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.
THE 2025 PAGE ONE PRIZE FOR NOVELISTS
Deadline | 20th July |
Wordcount | The first page of a novel in progress |
Fee | $20 |
Prize | First Prize – $1,000 Second Prize – $500 Third Prize – $250 |
Eleventh Playground Challenge
Deadline | 10th July – 20th July |
Wordcount | 3,000 words |
Fee | £6 |
Prize | 1st Prize – $500 2nd Prize – $475 3rd Prize – $425 4th Prize – $375 5th Prize – $325 6th Prize – $275 7th Prize – $225 8th Prize – $175 9th Prize – $125 10th Prize – $100 Honorable Mentions – $50 |
Galtellì “Reeds in the Wind” International Literary Prize 2025
Deadline | 20th July |
Wordcount | 5,000 words |
Fee | Free |
Prize | €500 |
Flashback Fiction Challenge 2025
Deadline | 21st July |
Wordcount | 3,000 words |
Fee | Lucky Dip Tickets:- Early Bird: £4, General: £8, from 23rd April: £9; Golden Tickets:- Early Bird: £15, General: £20 |
Prize | £1,000 |
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 |
Southlands Arts Creative Writing Competition 2025
Deadline | 31st July |
Wordcount | 2,000 words |
Fee | £3 |
Prize | First prize in each adult category is £100, second prize is £50, runners up will each receive £20. |
Aurora Prize for Writing 2025
Deadline | 6th August |
Wordcount | 2,000 words |
Fee | £9 |
Prize | Winner: £500 in each category, Second: £150, Third: A ticket to the 2027 Writers’ Conference, hosted by Writing East Midlands |
Bournemouth Writing Prize
Deadline | 15th August |
Wordcount | 3,000 words |
Fee | £10 |
Prize | First prize: £1,000; second prize: £300; third prize: £200; published in Dorset Magazine, read entry at the 2026 Bournemouth Writing Festival celebration event |
FFF Competition Twenty-Nine
Deadline | 23rd August |
Wordcount | 300 words |
Fee | £3.95 |
Prize | 1 Winner – The writer will receive £150.00 and publication 2 Highly Commended writers will receive £70.00 each and publication 3 Shortlisted writers will receive £60.00 each and publication |
Green Stories Epiphanies Competition
Deadline | 27th August |
Wordcount | 500 words |
Fee | Free Entry |
Prize | £300 prize for the winning story plus £100 prize for 7 runners up. |
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 |
SaveAs Writers’ International Writing Competition 2025
Deadline | 31st August |
Wordcount | 3,500 words |
Fee | £5 |
Prize | The Canterbury Festival Fiction Prize of £200 will be awarded for the winning story, with the additional prizes of £100 for second and £50 for third. |
Intrepid Times Writing Competition
Deadline | 31st August |
Wordcount | 2,000 words |
Fee | Free Entry |
Prize | The winning writer will receive a prize of $300 as well as publication on Intrepid Times. |
New2theScene Summer Short Story Competition
Deadline | 7th September |
Wordcount | 4,000 words |
Fee | £5 |
Prize | Interview for the New2theScene podcast; £50 New2theScene vouchers; ‘Origins’ blog’; author bio and work featured on the New2theScene website; social media promotion; publication in an anthology; possible future projects not advertised on the site. Notable mentions: £15 New2theScene vouchers; possible publication in anthology |
Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2025
Deadline | 30th September |
Wordcount | 3,000 words |
Fee | £12 |
Prize | First prize is £1,000, an online creative writing course with Creative Writing Ink, and publication on our website. Two runners-up will receive £200 each. |
THE WRITERS’ COLLEGE Short Story Competition
Deadline | 30th September |
Wordcount | 2,000 words |
Fee | Free |
Prize | First Place: NZ$1,000 |
Croydon Writers – The Michael Round Prize
Deadline | 30th September |
Wordcount | 1,200 words |
Fee | Free |
Prize | First-place: £100 Second-place: £50 |
The Bedford Writing Competition
Deadline | 31st October |
Wordcount | 3,000 words |
Fee | £8.50 |
Prize | £1,500 |
Ascent Novel Prize
Deadline | 1st November |
Wordcount | The first three thousand words of a novel. |
Fee | £29 |
Prize | £1,000 |
Next Generation Short Story Awards
Deadline | 26th February |
Wordcount | 5,000 words |
Fee | $25 |
Prize | 1st Place $500 2nd Place $300 3rd Place $200 |
Dan Pratt Writes
Aspiring Writer & Author. Read my Short Stories & Microfiction, Creative Writing Blog, Lit Mag Roundup and List of Short Story Competitions.