Competitions

First Prize £200      Second prize: £100     Third prize: £50

Closing date: 31st October 2026

£3 per story, or £10 for 4

WE ENCOURAGE ONLINE ENTRY, AVAILABLE HERE

Chief Judge: Emily Parr

Full Rules: Please Read Carefully

• Your entry should be an unpublished, original story on any theme of up to 2000 words. A story counts as having been previously published if it has appeared on an internet site or in an independent publication, as well as other traditional forms of publishing.

• Do not put your name or any other identifying information on your story (including in headers/footers).

• Entry must have a suitable title, which should be both appropriate and interesting.

• There is no set theme or style for the competition.

• Entries in English, please (dialect is allowed).

• You DO NOT need an entry form. Send us a separate cover sheet with each story’s title and word count. Include your name, postal address, telephone number and e-mail address.

• No individual correspondence will be entered into regarding receipt of works/payments. Please do not send any material to confirm delivery, or use Recorded Delivery. Please ensure you attach correct postage and use correct stamps (see Royal Mail information https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps). Southport Writers’ Circle will not retrieve mail held at the Sorting Office for want of correct postage.

• For internet entries: Put the above cover sheet details in the body of the email. Include PayPal ref. number.

• Please use basic formatting in your files. Any sidebars, headers, footers, inset images, illegible fonts or unusual layouts may result in your electronic entry being rejected.

• Submissions should be in any of .doc, .docx, rich text or .odf file types ONLY when attaching your entry file(s) to the email.  Please do not use .pages or .pdf files unless you have no other alternative.

• Once your entry has been submitted, any entrant contacting the judges for any reason that is deemed to be an attempt to circumvent the judging process is likely to be disqualified.

• All entries must be entirely the author’s own work and must not involve the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, software, or platforms for generating, drafting, or editing the content. The use of AI for idea generation, grammar checking, or minor proofreading is also prohibited.

• By submitting an entry, you confirm that no part of your work was created or assisted by AI.

• The Judges reserve the right to disqualify any entry that, in their reasonable opinion, has been generated or influenced by AI.

• Winners will be informed in Dec 2025/ Jan 2027, results will be published on this site thereafter. There may be a delay publishing results and/or winning stories depending on circumstances and permissions. We will have an Awards Evening in the new year where winning entries may be read out, and writers will be invited to join the meeting.

• Winning stories may be published on this site for 12 months with permission of original author(s).

• The organiser’s decision is final.

• Optional – Paper saving single-spaced entries encouraged for postal entries.

• The fee is £3 for each story, or £10 for 4
• (electronic entries have an additional processing fee due to PayPal fees).

• Postal entries must be accompanied by cheque or postal order for the correct amount, made out to Southport Writers’ Circle.

Send postal entries to:

SWC Short Story Competition

5 Carrwood Park

Southport,

Merseyside,

PR8 5FA

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WE ENCOURAGE ONLINE ENTRY, AVAILABLE HERE

Closing Date – 30th April 2026

First Prize: £100, Second Prize: £50, Third Prize: £25

Catherine Fenerty Humour Prize: £25 (Put H in top left of page)

Guest Judge – Kemal Houghton

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Entry fee is £3 per poem or four poems for £10 (online rate varies due to handling fees).

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RULES: Please read carefully

• A maximum of 40 lines per poem is allowed.
• ** No correspondence will be entered into regarding receipt of individual entries or payments. **
• Poem submissions should bear no identification of the poet – Make sure details are separate.
• Must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant (previous publication includes via internet or independent press).
• Humour entries should be marked with an ‘H’ in the top left of the page. Humour entrants are not disqualified from also winning main prizes.
• Please enclose a separate sheet with your full contact details (address, email, phone number) and list of titles submitted. For online entries, this contact information should be put in the body of the email.
• All entries must be typed (on A4 paper for postal entries) in English (dialects allowable).
• If your work is published in any form after entry, please let us know. In some cases this may disqualify your entry and entitle you to a refund of your entry fee.
• For online entries, please include PayPal ref. number in body of email OR put the poem(s) names in the comments (information) box when paying.
• Please use basic formatting in any of .doc, .docx, rich text (.rtf) or .odf file types when attaching your file to the email. Any .pdfs, .pages, sidebars, headers, footers or unusual layouts may result in your electronic entry being rejected without notice.
• Do not paste your entries in the body of an email.
• The closing date for entries will be at midnight on the 30/04/26. Winners will be informed approx. June, general availability of results thereafter. There may be a delay publishing results and/or winning poems depending on circumstances and permissions.
• Any correspondence deemed to be an attempt to circumvent the judging process may cause your entry to be withdrawn. Any excessive representations may cause disqualification.
• Please keep a copy of your poem(s) as manuscripts will not be returned.
• Please do not contact us regarding bounced payments unless you are certain Paypal is not functional.
• Refunds for any breach of these rules are discretionary.
• The organiser’s/adjudicator’s decisions are final.
• Results will be available on this website following the Awards Evening.
• No application form is required.

For postal entries, Cheques/Postal orders should be in sterling and payable to: SOUTHPORT WRITERS’ CIRCLE.

Postal entry envelopes should be sent to:-

SWC Poetry Competition

5 Carrwood Park

Southport,

Merseyside,

PR8 5FA

Please DO NOT send entries by signed-for delivery or send any other material such as return/receipt postcards as these will be disregarded/destroyed.

Online entries CLICK HERE

First Prize £200      Second prize: £100     Third prize: £50

Closing date: 31st October 2025

£3 per story, or £10 for 4

WE ENCOURAGE ONLINE ENTRY, AVAILABLE HERE

Chief Judge: Richard Hooton

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Full Rules: Please Read Carefully

• Your entry should be an unpublished, original story on any theme of up to 2000 words. A story counts as having been previously published if it has appeared on an internet site or in an independent publication, as well as other traditional forms of publishing.

• Do not put your name or any other identifying information on your story (including in headers/footers).

• Entry must have a suitable title, which should be both appropriate and interesting.

• There is no set theme or style for the competition.

• Entries in English, please (dialect is allowed).

• You DO NOT need an entry form. Send us a separate cover sheet with each story’s title and word count. Include your name, postal address, telephone number and e-mail address.

• No individual correspondence will be entered into regarding receipt of works/payments. Please do not send any material to confirm delivery, or use Recorded Delivery. Please ensure you attach correct postage and use correct stamps (see Royal Mail information https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps). Southport Writers’ Circle will not retrieve mail held at the Sorting Office for want of correct postage.

• For internet entries: Put the above cover sheet details in the body of the email. Include PayPal ref. number OR put the names of all entered stories in the Comments box on PayPal when paying.

• Please use basic formatting in your files. Any sidebars, headers, footers, inset images, illegible fonts or unusual layouts may result in your electronic entry being rejected.

• Submissions should be in any of .doc, .docx, rich text or .odf file types ONLY when attaching your entry file(s) to the email.  Please do not use .pages or .pdf files unless you have no other alternative.

• Once your entry has been submitted, any entrant contacting the judges for any reason that is deemed to be an attempt to circumvent the judging process is likely to be disqualified.

• Winners will be informed in Dec 2025/ Jan 2026, results will be published on this site thereafter. There may be a delay publishing results and/or winning stories depending on circumstances and permissions. We will have an Awards Evening in the new year where winning entries may be read out, and successful writers will be invited to join the meeting.

• Winning stories may be published on this site for 12 months with permission of original author(s).

• The organiser’s decision is final.

• Optional – Paper saving single-spaced entries encouraged.

• The fee is £3 for each story, or £10 for 4
• (electronic entries have an additional processing fee due to PayPal fees).
• Postal entries must be accompanied by cheque or postal order for the correct amount, made out to Southport Writers’ Circle.

Send postal entries to:

SWC Short Story Competition

5 Carrwood Park

Southport,

Merseyside,

PR8 5FA

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WE ENCOURAGE ONLINE ENTRY, AVAILABLE HERE