September 2026 Competitions
August 19, 2026
I have again updated my list of writing competitions.
Category: Competitions etc
Details of current short story and other competitions and other opportunities, events, etc
Pattison Prize
July 22, 2026
I won Sutton Writers’ Ann Pattison Memorial Prize for my story ‘Master Gnomon’s Apprentices!
Competitions
June 21, 2026
I have updated my list of current writing competitions…
April 2026 Competitions
March 18, 2026
I have updated my list of competitions… Rather slim pickings in April, but there are quite a few coming up in May. Surprisingly, there are no competitions for writing a good April Fool story. Someone should organise that.
March 2026 Competitions
February 20, 2026
I have updated my list of competitions…
February 2026 Competitions
January 20, 2026
I have now collected the competition details from previous months and put them all together on a new page, which I will update rather than making separate posts. February’s info is already there. You’ll see there’s also a direct link from the front page to the new one. I think this will make the list a little easier to find and consult. The idea is also that in due course there will be a full rolling twelve months on the page, which should make it easier to look at old details to get an idea of what’s probably coming up beyond next month.
I hope this is helpful. Feedback is welcome, (but don’t write to say you’d like all the competitions to be free, for I am powerless in that respect).
January 2026 Competitions
December 21, 2025
Here is another monthly round-up, covering competitions with deadlines in January.
As always, these are contests I may enter myself, so generally no poetry or flash and no competition that isn’t open to an elderly bloke in the UK. Prizes and entry fees vary a lot, so check the benefits to see whether they appeal to you. There is no point in entering a competition if you don’t even want the prize! In some cases the entry fee amounts to a large slice of the prize, though there may be other benefits such as publication, trophies, free books or courses, etc.
Merry Christmas!
| Contest | Word Count | Fee | Prize | Deadline | Details |
| Exeter Novel Prize | 10k + synopsis | £20.00 | £1,000.00 | 01/01/2026 | |
| Disquiet Literary Prize | 25 pages | $15 | Lisbon Program or $1,000 | 05/01/2026 | First prize is a week-long lit program in Lisbon, but you can opt for cash |
| Storybottle | 10,000 | $15 | $1,000 | 15/01/2026 | |
| Cai Emmons | 25,000 word min | $25 | $5,000 | 15/01/2026 | |
| Georgia Review | Less than 9,000 | $25 | $1,500 | 15/01/2026 | Winners of story and essay sections compete for the top prize. |
| The Page is Printed | 1 A4 page | £5 | £100 voucher | 19/01/2026 | |
| LISP | 3,000 | £14.50 | £100 | 26/01/2026 | You can enter later but it costs more |
| Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize | 3,000 | $25 | $1,000 | 30/01/2026 | |
| Parracombe | 2,026 | £5 | £150 | 31/01/2026 | |
| The Ghost Story flash | 1,000 | $15 | $1,000 | 31/01/2026 | |
| Bristol Short Story Prize | 4,000 | £14.00 | £1,000 | 31/01/2026 | |
| Askew’s Word on the Lake | 2000 | $15(Ca) | $200(Ca) | 31/01/2026 |
December 2025 Competitions
November 20, 2025
Here is another monthly round-up, covering competitions with deadlines in December.
As always, these are contests I may enter myself, so generally no poetry or flash and no competition that isn’t open to an elderly bloke in the UK. Prizes and entry fees vary a lot, so check the benefits to see whether they appeal to you. There is no point in entering a competition if you don’t even want the prize! In some cases the entry fee amounts to a large slice of the prize, though there may be other benefits such as publication, trophies, free books or courses, etc.
If you do get anywhere with any of these, please do let me know.
| Contest | Word Count | Fee | Prize | Deadline | Details |
| Breakwater Review | 4,000 | $10 | $1000 | 01/12/2025 | |
| St Louis Writers Guild | 3,000 | $15 | $50 | 01/12/2025 | Poor value? |
| Neilma Sidney | 3,000 | $20 | $5,000 | 05/12/2025 | Travel |
| Chaotic Creators | 1,250 | £10.00 | £50 + pub | 06/12/2025 | Small prize? |
| Leopold Bloom Prize | 5,000 | $10 ($15 quicker) | $500 | 08/12/2025 | ‘Risk-adept narration’ |
| Masters Review Chapbook | 25-45p | $25 | $3000 +50 copies | 15/12/2025 | |
| Globe Soup | 8,000 | £16.00 | £2,000 | 16/12/2025 | |
| Ruth Rendell | 1,000 | £15.00 | £1,000 plus performance | 21/12/2025 | Interact Stroke Support (upbeat stories) |
| Letter Review | 5,000 | $20 | share $1,000 | 30/12/2025 | |
| Anthony Veasna So | 9000 (3 pieces) | $20 | $200 | 31/12/2025 | To become an ‘Anthony Veasna So Scholar’ |
| Boulevard | 8,000 | $18 | $1,500 | 31/12/2025 | |
| Danahy | 5,000 | $20 | $1000 | 31/12/2025 | |
| Lascaux Review | 10k | $15 | $1,000 + medallion | 31/12/2025 | |
| Write Time | 1,500 | £5 (£3 for £10) | £100.00 | 31/12/2025 | Older writers |
| Farnham First Five Pages | 5p + syn | £10.00 | £1,000 | 31/12/2025 | For draft novels |
| Inkitt Love at First Kick | Min 20k No Limit | Free | $300 + various | 31/12/2025 | Soccer Romance. Linked with Galatea. |
| ASP Anthology | 2-7k | £5.00 | £0.005/word | 31/12/2025 | UK only, no horror or disturbing content |
| Henshaw (Hobeck) | 2k | £6.00 | £200 | 31/12/2025 | The old warhorse, still going. |
Old Git
November 12, 2025
I’ve been waiting patiently for the official announcement of my poetry win at Writer’s Digest, but it turns out I missed it and it has been up for over a month… it’s here.
November 2025 Competitions
October 20, 2025
Here is another selection of writing competitions I might enter with deadlines in the coming month.
Presented once again in a handy tabular form!
As always these are just the competitions I might enter myself, so they don’t generally include flash fiction or poetry. I hope, though, that there’s something that interests you.
| Prize | Length | Fee | Prize | Deadline | Comments |
| Commonwealth Short Story Prize | 2-5k | Free | £2,500 region, £5,000 overall | 01/11/2025 | |
| Ascent Novel Prize | first 3000 words, pitch and synopsis | £29.00 | £1,000.00 | 01/11/2025 | Feedback for all entrants + online community |
| Scribble Short Story | 3,000 | £5.00 | £100.00 | 01/11/2025 | Theme ‘Accused’ |
| F(r)iction | 1,001 – 7.5k | $15 | $1,000 | 07/11/2025 | |
| Galley Beggar Press | 6,000 | £11.00 | £2,500.00 | 08/11/2025 | |
| Curious Curls | 10,000 | $2.00 | $250 | 15/11/2025 | Theme ‘Hole’ |
| NORward | 20p | $21 | $750 | 15/11/2025 | |
| Writer’s Digest short short | 1,500 | $30 | $3,000 | 17/11/2025 | |
| Narrative Magazine | 15,000 | $27 | $2,500 | 21/11/2025 | |
| Fish short story | 5,000 | £24.00 | £3,000.00 | 30/11/2025 | |
| PrairieFire | 5,000 | CA$34 | CA$1250 | 30/11/2025 | |
| Tadpole Press | 100 | $15 | $1,000 | 30/11/2025 | |
| Inkspot | 2,500/5,000 | £10/£15 | £1,000.00 | 30/11/2025 |
If you get anywhere with any of these, please do let me know.
Seen and Done 