Prizes
Here you will find listings for short story competitions that you can enter, when they close and where to go to get your entry form.
To ensure this list stays comprehensive, if you're running a short story competition, please email us with the subject line 'Short Story Competition'. Please include the name of the competition, the maximum words, the theme, the first prize, the entry fee and the closing date. Booktrust is not responsible for any external content on these sites.
Asham Award 2012 - this award is for women only. First prize £1,000. Entry fee £15 for a story up to 4,000 words. More information about the Asham Award 2012.
BBC National Short Story Award - First prize £15,000 for a short story up to 8,000 words. More information about the BBC National Short Story Award. Closing date 10 March 2013.
Barbara Pym Society Short Story Competition - First prize £150 for a short story in the style and manner of Barbara Pym. Entry fee £7. More information about the Barbara Pym Society Short Story Competition. Closing date 30 May 2013.
Bath Short Story Award - First prize £500. Entry fee £5 for a short story up to 2,200 words. More information about Bath Short Story Award. Closing date 30 March 2013.
Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award - First prize: $200 and publication in an anthology for short fiction or memoir, 2,000 words or fewer, on the theme of 'Winter's Tale' or 'Spring Story'. Entry fee $10 per story. More information about Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award. Closing date 15 February 2013.
Blue Thumbnail Short Story Comepetition - any theme. Maximum 3,000 words. Entry fee £6 per story. Win a place on a writing retreat in Greece for one week. More information on the Blue Thumbnail Short Story Competition
Bridport Prize - Yearly short story competition, any theme. More information about the Bridport Prize. The 2013 prize will be announced in the New Year.
Bristol Short Story Prize - short story, 4,000 words. First prize £1,000. Entry fee £8. More information about the Bristol Short Story Prize. The closing date for the 2013 prize is 30 April 2013.
Choc-Lit Short Story competition - First prize £200, a tin of Fortnum & Mason hot chocolate, web publication for a short story up to 1,500 with a central theme of hot chocolate. More information about Choc-Lit Short Story Competition. Closing date 28 February 2013.
Cinnamon Press - this website runs monthly competitions. More information about the Cinnamon Press competitions
Commonwealth Short Story Prize - short story 2,000-5,000 words. First prize £1,000 More information about the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The closing date for 2012 Prize has passed.
Costa Short Story Competition - short story up to 4,000 words long. First prize £3,500. Free entry. More information about the Costa Short Story Competition. The closing date for the 2012 Competition has passed.
The Cowley Literary Award 2013 - First prize $4,000 for a short story up to 4,000 words. Entry fee $20AUD. More information about the Cowley Literary Award 2013. Closing date 30 June 2013.
Creative Writing for All - First prize £60 for a short story up to 2,000 words on the theme 'Childhood Memories'. Entry fee £5. Additional entries £3. Any profits will be donated to Womens' Aid. More information about Creative Writing for All - Short Story Competition. Closing date 31 January 2013.
Curry Mallet History Festival Adult's Short Story Competition - First prize £100 for stories on the theme 'The reunion', 'The journey' or 'The letter'. Entry fee £5. More information about the Curry Mallet History Festival Adult's Short Story Competition. Closing date 11 May 2013.
Curry Mallet History Festival Children's Short Story Competition - First prize £35 for stories starting with the sentence 'My hamster is stuck in the piano!' for the aged 11 and under category and for the 12-16 category, either '"Ghosts don't sing in tune," she said' or 'I think our garden shed is a time machine.' Stories should be under 500 words. Entry fee £3 per entry. More information about the Curry Mallet History Festival Children's Short Story Competition. Closing date 11 May 2013.
Dark Tales - First prize £100 for horror and speculative fiction. More information about the Dark Tales prize
Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition - annual short story competition on any theme, maximum 1,200 words. More information about the Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition. Closing date for the 2013 competition is 15 July 2013.
Eclat Fiction - regular competitions for stories up to £1,500. First prize £100. Any theme. More information about the Eclat Fiction competitions
Edge Hill Prize for the Short Story - awarded to the best short story collection. More information about the Edge Hill Prize for the Short Story
Emerald Writing - First prize £75 for flash fiction. More information about the Emerald Writing prize
Exeter Writers Short Story Competition 2013 - First prize £250 for a short story up to 3,000 words. Entry fee £5. More information about Exeter Writers Short Story Competition. Closing date 31 March 2013.
Eyelands Third International Short Story Contest - First prize air tickets from a European city to Greece and back, and publication, for a short story up to 2,500 words on the theme 'Dream' and 'Getaway. Entry fee: 10 Euros. More information about the Eyelands Third International Short Story Contest. Closing date 20 July 2013.
Fiction Fast-Track - Apostrophe Books run monthly short story competitions. More information about Fiction Fast-Track
The Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition - First prize £500 for ghost stories from 2,000-5,000 words. Entry fee £6. More information about The Fiction Desk. Closing date 31 May 2013.
Fish Publishing - this website runs monthly competitions. More information about the Fish Publishing competitions
Five Stop Story's monthly competition - First prize £50. Entry fee £4. 1,000-3,000 word short stories on any theme. More information about Five Stop Story. New competition every month.
Flash 500 - flash fiction competition for short stories up to 500 words. Regular competitions. More information about Flash 500
Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award - awarded to the best short story collection. More information about the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award
Frome Festival Short Story Competition - First prize £300. Entry fee £5 (£7 for in-depth critique) for a short story 1,000-2,200 words, any theme. More information about the Frome Festival Short Story Competition. Closing date 31 May 2013.
Full Stop Short Story Competition 2013 - First prize essential tool-kit for all writers of three books for a short story up to 2,000 words on the theme 'full stop'. More information about the Full Stop Short Story Competition 2013. Closing date 7 November 2013.
Greenacre Writers Short Story Competition - Annual competition. First prize £100 for a short story up to 2,000 words. Entry fee £5,50. More information about the Greenacre Writers Short Story Competition
Highlands and Islands Short Story Association Competition - annual prize for a short story up to 2,500 words. First prize £400. Entry fee £5. More information about the HISSAC. The closing date for the 2013 prize is 31 July 2013.
Home-Start Bridgwater Short Story Prize 2013 - First prize £500 for a short story up to 2,200 words on any theme. Entry fee £7. Judged by Dame Margaret Drabble. More information about the Home-Start Bridgwater Short Story Prize 2013. Closing date 21 January 2013.
inkhead Short Story Competition - First prize £150 for a short story up to 1,000 words on one of the following titles: Grandpa's Ghost, The Sound of Crickets and Sighing Trees, Dangerous Andrew's Last Mission, A Day In The Life of Robot Ronnie, A Hero Sits Next Door. Entry fee £5. More information about the inkhead Short Story Competition
InkTears Short Story Competition - First prize £1,000 for short story 1,000-3,000 words, any theme. More information about the InkTears Short Story Competition.
Jukebox Story - a new monthly night and website dedicated to short stories inspired by songs. More information about Jukebox Story
Leaf Books - this website runs regular competitions. More information about the Leaf Books competitions
Lightship International Short Story Prize - First prize: £1,000. Judge: Tessa Hadley. Max: 5000 words. Entry Fee: £12. Patrons: Hilary Mantel, Andrew Motion, Christopher Reid, Cynthia Ozick, Lindsay Clarke. More information about the Lightship International Short Story Prize and other competitions. Closing date: 30 June 2013.
Limnisa Bluethumbnail Short Story Competition - First prize: one week writer's retreat in Greece for short stories up to 3,000 words on any theme. Entry fee £6 per story. More information about the Limnisa Bluethumbnail Short Story Competition. Closing date 1 April 2013.
Little House Short Story Competition - First prize £2,000 for short story up to 2,000 words. Entry fee £6.50. More information about Little House Short Story Competition. Closing date 31 December 2012.
Love on the road 2013 - First prize $200 for a short story up to 5,000 words on theme of heartbreak. Entry fee $10. More information about the Love on the road competition. Closing date 31 March 2013.
Meridian Writing Competitions - this website hosts regular writing competitions. More information about Meridian Writing Competitions
Momaya Short Story Competition 2013 - First prize £110 for a short story, up to 3,000 words on the theme of music. Entry fee £8. More information about the Momaya Short Story Competition 2013. Closing date 30 April 2013.
Moth Short Story Prize - First prize €1,000 for a short story, any theme. Entry fee €8. More about the Moth Short Story Prize. Closing date 31 March 2013.
Mslexia Short Story Competition 2013 - First prize £2,000 for stories of up to 2,200 words. Judge: Janice Galloway. Women writers only. More information about the Mslexia Short Story Competition 2013. Closing date 18 March 2013.
Multi-Story - Bi-monthly competitions ranging from flash fiction up to 2500 words. First prize £300. Entry fee £5 for one or £8 for two. All judges are publishing professionals. More details about the Multi-Story competitions
My Mate Kindle Monthly Competition - Monthly competition for short stories up to 2,000 words. More information about the My Mate Kindle Monthly Competition
The New Writer - regular poetry, short story and microfiction competitions. More information about The New Writer Magazine
Park Publications UK - this website runs regular competitions. More information about the Park Publications UK competitions
Playing Bingo Short Story Competition - short story up to 3,000 words on the theme 'bingo'. First prize £300. More information about the Playing Bingo Short Story Competition. Closing date 28 February 2013.
Promises International Short Story Competition 2013: A Dozen Promises - First prize: e-publication with a view to turning the winning story into a film script. Entry fee £5. Theme: 'Promises'. More information about the Promises International Short Story Competition 2013. Closing date 1 October 2013.
The Scott Prize - international annual prize for a first collection of short stories in English. Salt Publishing accepts submissions of short story manuscripts from 1 July to 31 October every year. The winner is announced the following April with a collection publishing six months later. More information about The Scott Prize
Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition - First prize €2,000 for a short story, any theme, under 3,000 words. Entry fee €15. More infromation about the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition. Annual competition. The deadline for the 2012 competition has passed.
Segora Short Story Competitions - regular competitions for cash prizes. More information about Segora
The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award - First prize £30,000 for short stories of up to 6,000 words. More information about the The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award
The Thresholds Short Story Forum - Feature writing competition. First prize £250 and publication on The Forum. More information about The Thresholds Short Story Forum.
Tom-Gallon Trust Award and The Olive Cook Award - First prize £1,000 each awarded biennially, in alternate years. More information about Tom-Gallon Trust Award and The Olive Cook Award
Tom Howard/John H Reid Short Story Contest - First prize $3,000 for a short story, essay or other prose up to 5,000 words. Entry fee $16. More information about the Tom Howard/John H Reid Short Story Contest. Closing date 30 April 2013.
V S Pritchett Memorial Prize - First prize £1,000 to the best unpublished short story of the year. More information about the V S Pritchett Memorial Prize
What needs to change? - First prize £200 for a short story up to 1,500 on any subject. What should we be talking about? Free entry. More information about LibArts London. Closing date 28 February 2013.
The White Review short story competition - First prize £2,500 for a short story up to 7,000 words that expands the genre. Entry fee £15. Closing date 15 March 2013. More information about The White Review short story competition
Whoosh Books Competitions - regular short story competitions. First prize £50. More information about Whoosh Books Competitions
The Willesden Herald International Short Story Prize - First prize £300 for short story 7,500 words max, any theme. More information about the Willesden Herald International Short Story Prize 2012-13. The closing date for the 2012/13 Prize has passed.
Win Your Way to Swanwick - First prize: a week at Swanwick Writers' Summer School for short stories and writing for children up to 1,000 words on the theme '65 Not Out'. Entry fee £5. More information about the Win Your Way to Swanwick writing competition. Closing date 30 April 2013.
Winning Writers Sports Poetry and Prose Contest - First prize $1,000AUD for short stories, poems, essays on a sporting theme, maximum 6,000 words. Entry fee $15AUD. More information about the Winning Writers Sports Poetry and Prose Contest. Closing date 31 May 2013.
The Word Hut Short Story Competition - Prize: £50.00. £4.00 per entry. 1,000 words maximum, any subject. More information about The Word Hut Short Story Competition
The Writer's and Artists' Yearbook Annual Short Story Competition - First prize £500 and a place on an Arvon course of your choice. Short stories up to 2,000 words on the subject of freedom. Free entry. More information about The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook Annual Short Story Competition. Closing date 15 February 2013.
Writers' Forum Short Story Competition - Ongoing monthly competition with cash prizes. More information about the Writers' Forum Short Story Competition
Writer's Worldwide Prize - this website runs regular writing competitions. More information about Writer's Worldwide Prize
Writer's Village - First prize £500 for a short story, any theme, up to 3,000 words. Entry fee £12. More information about Writer's Village. The closing date for the 2012 Prize has passed.
Wyrd Books Short Story Competition - maximum length 2,000 words. Theme: esoteric, supernatural. More information about Wyrd Books Short Story Competition. Closing date 13 August 2013.
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