The 10 shortlisted writers in all categories will receive cash prizes and be published in a paperback and ebook anthology and will receive one copy of each.
Deadline: 30th October 2022
| Short Story Words: 1000-2500 | Flash Fiction Words: 151-500 | Micro Fiction Words: Up to 150 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Prize: £400 2nd Prize: £250 3rd Prize: £150 Shortlisted: £20 | 1st Prize: £350 2nd Prize: £200 3rd Prize: £100 Shortlisted: £15 | 1st Prize: £200 2nd Prize: £100 3rd Prize: £50 Shortlisted: £10 |
Judge: Sarah Schofield  Sarah Schofield is an award-winning writer of short fiction. Her stories have appeared in several Comma Press anthologies, Best British Short Stories 2020 (Salt), Synaesthesia Magazine, Morning Star, Woman’s Weekly and many others. Sarah is a Creative Writing lecturer at Edge Hill University. Her debut collection Safely Gathered In was published by Comma Press in November 2021. | Judge: Tom O’Brien  Tom’s debut novella-in-flash, Straw Gods, was shortlisted by Ellipsis Zine & longlisted by Bath Flash Fiction before being published by Reflex Press. His second, Homemade Weather, won the inaugural novelette-in-flash prize from Retreat West. His third novella-in-flash, One For The River, is published by Ad Hoc Fiction. Tom’s stories can be found in anthologies such as Blink-Ink and Bath Flash Fiction as well as many other places including Ellipsis Zine, Reflex and Spelk. Tom won the 2021 NFFD NZ Best Microfiction and the 2021 Biffy50 Microfiction awards. | Judge: Laura Besley  Laura Besley had two micro fiction collections published in 2021, (Un)Natural Elements (Beir Bua Press) and 100neHundred (Arachne Press). Her flash collection, The Almost Mothers was published by Dahlia Books in 2020. Having lived in the Netherlands, Germany and Hong Kong, she now lives in land-locked central England and misses the sea. She tweets @laurabesley |
| Entry Fees: £10 for 1 story £75 for 1 story with detailed feedback | Entry Fees: £8 for 1 story £43 for 1 story with detailed feedback | Entry Fees: £5 for 1 story £25 for 1 story with detailed feedback |
Read the winners of the 2020 Prize in our latest anthology. The 2021 anthology is coming soon!
Competition Rules
- Submit stories written in English through Submittable using the buttons above by 23.59 GMT on the deadline date (sorry late entries will not be included). Please use a clear font of at least size 12 so that we can read it easily!
- Please use the name of your story as your Submission title and the document you upload.
- Do not include your name on the story document or submission title but provide a short bio in the body of the email. All stories are read anonymously so any showing the author’s name will be disqualified.
- Please include the word count at the start or end of the story document.
- Stories must be your own original work and not have been published online or in print, or have won any other competitions (longlisted and shortlisted places in other competitions is fine).
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed but if your story wins a prize or is published prior to the winner’s announcement your entry will become ineligible. If you withdraw prior to the competition deadline we will refund your entry fee minus entry the amount Submittable have charged us for processing it. Any entries withdrawn after the deadline will not have the fee refunded.
- By entering the competition you agree to your story being published in the winners’ anthology.
- Stories can be in any genre apart from children’s fiction.
- You can enter as many times as you like but all entries must be made separately and the entry fee paid each time.
- The judge’s decision is final.
- There will be a launch event for the anthology of winners and cash prizes will be paid on publication of the anthology.
- Cash prize payments will be made through PayPal or via BACS.
- There is no alternative prize.