Below I have put links, with comments, to the regular flash and short story competitions that I try to enter. If you entered them all it would be about seventy entries! I aim to write stories that, if they do not win, I can get at least get some feedback on, for instance by seeing if they have been longlisted or shortlisted. Then at least I can try to improve them and submit them somewhere else. Therefore I usually do not enter, and so have not included, competitions where shortlisted stories are published in anthologies, magazines or online with no financial reward at all. I feel if they are going to do this you should at the very least get your entry fee back so that you are not actually paying to be published! Note that this is slightly out of date and in the process of being revised.
Writing Magazine
Writing Magazine runs two short story or flash competitions a month. One is open to anyone with a first prize of £200 and a second prize of £50, with an entry fee of £5 or £3 depending on if you are a subscriber or not. The other is open only to subscribers to the magazine, who enter free, and has a first prize of £100 and a second prize of £25. The competitions vary in theme and length, but are generally for stories of 1500 to 1700 words. Details are available on the site. Winning entries are published in the magazine and on the magazine website. The runner-up is gernerally published on the magazine website only, with the exception of flash competitions, when the runner up will also be published in the magazine.
Writers' Forum
Writers' Forum runs a monthly short story competition with a first prize of £300 and a second prize of £200 and a third prize of £100. The competition is always open in theme and between 1000 to 3000 words. It costs £6 or £3 to enter depending on if you are a subscriber or not. All three winners are published in the magazine, plus the story titles and authors of shortlisted stories. Paying an extra £5 will get you a page of critique.
The magazine also runs a monthly flash competition, with a very tight deadline. Details of the current theme can only be found in the magazine. The winner gets £100 and is published in the magazine, with at least one runner up also being published. It is free to subscribers. Non-subscribers can enter for £3.
Retreat West
Retreat West run a yearly short story competition, a yearly open flash competition and a quarterly themed flash competition.
The yearly short story competition is expensive to enter at £10, but has prizes of £400, £250 and £150. All the winning and shortlisted stories are published in an annual anthology but this does not break my rules, as shortlisted stories are awarded £20.
The yearly open flash competition is again perhaps a little expensive to enter at £8, but has prizes of £350, £200 and £100. Again all the winning and shortlisted stories are published in an annual anthology with shortlisted stories are awarded £15. Not much after you take off the entry fee, but still enough for a couple of pints. In the north of England anyway . . .
The quarterly themed flash competition is again £8 to enter, but has prizes of £200 for the winner and £100 each for two runners up. All three winning stories are published on Retreat West's website.
They also do a monthly microflash competiton of 100 words, and a yearly novella-in-flash competition.
The Henshaw Press
Henshaw Press run a quarterly short story competition, with an open theme and stories of up to 2000 words. Entry costs £5, and the first three stories get prizes of £100, £50 and £25 repectively and are pulished online and, once enough winning entries have built up, in an anthology. For an extra £10 you can get a couple of pages of detailed feedback on your work.
Flash 500
Flash 500 run an annual short story competition and a quarterly flash competition. Winners and those shortlisted are published on the website.
The annual short story competition for stories of 1000 to 3000 words is £7 to enter and has three prizes of £500 £200, and £100. A critique can be purchased for another £25.
The quarterly flash competition for stories of up to 500 words is £5 to enter and has three prizes of £300 £200, and £100. A critique can be purchased for another £10.
NAWG 100 Competition
A rolling competition which asks for a story of exactly (you will need to count by hand to be sure!) 100 words. Once one hundred stories have been submitted the story is judged. It costs £3 to enter and there are two prizes of £75 and £25. It seems to take several months to get enough entries, so do not hold your breath for a response.
Grindstone Literary
Grindstone offer a range of competitions this year, with maximum lengths of 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000 words. These have relatively cheap entry (£3 to £10) and prizes that relate to the entry price, ranging from £50 to £500. Runner up prizes, of which there is only one, are small, ranging from £5 to £50. Shortlisted stories are published in either their magazine, or in an anthology.
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