Seen and Done

Here are the writing competitions I might enter with deadlines in October. 

• The Jeffrey E. Smith award from the Missouri Review has a maximum word count of 8,500, an entry fee of $25 and a top prize of $5,000: the deadline is 1 October.
• The Chilling Pen award is for stories of up to 1,000 words: it’s free to enter and you could win $500 – again the deadline is 1 October.
• Zoetrope want stories up to 5,000 words: entry is $30 and first prize is $1,000. Deadline: 2 October.
• Ink of Ages is from the World History Encyclopaedia and OUP: they are looking for historical or mythological stories between 1,500 and 2,000 words, with a deadline of 7 October. It’s free to enter, and the prize is $200 to spend in the WHE bookstores plus a choice of some books from OUP.
• Sleek City Press want up to 1,500 words on the theme ‘I faked my own death’: the entry fee is $20, top prize $2,000 and the deadline is again 7 October.
• The annual Calvino Prize looks for up to 25 pages of prose in the style of Italo Calvino. It’s $25 to enter with a prize of $2,000 and the deadline is 15 October.
• Iron Horse want a long story rather than a short one: 20 to 40 pages, in fact. Your $15 entry fee gets you a subscription as a bonus and you could win $1,000. Enter by 15 October.
• The Wenlock Olympians are again looking for stories up to 2,500 words: £6 to enter and you might win £150 plus a medal! The deadline is 30 October.

The rest of the list have a deadline of 31 October.

• Eyelands is looking for a full-length novel up to a massive 250,000 words. Entry is $35. If you win your work will be translated into Greek and published, and you will enjoy a five-day stay in Athens.
• The Bedford competition has a limit of 3,000 words, an entry fee of £9.00 and a prize of £1,500.
• Fiction Factory is back, asking for maximum 3,000 words, with a fee of £7 and a prize of £500.
• Sheila-Na-Gig wants literary pieces up to 5,000 words, entry $3, prize $100
• Southport Writer’s Circle want up to 2,000 words, entry £3, prize £200

If you get somewhere with any of the contests above, do let me know!