100-word-story-competition
ChipLitFest Short Story Competition
Closing date: 20th February 2017.
Prizes: £500, £100, £50, Top 10 to have chance to appear on pennyshorts.com.
Entry fee: £5 up to 3,000 words, £8 up to 5,000 words.
Judge: Martyn Waites.
Looking for: short stories, max 5,000 words, any genre.
Email: editor@pennyshorts.com
Website: www.chiplitfest.com for details on how to enter.
Nottingham Writers' Club National Short Story Competition
Competition opens on 1st February 2017 and closes on 28th February 2017.
Prizes: £200, £100, £50 plus 5 x Runners up prizes.
Entry fee: £5, £10 for two, £4 each subsequent (£6, £12 and £5 each online).
Looking fot: Stories up to 2,000 words on the theme of food and drink by writers who have not earned more than £300 from short stories sold in 2016.
Email: info@nottinghamwritersclub.org.uk
Website: www.nottinghamwritersclub.org.uk
Jane Austen 200 Short Story Competition
Closing date: 28th February 2017.
Prizes: 1st Prize: £1,000. 2nd Prize: £500.
Entry fee: £5.
Theme: Taking this quotation from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park as the story title writers are encouraged to respond in 2017 words or fewer. "Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure."
Looking for: writing of any genre taking the title as inspiration, in 2017 words or fewer.
Further info: Open to writers aged 16 and over from across the globe. Award winning short story writers David Constantine and Claire Fuller as Judges. Hosed by Hampshire Cultural Trust and the Jane Austen's House Museum as part of Jane Austen 200.
Website: www.janeausten200.co.uk/competitions
Writers Bureau Annual Short Story
Closing date: 28th February 2017.
Prizes: £300, £200, £100, £50 publication in Freelance Market News. All winners receive a choice of Writers Bureau course worth over £349.
Entry fee: £5.
Looking for: For short stories, up to 2,000 words.
Email: studentservices@Writersbureau.com
Website: www.wbcompetition.com
Artificium Short Stories and In Brief
Closing date: 28th February 2017.
Prizes: short stories: £300, £100; briefs: £150, £100.
Entry fee: £5, two for £9.
Looking for: Short stories, 2,000-8,000 words, and short writing in any genre, 500 and 1,000 words.
Email: competitions@artificium.co.uk
Website: www.artificium.co.uk
Flash 500 Short Story Competition
Closing date: Last day of February 2017.
Prizes: £500, £200 and £100.
Entry fee: £7/€9 for one; £12/€15.50 for two; £16/€21 for three; £20/€26 for four.
Looking for: Stories ranging between 1,000 and 3,000 words, with strong characters, a well-crafted plot and realistic dialogue (where used).
Email: info@flash500.com
Website: http://www.flash500.com/index
Exeter Writers Short Story Competition
Closing date: 28th February 2017.
Prizes: £500, £250, £100; £100 for a Devon writer.
Entry fee: £6.
Looking for: For short stories, any genre and theme, but not children's, up to 3,000 words.
Email: exeterwriters@gmail.com
Website: www.exeterwriters.org.uk
Crime Writers Association Margery Allingham Short Story Competition
Closing date: 28th February 2017.
Prizes: £250.
Entry fee: £15.
Looking for: Short stories, 3,500 words, based on Margery Allingham's definition of a mystery.
Website: www.thecwa.co.uk
Fish Flash Fiction Contest
Closing date: 28th February 2017.
Prize: €1,000.
Entry fee: €14, €16 postal.
Looking for: For flash fiction, up to 300 words.
Email: info@fishpublishing.com
Website: www.fishpublishing.com
F(r)iction Winter 2017 Flash Fiction & Short Story Contests
Closing date: 1st March 2017. The deadline for our creative nonfiction contest is April 1st.
Prizes: $300-$1000 + publication in F(r)iction alongside stunning original artwork from TBL's talented team of artists.
Entry fee: $8-$15.
Theme: NONE.
Looking for: Short stories of any genre ranging from 1,000 to 7,500 words and Flash fiction with a word limit of 750 words.
Further info: F(r)iction is dedicated to publishing the best writing of all kinds, and we encourage submissions that push boundaries and take risks in genre, plot, and style.
Website: tetheredbyletters.com/submissions/contest/
CWA's Margery Allingham Short Story Competition 2017
Closing date: 1st March 2017.
Prizes: £500 and two free passes for CrimeFest 2018.
Entry fee: £12.
Judges: Crime Writers' Association & the Margery Allingham Society.
Looking for: Short story using Margery Allingham's definition of a mystery, up to 3,500 words.
Full details and submission on the website: www.thecwa.co.uk/shortstory
Bridgend Writers' Circle Open Writing Competition
Closing date: 1st March 2017.
Prizes: £200, £50, £30.
Entry fee: £5 for one, £7.50 for two.
Looking for: Stories. 1,500-1,800 words, on any theme.
Email: Izmahoney@googlemail.com
Website: http://bridgendwriters.webplus.net/comp_gen_info14.html
Neil Gunn Writing Competition 2016-17
Closing date: 3rd March 2017.
Prizes: 1st prize £500; 2nd Prize £300; 3rd prize £200; highly commended and commendeds.
Entry fee: £8.
Themes: Choose between a) "Wrong is a difficult word" (from Young Art and Old Hector) and b) "Knowledge is high in the head, but the salmon of wisdom swims deep" (from The Green Isle of the Great Deep).
Looking for: Up to 2,500 words.
Further info: The lead judge for the 2016/17 competition is author Michel Faber.
For queries please email competition administrator charlotteemacarthur@gmail.com
For full information and entry forms please go to www.highlifehighland.com/neilgunn
Words for the Wounded - Independent Author Book Award
Closing date: 11th March 2017.
Prizes: A review of the top three and an opportunity for the winner to write A Day in the Life for e-Frost magazine.
Entry fee: £12.50.
Looking for: Self-published memoir or fiction published in the last four years.
Email: queries@wordsforthewounded.co.uk
Website: www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk
Limnisa Short Story Competition 2017
Closing date: 15th March 2017.
Prizes: 1st Prize: One week Writers' Retreat or Workshop in 2017 or 2018 at Limnisa, our seaside location near Agios Georgios, Methana, Greece: http://www.limnisa.com All inclusive: Full board, 7 nights accommodation in single room, optional daily yoga sessions, literary evening, use of all Limnisa facilities: beach, bikes, international library etc. OR five online sessions of personal tutoring. 2nd and 3rd Prize: 50 % discount on the Writers' Retreat or Workshop (see above) OR a free online session of personal tutoring or feedback on written work. 2 Runners up: 25% discount on the Writers' Retreat or Workshop (see above).
Entry fee: FREE. Please like and share our facebook page.
Looking for: This international contest is open worldwide and is for short stories on any subject up to 3,000 words.
Questions regarding entries should be directed to: entries@limnisa.com
Website: limnisa.com/competition-2017
Mslexia Womens' Short Story Competition
Closing date: 20th March 2017.
Prizes: £2000 plus publication in Mslexia, £500, £250, £100.
Entry fee: £10.
Looking for: Stories of between 300 and 3,000 words.
Email: shortstory@mslexia.co.uk
Website: mslexia.co.uk/products/competition
Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition
Closing date: 24th March 2017.
Prizes: A cash prize of £150.
Entry fee: £5 per entry.
Looking for: Short stories to a maximum of 2,500 words. Online entries only will be accepted.
Email: info@eveshamfestivalofwords.com
Website: http://eveshamfestivalofwords.org
No Borders-Short Story Competition
Closing Date: 31st March 2017.
Prizes: 1st place - Publication in end of the year anthology, a professional short story edit, a social media promotion package, and entry in a special grand prize; 2nd place - Publication in end of the year anthology, a short story critique, and a social media promotion package; 3rd place - Publication in end of the year anthology.
Entry fee: $3 for 1 entry, $5 for 2; $7 for 3. All currencies accepted.
Looking for: Travel fiction of any genre under the theme of "Wandering". Length: 2,000-5,000 words.
Email: noborders@danteharker.com
Website: https://www.danteharker.com/no-borders
PrintExpress.co.uk Story Competition
Closing date: 31st March 2017.
Prizes: The winner will receive £50 in book tokens, and £175 in book tokens for their school.
The competition has no entry fee, and is open to those aged between 5 and 13 (there are two age brackets - 5 to 9, and 10 to 13).
Looking for: Stories up to 500 words.
Further info: The competition is only open to full time residents of the UK. Only one entry per child, and stories must be an original piece of fiction. Stories can only be entered by a parent, teacher or guardian on behalf of a child.
Website: design.printexpress.co.uk/childrens-short-story-competition/
The Henshaw Short Story Competition
Closing Date: 31st March 2017.
Prizes: 1st £100, Second £50, Third £25.
Entry fee: £5 by PayPal or cheque to G. Jennings.
Entry Requirements: A short story on any subject up to 2000 words.
Results: Announced by 30th April 2017.
Winner published on the Henshawpress website.
Website: http://henshawpress.co.uk
Writers Bureau Short Story Competition
Closing date: 31st March 2017.
Prizes: £300, £200, £100, £50 plus Writers Bureau course worth over £350.
Entry fee: £5.
Looking for: stories up to 2,000 words on an open theme.
Email: studentservices@writersbureau.com
Website: www.wbcompetition.com
Short Fiction Magazine Short Story Prize
Closing date: 31st March 2017.
Prizes: 1st - £500 plus publication; 2nd - £100, 3rd - Place on Masterclass.
Entry fee: £7.
Looking for: Short stories up to 5,000 words.
Website: www.shortfictionjournal.co.uk/
Fabula Press' Nivalis Short Story Competition 2017
Closing date: 31st March 2017.
Prizes: The contest carries the following prizes: First Prize: US$250; Second Prize: US$150; Third Prize: US$100. All longlisted entries (top 15-20) get published in an anthology, and non-prize winning published entries will be paid US$50 each. Also, at the sponsors' discretion additional prizes may be declared for 'Editors' Pick' category.
Entry fee: US$10.
Looking for: Short stories with word count between 1,500 - 7,000. At the editors' discretion some latitude may be allowed on both minimum and maximum word counts for stories of exceptional merit.
Theme: None.
Further info: There is no restriction on genre, and apart from literary fiction we are happy to read historical fiction, mystery/suspense, and horror.
Detailed guidelines are available on website: http://www.fabulapress.com/
Solution Loans - Short Story Writing Competition
Closing date: 31st March, 2017.
Prizes: The winner will receive £200 and publication on the Solution Loans website, with £50 and publication for three runners-up.
Entry fee: Free.
Looking for: We're looking for uplifting short stories which involve someone getting finance or a loan for a very specific purpose. Stories should be works of fiction, not personal accounts or experiences.
Further info: Send us your story, between 1500 to 2500 words, in a single doc, docx, txt or pdf file to shortstorycomp@solution-loans.co.uk with the subject heading: "Solution Loans short story competition".
See full details at: www.solution-loans.co.uk/short-story-writing-competition/
Firstwriter International Short Story Contest
Closing date: 1st April 2017.
Entry fee: £6.50 per story; two stories for just £5.75 each, three stories for only £5.00 each, or five stories for only £4.00 per story.
Prizes: First place is £200 (around $300). Up to ten special commendations will also be awarded, and all the winners will be published in firstwriter.magazine and receive a voucher that can be used to take out an annual subscription for free.
Looking for: Short stories of any style and on any subject, but they must not be longer than 3,000 words.
Website: www.firstwriter.com/short_story_contest/
Malcolm Welshman 500 Word Story Competition
Closing date: 20th April 2017.
Prizes: One winner will receive a signed copy of Malcolm's paperback, Pets Aplenty, and online publication on our website. Winner to be added to our December draw where the prize is one free entry to our Open Short Story Competition 2018.
Entry fee: Free.
Looking for: a story between 500-600 words based on either a pet or wild animal as long as it's an integral part of the tale. The view-point is not to be from that animal.
Website: erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/2017-malcolm-welshman.html
Win Your Way to Swanwick 2017
Closing date: 30th April 2017.
Prizes: 1st - A fully inclusive week at the 2017 Summer School for the winner in each category; 2nd - Writing Magazine manuscript appraisal; 3rd - a copy of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2017.
Entry fee: £5 for each piece of work entered.
Theme for all entries this year is 'Escape'.
The categories are: A poem up to 40 lines; A short story up to 1,000 words and Children's fiction up to 1,000 words.
Further info: Swanwick Summer School, which runs from 12-18 August, is a week-long programme for writers of all ages, abilities and genres. It offers a full programme of courses, workshops, speakers, panels and optional one to one sessions.
Further information on website: swanwickwritersschool.org.uk/win-a-place.html
Bath Short Story Award 2017
Closing date: 1st May 2017.
Prizes: £1000 first prize, £200 second prize, £100 third prize, £50 for the local prize in vouchers – donated by Mr B’s Emporium of Books, Bath. £50 for the Acorn Award for an unpublished writer. Winning and shortlisted stories will be published in our yearly anthology.
Entry fee: £8.
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,200 words (no lower limit).
Further info: Entries are welcome from around the globe for any writer aged sixteen years and over. Check the rules page for more information.
Website: www.bathshortstoryaward.org/bath-short-story-award-2017/
2017 Bristol Short Story Prize
Closing date: 3rd May 2017.
Prizes: 1st - £1,000, 2nd - £700, 3rd - £400. 17 further prizes of £100 to other shortlisted writers.
Entry fee: £8.00.
Theme: No specific theme or subject.
Looking for: Stories up to 4,000 words max., no minimum.
Further info: Entry online or by post. 20 stories will be published in the 10th BSSP anthology.
Website: www.bristolprize.co.uk
Bridport Prize
Closing date: 31st May 2017.
Prizes: for poetry and short stories, £5,000, £1,000, £500 and 10 x £50; £1,000, £500, £250, 3 x £25 for flash fiction; £ 100 for best local winner or runner-up; anthology publication for all.
Entry fee: £7 flash fiction, £8 poem, £9 short story.
Looking for: Short stories (up to 5,000 words), poetry (up to 42 lines) and Hash (up to 250 words).
Email: kate@bridportprize.org.uk
Website: www.bridportprize.org.uk
Cinnamon Press Short Story Prize
Closing date: 31st May 2017.
Prizes: £500, £100, £50; publication.
Entry fee: £12.
Looking for: For short stories, 2,000-5,000 words.
Email: jan@cinnamonpress.com
Website: www.cinnamonpress.com
Frome Festival Short Story Competition
Closing date: 31st May 2017.
Prizes: £300, £150, £75, extra prizes for local entrants, winning entrants published on the website and may be sent to Womens Weekly and/or Frame FM for consideration.
Entry fee: £5.
Looking for: Short stories, 1,000-2,200 words, any theme.
Email: fromefestivalshortstorycomp@gmail.com
Website: fromeshortstorycompetition.co.uk
Yeovil Literary Prize
Closing date: 31st May 2017.
Prizes: for novels, £1,000, £250 and £100; for each of poems and short stories, £500, £200 and £100; for writing without restrictions £200, £100 and £50.
Entry fee: £ 11 for novels; £6 for short stories; £6 for one poem, £11 for three; writing without restrictions £5.
Looking for: novels (opening chapters and synopsis, up to 15,000 words), short stories (max 2,000 words, poems (up to 40 lines), and writing without restrictions.
Website: www.yeovilprize.co.uk
Writers Bureau Spring Flash Fiction Competition
Closing date: 31st May 2017.
Prizes: £300, £200, £100 plus Writers Bureau course worth over £349.
Entry fee: £5, £10 for three.
Looking for: stories up to 500 words on an open theme.
Email: studentservices@writersbureau.com
Website: www.wbcompetition.com
Erewash Writers 'Books' Competition
Closing date: 29th June 2017.
Prizes: Six prizes includes a choice of books and a short story writing course.
Entry fee: Varies - see website.
Looking for: Send us your stories, poetry, anecdotes, memoirs and more. Any form of writing accepted using 'BOOKS' as the theme.
Website: erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/2017books-writing-competition.html
Cheshire Prize for Literature
Closing date: 1st September 2017.
Prizes: £2000 for the winner, £750 shared between runners-up.
Entry fee: £0.
Theme: Children's Literature aimed at 7 to 14 year old children Looking for: Stories up to 1500 words or verse no more than 100 lines. Entrants must have lived, worked or studied in Cheshire, Wirral, Warrington or Halton. Entrants must be 18 or over.
Website: http://www.chester.ac.uk/literatureprize/
Bedford International Writing Competition
Opens: 1st May and closes 30th September 2017.
Prizes: Prizes: £300, £150, £100. Special Bedford Prizes: Short Story £100; Poem £100. All shortlisted entries will be published as a download anthology.
Entry fee: Fees: £6 or 3 for £12.
Looking for: Story: up to 3000 words. Poems: up to 40 lines.
Further info: Judges: Ruth Hogan, Lesley Saunders, Steve Lowe.
As a not-for-profit group, all net proceeds go to charities/projects that help children or adults improve literary skills.
Email: bedfordwritingcomp@aol.co.uk
Website: www.bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk
