SWC Annual International Short Story Competition 2017

First prize: £150      Second prize: £80     Third prize: £30

Closing date: 31st October 2017

Online entries CLICK HERE

Chief Judge: Jo Reardon

Jo’s fiction has been published in magazines and anthologies including The London Magazine and Mafia and she was runner up in the Cinnamon Short Story Prize 2014.  In collaboration with artist Iain Andrews her short story, ‘My Mind’s Eye’, was published at the Warrington Arts Festival (2012) and ‘Still Life with Blackbirds’ at the Corinium Museum, Cirencester with artist Richard Kenton Webb in 2016.  She also writes for radio where she was a Producer for many years at BBC Radio Drama.  Jo studied Creative Writing at UEA and Lancaster University and is now a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Open University. Passionate about the short story, she is looking forward to reading the shortlisted entries hoping to find something that will surprise, delight, maybe even shock but above all, hold the reader in its hand from start to finish.

Full Rules:

  • Your entry should be an unpublished, original story on any theme of up to 2000 words (previous publication includes via internet or independent press).
  • Do not put your name on your story but do give it a suitable title. Titles should be both appropriate and interesting.
  • There is no set theme or style for the competition, other than the above.
  • You do not need an entry form. Send us a separate cover sheet  with each entry’s title, word count, your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.
  • For internet entries, please include PayPal ref. number in body of the email OR put the story(ies) names in the comments box when paying. Also please use basic formatting in any of .doc, .docx, rich text or .odf file types when attaching your entry file to the email. Any sidebars, headers, footers or unusual layouts may result in your electronic entry being rejected.
  • No individual correspondence will be entered into regarding receipt of works/payments, so please do not send any confirmational material or use Recorded Delivery.
  • Please include an SAE if you wish to receive a print of the results/judges report (if available) when the competition is finished. For email entries, please note in the body of the mail that you would like to receive the results.
  • Winners will be informed in Dec/Jan, general availability of results will be available on this site thereafter. There may be a delay publishing results depending on circumstances and permissions.
  • Entries in English please (minor dialect allowable).
  • Winning stories may be published on this site for 12 months with permission of original author.

Optional – Paper saving single-spaced entries encouraged.

  • The fee is £3.00 for each story, or £10 for 4.  You can pay by cheque or postal order made out to Southport Writers’ Circle. Note – E-Entries have a processing fee.

Send postal entries to:

Short Story Competition

60 Dinorwic Rd,

Southport,

Merseyside, PR8 4DL

 

Online entries CLICK HERE

Southport Writers' Circle