Writing Competitions.
If you are looking for an opportunity to test your writing skills and challenge yourself then look no further than this list of Short Story Writing Competitions accepting entrants this month.
South Warwickshire Literary Festival Writing Competition – Fiction
Deadline | 28th March |
Wordcount | 800 words |
Fee | £3.90 |
Prize | £75 |
Tom Grass Prize 2025
Deadline | 31st March |
Wordcount | 3,000 words |
Fee | Free |
Prize | £1,000 |
The Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction
Deadline | 1st April |
Wordcount | 5,000 words |
Fee | $15 |
Prize | $1,000 prize pool |
Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2025
Deadline | 13th April |
Wordcount | 1,250 words |
Fee | Free |
Prize | 1st Place: £3,000; 2nd: £1,000; 3rd: £1,000 |
Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize 2025
Deadline | 13th April |
Wordcount | 2,000 words |
Fee | €20 |
Prize | -€2000 -A week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation. -A manuscript assessment with The Literary Consultancy. -Meeting with literary agent Ed Wilson from The Literary Consultancy. |
Bath Short Story Award 2025
Deadline | 15th April |
Wordcount | 2,200 words |
Fee | £9 |
Prize | 1st Place: £1,200 Second prize: £300 Third prize: £100 all shortlisted stories will be published in an anthology |
Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest
Deadline | 20th April |
Wordcount | 3,000 words |
Fee | €10 |
Prize | €500 |
New Writers 100-Word Writing Competition 2025
Deadline | 30th April |
Wordcount | 100 words |
Fee | £8 |
Prize | 1st Place: £500; 2nd Place: £200; 3rd Place: £100, 4th-10th Place: £50; top 10 entries will be published online |
The Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition
Deadline | 10th May |
Wordcount | 6,000 words |
Fee | £9 |
Prize | First Place: £100 and publication. Second Place: £50 and publication. Third Place: £25 and publication. The shortlisted writers will be offered publication too. |
Creative Future Writers’ Award 2025
Deadline | 19th May |
Wordcount | 2,000 words |
Fee | Free |
Prize | Up to £20,000 of prizes in training, mentoring, assessment and coaching. |
Bridport Prize – Short Story
Deadline | 31st May |
Wordcount | 5,000 words |
Fee | £14 |
Prize | First prize: £5,000 Second prize: £1,000 Third prize: £500 |
Minds Shine Bright Places Writing Competition
Deadline | 31st May |
Wordcount | 5,000 words |
Fee | $15 |
Prize | $1500 |
The 2025 To Hull And Back Competition
Deadline | 30th June |
Wordcount | 2,500 words |
Fee | £10 |
Prize | 1st Prize: £1,000 2nd Prize: £200 3rd Prize: £100 |
Sunlight Books Time Travel Short Story Competition
Deadline | 30th June |
Wordcount | 8,000 words |
Fee | £18 |
Prize | 1st Prize: £500 |
Wells Festival of Literature Competitions 2025
Deadline | 30th June |
Wordcount | 2,000 words |
Fee | £6 |
Prize | 1st Prize: £750 |
Anthology Short Story Competition
Deadline | 31st July |
Wordcount | 1,500 words |
Fee | Early Bird fee – €15: November 2024 – January 2025 Standard fee – €18: – February – July 2025 |
Prize | 1st Prize: €1,000 and the winning story will be published in a future issue of Anthology. 2nd Prize: €250 3rd Prize: €150 |
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award – Short Fiction
Deadline | 31st August |
Wordcount | 2,000 words |
Fee | £18 |
Prize | £2,500, publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual and an Arvon writing course |
The Bedford Writing Competition
Deadline | 31st October |
Wordcount | 3,000 words |
Fee | £8.50 |
Prize | £1,500 |
Dan Pratt Writes
Aspiring Writer & Author. Read my Short Stories & Microfiction, Creative Writing Blog, Lit Mag Roundup and List of Short Story Competitions.