MARKETS
INDEX
Writing Competitions
Here is a list of short story competitions currently running in the UK. I'll present them in closing-date order, but I strongly advise you not to submit your stories until you have first written to the contact address (or visited the appropriate website) for further details. Other restrictions in length and subject matter may apply.
The Global Short Story Competition Organised by Certys Limited, supported by Darlington Arts Centre in Darlington, County Durham, England. Cash prize for the winner of each monthly competition. Entry: £5 per story. Details: www.globalshortstories.net
Txt Lit Txt Lit is a new literary genre of creative writing using a mobile phone texting system, or SMS (Short Message System). A single mobile phone text message contains just 160 characters, including spaces and punctuation. Each entry costs £1 plus the normal cost of a text message as charged by your network provider. You can enter each competition as many times as you like. First prize: at least £50. Competitions every month. The theme for September is romance. More details on website at http://www.txtlit.co.uk
Writers' Billboard Bi-monthly writing competitions in various formats, including poetry. Website: http://writersbillboard.net
Scribble Open Short Story Competition Length: up to 3000 words. Prizes of £75.00, £25.00, and £15.00, will be awarded for the best three stories in each issue. For other published stories, a complimentary copy will be given. Annual subscribers will also receive a credit voucher to the value of £4.00. Stories from non-subscribers are welcome but must be accompanied by the entry fee. Entry fee for the competitions is £3.00 (cheques payable to Park Publications). Free unlimited entry for subscribers. Scribble is published in March, July, October, and December. More details HERE
Monthly Writers' Forum Short Story Competition Any genre, but stories must be original and previously unpublished. Aim for a word count between 1,500 to 3,000. Stories may embrace crime, mystery, romance, sport, humour, fantasy, erotica or science-fiction. The competitions are held monthly and there is also £1,000 for the best short story of the year. Monthly prizes of £250 for the best story published and two prizes of £150 for runners up. All stories not selected for publication are returned to authors with a grid assessment. Text should be type-written or word-processed, printed in double spacing. Entries should be accompanied with a short biography and colour photograph of the writer. Please submit a saved copy of the ms on disk as a Rich Text File (RTF) or Microsoft Word 5.1a (for Apple Macintosh). Send complete ms and contact details to: Writers International Ltd, PO Box 3229, Bournemouth BH1 1ZS Tel: 01202 589828 Fax: 01202 587758 Website www.writers-forum.com
Secret Attic - Need to flex those literary muscles? Enter their monthly short story competition. Entry is free and you can win a prize. The top twenty entries will be published in a printed booklet. Website: http://www.secretattic.com
The Seventh Quark Runs three separate competitions, a Quarterly Story Prize (2000-4000 words), a Bi-Monthly Shorter Story Prize (under 2000 words), and the wild excitement of a regular simultaneously written Frantic Flash Competition. Please see details of dates and entry fees on the website www.7thquarkmagazine.com or email seventhquark@tribe13.co.uk
Pulse and Cocktails Looking for budding writers of fun, adult erotic short stories. All entries that are published will receive a £5 voucher to spend, with two runner-up prizes of £25, and the overall winner receiving a £100 voucher. A monthly competition, currently looking for entries before the end of this month. Website: http://www.pulseandcocktails.co.uk/stories/competition.php
Dark Tales Flash Fiction Ongoing contest with a deadline date of the first of the following months: September, November, January, March, May, July. For horror and speculative fiction. Maximum 500 words. First prize £25, second £5. Winner and runner-up - plus best shortlisted - published in Dark Tales magazine. Entry fee £1.25. See website for full details: http://www.darktales.co.uk/
Invisible Ink Short Story Competition Twice yearly ongoing competition: Closing dates 31 March and 30 September. Prize: £1,000 + publishing opportunity. Entry fee: None. Short stories (2000 - 4000 words) in general fiction suitable for a mainstream audience. Open to unpublished prose writers. Winner is chosen by reader votes and short-listed entrants receive feedback from readers via the website. Entrants are invited (but not required) to support fellow writers by purchasing the current competition anthology - all proceeds go to fund future competitions and other ventures in new writing. Full details and online entry form: www.invisibleink.org.uk/competition.html
Wellington Town Council (Shropshire) Short Story Competition Open to all. 1st prize: £150. Closing date: 31 August 2008. Entry fee: £3 per story. Details HERE
The Cheshire Prize for Literature The Cheshire Prize for Literature competition, sponsored by The Bank of America, is open to anyone over eighteen with a Cheshire connection. The writer must live, have lived, study or have studied, work, or have been born, in Cheshire. For the purposes of the Prize, Cheshire is deemed to include the Wirral, Warrington and Halton. The 2008 competition will be awarded for an original and previously unpublished piece of writing for children. The entry may be in prose (not exceeding 1,500 words) or verse (not exceeding 100 lines), and the intended readership is 7- to 14-year-old children. Closing date: 1st September 2008. Prizes: First prize: £2,000, additional prize-money of £750 will be awarded at the judges' discretion. The best entries will feature in a book published by Chester Academic Press. Entry fee: None. Additional requirements: Three typed, non-returnable copies of the entry should be sent to The Cheshire Prize for Literature, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ, with a covering letter. Entrants may submit only one entry. Competition page: www.chester.ac.uk/literatureprizeIlkley Literature Festival Popular writing competitions open to everyone. Closing date: September 1st 2008. Full details: http://www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/user/Competition.php
Mostly Life Competition Mostly Life invites you to submit humorous material in any publishable medium imaginable: writing (fiction or non-fiction, including comic verse), videos (live-action or animated), audio files, cartoon strips, still pictures, games and anything else that comes to mind. All original, previously unpublished and non-offensive material will be considered. Video/audio material should ideally be no longer than five or six minutes - remember that it has to quickly capture and then maintain its audience's attention. Similarly, writing should ideally not go beyond a couple of pages. Entry fee: £3 per entry, £10 for four entries. One winning entry will receive £200 and publication on the Mostly Life website. Closing date: Sept 30 2008. Website: http://www.mostlylife.comJacqui Bennett Writers Bureau Win £150. Closing date 30 September 2008. Click here for details.
Whisper from the Heart The closing date for the Poetry, Short Story and Art competitions is 30th September 2008. The Photography competition closes on the 21st of each month & monthly prizes will be awarded. All rules and additional information available from the office (giselle@whisperpoetry.com) Website: http://www.whisperpoetry.com
TLC Creative Short story Competition Enter via mail or online at www.tlc-creative.co.uk. Entry fee £5 per story. Closing date 15 October 2008. 1st prize: £350. Runner-up: £150.Dark Tales Autumn Short Story Competition Prizes: £250, £50 and £25. All shortlisted entries will be published in Dark Tales. Deadline: 31st October 2008 - but note the special discount offer of £1 off the entry fee for stories received by 31st August. Entry fee usually £5 to include tick-sheet critique, £15 for a full critique, £3 with no critique. Stories can be mailed, or uploaded directly online. Rules and entry form: http://www.darktales.co.uk/page_1217451000010.html
The Society of Civil and Public Service Writers Froud annual competition 2008. Short story for children aged 6-9. Max 2000 words. Prize: £150 (£100, £30 and £20) and publication in Civil Service Author magazine. Entry fee £5 (£3 for members).Closing date: 31 October 2008. Details: www.scpsw.co.uk
Southport Writers Circle Open Short Story Competition 2008 Prizes: £150, £75, £25 Fee: £3 per entry. Length up to 2000 words, unpublished original story, any subject (single spacing welcome). No name on entry, no entry form required. Send cover sheet with title, word count, name and contact details. Close date: 31 October. Results: early December. Send to: Short Story Competition, Southport Writers Circle, 16 Ormond Avenue, Westhead, Lancashire L40 6HT
Ballista Magazine 2008 Short Story Competition 1st prize: £60.00; 2nd prize: £30.00; 3rd prize: £20.00. Winning entries also included in issue 6. £4.00 entry fee. Closing date: 31 October 2008. Max words: 3,500. Full details at: www.mucusart.co.uk/ballista.htm
International Aeon Award 2008 short fiction contest Albedo One is Ireland’s premiere magazine of speculative fiction. The contest is open to submissions of up to 8000 words (no minimum word limit) in any speculative fiction genre, from Fantasy and Science Fiction to Horror or anything in-between or unclassifiable. The grand prize is 1000 euro and publication in Albedo One. The contest will run in four rounds from January 1st 2008 to November 30th 2008. Submissions can be made at any time between those two dates, and stories making the shortlist will be announced shortly after the end of each of the rounds, which end on March 31st, June 30th, September 30th and finally November 30th. After the last round, the top six stories from the shortlist will be chosen and passed on to respected science fiction, fantasy and horror author, Ian Watson, who will act as Grand Judge and pick the winner and second and third place stories. Full details: http://www.albedo1.com/html/aeon_award.html
The New Writer magazine Prose and Poetry Prizes 2008 Major annual international competition for short stories, novellas, single poems, poetry collections, essays and articles; offers cash prizes from a total fund above £2,000 as well as publication for the prize-winning writers in The Collection, special edition of The New Writer magazine each July. Closing date 30 November 2008. Further information including guidelines, entry form and fees at http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm
If you want to win short story competitions, get the best possible help. Join Jenny's Mini Short Story Course
Kudos(formerly Competitions Bulletin/Writing Competitions Monthly)
The ONLY magazine of its type on the market today. Lists details of current UK and Overseas writing competitions - and there are more than you think! Up to £250,000 of prize money in each issue. POETRY - SHORT STORIES - ANTHOLOGIES - PLAYS - NOVELS - NON-FICTION. Compiled and edited by Carole Baldock. Subscribe to any number of issues @ £2.50 each UK postpaid. Write to Carole Baldock, 17 Greenhow Avenue, West Kirby, Wirral CH48 5EL, stating how many issues of Competitions Bulletin you'd like at £2.50 per issue. (Also, please state which month - Competitions Bulletin is published in: January, March, May, July, September, November.) Enclose Cheque/PO payable to Carole Baldock - and don't forget to include your name and address. Queries: carolebaldock@hotmail.com. Website: www.kudoswriting.wordpress.com
Here is a list of poetry competitions currently running in the UK. I'll present them in closing-date order, but I strongly advise you not to submit your poems until you have first written to the contact address for further details. Other restrictions in length and subject matter may apply.
Writers’ Forum Magazine Monthly Poetry Competition Prizes: £100 plus publication; three runners-up receive a dictionary plus publication. Entry fee: £5 per poem, £7 for two. No theme, up to 40 lines. Every entry with SAE receives a free check-box critique. No deadline as the competition is continuous. Email: poetry@writers-forum.com Details and downloadable entry form at: www.writers-forum.com, or from the magazine, which is available from branches of WH Smith.
Writers' Billboard Bi-monthly writing competitions in various formats, including poetry. Website: http://writersbillboard.net
Bluechrome Publishing Check out this excellent publisher's website, ideal for anyone interested in poetry or experimental fiction. And while you're there, spend some time on the Competitions page. Whether it be poetry or fiction that you're interested in, there's something there for everyone.
Winter Witch Books Nightmares and Dreams Competition: short stories and poems. Maximum length of story: 5000 words. Maximum length of poem: 50 lines. Closing date: 31st July. Winners will be announced 30th September, 2008. Entry fee: £4.00 per story or poem. Details on website.
Essex Poetry Festival 8th Open Poetry Competition First Prize £500, Second £200, Third £100 and 3 runner-up prizes of £10 book tokens. Entry fee: £3 per poem or £10 for five. Closing date: 30th August 2008. Prize giving will be at the Essex Poetry Festival in October. Winners & runners-up will be invited to read their winning poems at the festival. Winning poems will be published on the Festival website: http://www.essex-poetry-festival.co.uk
Ilkley Literature Festival Popular writing competitions open to everyone. Closing date: September 1st 2008. Full details: http://www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/user/Competition.php
The Times Literary Supplement Poetry Competition 2008 First prize: £2,000. Runners-up prizes: £750, £500 and £250. Closing date: September 12th 2008. Website: www.timesonline.co.uk
Jacqui Bennett Writers Bureau Poetry Competition Entry fee: £3 - four for £10. First prize £100. Maximum length: 30 lines. Closing date: 30 September 2008. For more details CLICK HERE.
Whisper from the Heart The closing date for the Poetry, Short Story and Art competitions is 30th September 2008. The Photography competition closes on the 21st of each month & monthly prizes will be awarded. All rules and additional information available from the office (giselle@whisperpoetry.com) Website: http://www.whisperpoetry.com
Leaf Books Poetry Competition Poetry of any length and on any subject. Enter online or by post. £3 per single submission; £10 for four submissions. Winner receives £200. Runner-up receives ten free pocket-sized Leaf Books. All selected entries will be published in a competition anthology. Closes 31st October 2008. Download an entry form or enter online at www.leafbooks.co.uk Email contact@leafbooks.co.uk for any further queries.
The 2009 Eric Gregory Awards Open to British poets aged under 30 on the 31st of March 2009. Published or unpublished volumes totalling no more than 30 poems. Sponsored by the Society of Authors, and with a total prize fund of £24,000, the closing date for the 2009 Awards is 31st October 2008. There is no entry fee. See website: www.societyofauthors.org
Café Writers Open Poetry Competition 2008 Closing date 30 November 2008 Prizes: 1st £750; 2nd £300; 3rd £150. Also £150 Jarrold book vouchers awarded to best poem from a permanent Norfolk resident. Entry Fee £4 per poem; or £10 for 3 poems and £2.00 per poem thereafter. Entry Form available from www.cafewriters.org.uk
The Plough Prize Categories: Short poem (up to 10 lines), Open (up to 40 lines). Prizes: £500, £200, £100 in each category. Entry fee: £4.00 per poem, four poems £14, thereafter £3.50. Small surcharge for online entry. Entries close November 30th 2008. Details, online entry and previous winners at: www.theploughprize.co.uk
The New Writer magazine Prose and Poetry Prizes 2008 Major annual international competition for short stories, novellas, single poems, poetry collections, essays and articles; offers cash prizes from a total fund above £2,000 as well as publication for the prize-winning writers in The Collection, special edition of The New Writer magazine each July. Closing date 30 November 2008. Further information including guidelines, entry form and fees at http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm
Copyright (c) 1998-2008 Jacqui Bennett Writers Bureau
Jacqui Bennett Writers Bureau, 87 Home Orchard, Yate, South Gloucestershire BS37 5XH
Phone: (044) 01454 324717
e-mail: jenny@jbwb.co.uk