Writer's College Short Story Competition 2024

If you are a creative writer you may be interested in the 2024 Writer's College Short Story Competition. This is an annual writing competition held in New Zealand and is open to both unpublished writers and those authors with three or less pieces of published work. Cash prizes go down to third place plus the top three winners will have their work published in an anthology.

Writer's College Short Story Competition 2024

The short story writing competition is open to entrants 16 and over worldwide. Entries must be in English and only one entry per person is allowed. No assisted stories are to be submitted and competitors are asked to make a declaration that ChatGBT has not been used.

The theme for this 2024 short story contest is ‘It didn’t have to be this way'. The phrase must appear within the body of the story but any title may be selected by the writer.

The competition closes at midnight on 30 September 2024.

Short Story Competition Details

• Open to anyone aged 16 and over from any country.
• Entries will be accepted in the English language only
• 2,000 words maximum. Entries will be disqualified if they exceed the word count by more than 50 words.
• 2024 theme is ‘It didn’t have to be this way’. This phrase is to appear somewhere in the story. Titles are to chosen by the writer.
• Only one entry per person. It is free to enter.
• Stories must be the original work of the author. No AI assisted stories are allowed.
• Stories must not have been previously published.
• Entrants retain the copyright of their entry but give permission for their story to be published in an anthology if selected.
• The competition closes on 30 September 2024. The longlist will be published by 31 October 2024 and the winners announced by 15 November 2024.
• The Writers College reserves the right to extend the competition deadline or cancel the competition should the entries not be of publishable quality.

Copyright

Copyright of the entry remains with the author. By entering the competition you agree to the publication of the story in an anthology if chosen to appear.

Entry Format

Email entries only. The story must be copied and pasted into the body of the email.

Fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman, size 12 or more may be used. Use 1.5 or double spacing between lines.

The title and word count is to be stated in the email.

Prizes

First Prize: NZ $1000

Second Prize: NZ $500

Third Prize: NZ $250

Plus winning entries will be published in an anthology of stories.

Closing Date

Competition closes midnight on 30 September 2024

The Longlist will be available on 31 October 2024

Winners will be announced on the Writer's College website on 15 November 2024


The full rules of the competition and previous winning stories can be found at 2024 Writer's College Short Story Competition

Cambridge Autumn Festival Short Story Competition 2024

The Cambridge Autumn Festival Short Story Competition closes on 31 January 2024 and is your chance to win the NZ $1,000 first prize. This year's theme is "The Dilemma".

The annual competition is open to NZ permanent residents only and is free to enter so why not use this opportunity to write that short story you've been meaning to pen for ages.

There is no age limit to enter this writing contest. The word limit is 1500 words. Entries close at 5pm 31 January 2024.

Competition Entry Details

• Open to permanent NZ residents only. Proof of residency must be shown by winners.
• Stories must be in English.
• Stories must be the author's original work and may not have been published before or entered into any other competition.
• Entries are to be fiction.
• The maximum word count permitted is 1500 words.
• All manuscripts are to have double-line spacing.
• Stories must be submitted along with the official entry form.

Prizes

First prize is NZ $1000
Second prize is NZ $500
Third prize is NZ $250


More information about the festival can be found on the Cambridge Festival Facebook page

To find out more about this short story writing competition please visit the Cambridge Autumn Festival Short Story Competition 2024.

New Zealand Romance Writing Competition 2011

New Zealand's annual romance writing competition, the 2011 Clendon Award is now open and receiving entries up to and including 26 February 2011. Romance Writers of New Zealand Inc who administer the Clendon Award are accepting full manuscripts from unpublished New Zealand authors who aspire to become published romance writers.

Manuscripts submitted to the romance writing competition must be between 45,000 and 110,000 words. Submissions can be aimed at a specific market and marked accordingly eg Harlequin Mills & Boon sweet, Intrigue, Superromance, etc. An entry fee of NZ $55.00 applies per entry.

Up to 8 romance writers will read and scrutinize submitted manuscripts. Entrants to the romance writers contest can expect detailed feedback about their work. Manuscripts that make the final cut will be judged by Mary-Theresa Hussey, the New York based executive editor of Harlequin books, the world's leading publishing house of romance fiction.

If you are intending to enter you will need to already be or be prepared to become a financial member of Romance Writers of New Zealand

Submission Guidelines

• Each entry must be the original work of the author and be previously unpublished. Submissions must not have been accepted for any other competition at the closing date of the competition
• Manuscripts must be between 45,000 and 110,000 words in length
• Each entry must be accompanied by the $55 entry fee and the official entry form
  
  Closes: 26 February 2011

Full Submission Guidelines and Entry Form

Entries should be posted to:

Clendon Award
C/- RWNZ, Lothian,
231 Opaheke Road RD4
Papakura, 2584
Auckland
New Zealand

Further information about the Clendon Award can be obtained from the Romance Writers of New Zealand website

Takahe Poetry Competition 2010 NZ Writing Competition

Make sure you don't miss entering the Takahe Poetry Competition 2010 which closes on 30 September 2010. This year's annual New Zealand poetry writing contest will be judged by acclaimed New Zealand Poet, James Norcliffe.

The winner of the Takahe Poetry Competition 2010 will receive a first prize of $250. The second prize is $100 in cash. There are also free yearly subscriptions to the Takahe magazine for the two runners up. Winning entries will be published in the future issues of the Takahe magazine.





The Takahe poetry contest is open to poets from around the world. Work submitted must not have been previously published.

There is no limit to the number of entries an author can submit. The cost per entry is NZ $5.00.

Poets have free reign to unleash whatever they are passionate about as there is no set theme for the poetry competition. Poems are, however, limited to 50 lines. Copyright stays with the poet.

Read the winning poem by Emma Neale from the 2008 Takahe Poetry Competition

Submission Guidelines

1. Each entry must be the original work of the author and be previously unpublished
2. The maximum length of each entry is 50 lines.
3. Entries must be typed on A4 paper and printed on one side only
4. The entrants name must not appear on the manuscript
5. Each entry must be accompanied by the $5 entry fee along with a self addressed envelope for return of results and entries
   Closes: 30 September 2010

Full Submission Guidelines and Entry Form

Entries should be posted to:

Takahe Poetry Competition 2010
PO Box 13-335
Christchurch 8141
New Zealand

Queries about the competition can be emailed to: admin@takahe.org.nz