writing competition new writing winner

Fancy having a go? Writing comps are a great way to hone your work, use a different voice, try something new, test yourself – 100 word flash anyone?! I’ve rounded up a few here for your delectation. Don’t forget to check the rules – some won’t take stuff already published online for example – and go for it. Everyone loves to win!

Closing on June 30^th is the South Warwickshire Creative Writing Competition Only £3 to enter with a £50 prize in each category, they’re looking for 800 words of fiction, creative non-fiction or 40 lines of poetry, all genres accepted. Still time to get your entry in.

Here’s a free comp to enter, closing date also 30^th June. The annual Writers College Short Story Competition is held to acknowledge excellence in creative writing in the short story form. The competition is open to any writer who is unpublished, or has been published fewer than four times. The competition is open the writers just beginning their writing journey. The 2023 theme is ‘Words Have Consequences.’

The Creative Ink Writing Short Story Competition 2023 is open to writers across the globe until July 31st 2023 at 4pm (GMT). Stories do not need to follow any particular theme or genre, but must be written in English. Maximum word count is 3000 words. 1st prize: £1000, plus a free creative writing course of the winner’s choice and publication on their site. 2 runners-up: £200 each. Entry fee: £9.

If you like a bit of flash, try Free Flash Fiction Write, edit and submit by 10 pm Friday 23rd June 2023 a flash fiction piece of between 100 and 300 words, on any theme. 1x Winner will receive £150.00 and publication, 2x Highly Commended will receive £30.00 and publication, 2x Shortlisted will receive £20.00 and publication
£3.75 fee per entry/story via PayPal or Stripe, £2.25 fee per entry/story via BACS (click here) (UK Bank accounts only ).

Here’s something a little unusual, or maybe not. If you like witches, then this one’s for you. A Coven of Witches is the next anthology from West Avenue Publishing and this is your chance to have your work included. All submissions must include witches, or a witch, as the main theme of the piece. Each author may submit up to three pieces for consideration. They accept short stories of up to 5,000 words and poetry of any length. Please email your submission as a Word document to westavenuepublishing@outlook.com Submissions will close at midnight GMT on the 30th of June 2023. The list of successful authors will be published on their website no later than 31st of July 2023, so please do keep an eye out. Successful writers will receive a one off payment of £10. Writers will retain all copyrights for their submission/s.

What’s the point of Writing Competitions? a newbie writer recently asked me. Ah, well, I began…
A few years ago I won a writing comp run by a well-known writers’ magazine and I was absolutely flabbergasted. Straight up. Had no confidence in the story, grammar was beyond dodgy (IMHO) and when I read it now I’m still not sure why it won. No matter how well you construct your story, as well as the judges’ decision being final, it is all **SPOILER ALERT** subjective. Yes folks, you heard it here first – subjection is the name of the game. (Along with rejection.) (But we can leave that miserable, life-sucking, soul destroying ‘tion’ for another day…)
So, Subjection: Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
You’re not wrong there. As if getting the right story, the right word count, the correct format, the hook, the hanger and a hell-of-a-story all in the same place at the same time isn’t hard enough, we’re still hostage to the judge’s opinion, thought or taste. And when you’re up against that lot, how does anyone win anything?
How to.
A recently carefully crafted and painstakingly put-together story that didn’t win a competition sits awaiting another chance in a folder marked ‘Next Time’ (gotta be positive), but having read the one that did win (and its runner-up siblings) I’m at a bit of a loss. Really? I say to myself. Why did that one win? It’s a) not about anything b) not that well written c) not what the remit was at all! Frustrating! Since my win, (so long ago now I don’t think Instagram even existed at the time) I have tried to replicate that winning formula – which itself is a bit of conundrum as I wasn’t sure why it won in the first place. May be because it wasn’t the usual run-of-the-mill horror story. No blood or guts. Or ghosts or vampires. Just terror. Possibly. Who knows? I can’t answer that.
But as granny used to say, it’s not the winning that counts but the taking part. Now, the alphas of the species may not agree – no point in taking part if you’re not going to win they may say, so with that logic as there can only ever be one winner, keep on keeping on. Keep on trying. Keep on writing and entering; hone your craft and write better every time. And if you’re not sure that you are improving, ask for help. And start small; it can be a costly enterprise entering lots of competitions. And if you can find some free ones, even better. Even the ones without prizes are worth a go because it means you’ll be working your hardest to get it right. And for the big guns – the national writing competitions that offer more than just remuneration – do a bit of research on the judges. £10k first prize with a judge whose own books include a history of tanks and paintballing in the West Country probably won’t be that interested in a book about Billy Bunny Tail who got lost in a city and ended up stuck in the revolving doors of a large hedge fund bank. But then again, who knows? All so subjective you see…

The Squat Pen Rests writing comp
Reflex Fiction – international competition
Bath Short Story
Thresholds competition – free to enter and £500 1^st prize!
Pen to Print poetry and short story competition
University of Sunderland – closes March 1^st 2018
Weekly picture prompt c/o Creative Writing Ink UK
The BBC Short Story Award

Tag: writing competition new writing winner

Writing Competitions

Every One’s A Winner