Global Short Story Writing Competition

If you are a New Zealand writer with a hankering to have your writing exposed to an international audience then you may be interested in entering the Global Short Story Competition, a writing competition with the backing of acclaimed travel writer, Bill Bryson.

The Global Short Story Competition, a monthly writing competiton run by Durham University in England, is open to writers from all over the world. The writing contest has been developed to showcase unknown writers and to build an international community of writers.




Each month a winning story along with a highly commended entry are selected for cash prizes - £100 GBP for the winner and £25 GBP for the runner-up. Winning stories of the Global Short Story competition are displayed on the Global Short Stories website. At the end of 12 months each winner is considered for a cash prize of £250 GBP and inclusion in an e-anthology.

In order to enter the writing contest online you need to be registered on the Global Short Story site. You can either pre-register or do so at the time that you submit your short story. The cost to enter the Global Short Story Competition is £5 GBP per story which can be paid electronically via Paypal. Postal entries are also accepted.

Submission Details

1. Entries must be not more than 2,000 words and may be on any theme
   
2. Entries must be by writers aged 17 or over.
   
3. Entries are limited to no more than 4 entries per individual per judging period.
   
4. Entries must be written in English.
   
5. The author retains copyright for short stories submitted however winning stories will be posted to the Global Short Story website.

Read more about submission guidelines and competition rules

Queries about the competition to: john.dean@certys.co.uk

Enter Global Short Story Competition online

or

Post entries to:

Certys Office
Livingstone House
29 High Northgate
Darlington
Co Durham
England DL1 1UQ

Entries need to be marked Global Short Story Competition and contain the £5 entry fee. Cheques should made payable to Certys Limited.

Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition 2010

Entries are now open for the annual Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition 2010. The writing competition carries a first prize of $5000 in cash. Generous cash prizes together with book prizes from Random House are up for grabs too in both the open and secondary school divisions. Plus the writing competition also offers a special prize of $200 in books for the best short story from an unpublished writer.

The prestigious Sunday Star Times Short Story contest which seeks to encourage aspiring New Zealand writers has been operating since 1984. Past winners of the short story competition have included many notable New Zealand writers such as Norman Bilbrough, Judith White, Barbara Anderson, Linda Olsson and Sarah Quigley.

The Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition 2010 will be judged by noted New Zealand writers Charlotte Grimshaw and Joy Cowley. There is also a Peoples' Choice Award where excerpts from the ten finalists' stories will be published online and the winner decided entirely by public vote. $750 cash plus $250 worth of books from Random House and the story published in Sunday Star-Times will be awarded to the winner of the People's Choice.

The winners of the Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition 2010 will be announced in the Sunday Star-Times and on the Sunday Star-Times website (www.shortstory.co.nz) on October 31, 2010. The winning three stories will be published in the Sunday Star-Times.

Read last year's winning short story in the open section The Concentrators by Sue Francis.

Prizes

OPEN DIVISION
1st prize: $5000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $500 worth of books from Random House
2nd prize: $2000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $300 worth of books from Random House
3rd prize: $1000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $200 worth of books from Random House

SECONDARY SCHOOL DIVISION
1st prize: $1000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times, work experience day at Random House (day imediately after awards ceremony) PLUS $500 worth of Random House books and a $500 Whitcoulls gift card for the finalist’s school.
2nd prize: $500 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times PLUS $300 worth of Random House books and a $300 Whitcoulls gift card for the finalist’s school
3rd prize: $250 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times PLUS $200 worth of Random House books and a $200 Whitcoulls gift card for the finalist’s school.

BEST UNPUBLISHED WRITER
Time with fiction publisher Harriet Allan and $200 worth of books from Random House.

PEOPLES’ CHOICE AWARD
$750 cash, story published in Sunday Star-Times and $250 worth of books from Random House.


Submission Guidelines

1. Entry is open to New Zealand permanent residents only
2. Stories must be the original work of the entrant and must not have been published or broadcast or entered into any other competition until after November 1, 2010
3. The maximum length of entries is 3000 words
4. All entries must be accompanied by a manuscript, typed in English, double-spaced and on one side of A4 paper only
5. All personal information is to be printed on a separate cover page, with only page numbers and story title on all other pages
6. The Secondary School Division is open only to secondary school students. Entrants must be enrolled and attending a secondary school in New Zealand up to August 29, 2010

Closing Date: Friday August 27 2010 at 5pm

Download Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition 2010 Official Entry Form

Send the completed entry form and your manuscript to:
Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition, PO Box 1074, Auckland 1140.

Full Submission Guidelines

Her Magazine Monthly Short Story Competition

If your aim is become a published New Zealand short story writer then you may wish to enter the Her Magazine short story competition.

Her Magazine, is a monthly New Zealand women's business magazine aimed at entrepreneurial women whose goal is to be self-employed, start their own business or grow their business.

Each month the Her Magazine runs a short story competition. Entries must be original and previously unpublished. Her Magazine retains first publication rights for all winning entries for a period of six months.

Submission Guidelines

1. Entries to have a maximum of 1200 words and be double spaced
2. Each entry must be the author’s original work
3. Entries must not have been published before
4. Entries can only be submitted once
5. Submissions must be accompanied by a short biography of the writer

Email submissions to: hermag@strettonpublishing.co.nz

More details: Her Magazine Short Story Competition

Writing Competition BNZ Literary Awards 2010

The BNZ Literary Awards 2010 formerly known as the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards is calling for short stories from New Zealand writers for 2010. Whether you are a young writer, novice writer or more seasoned writer the BNZ Literary Awards is a writing competition which offers you the chance to gain both recognition as a writer and win cash prizes.


The BNZ Literary Awards, an annual writing competition, now into its 51st year, was founded to celebrate New Zealand literature and to acknowledge the work of New Zealand's most famous short story writer, Katherine Mansfield.

Over the years the short story writing competition has been won by many famous New Zealand writers such as Frank Sargeson, Maurice Shadbolt, Keri Hulme, Charlotte Grimshaw and CK Stead. With a major cash prize of $10,000 the BNZ Literary Awards is today the leading short story competition on New Zealand's writing competition calendar.

The BNZ Literary Awards 2010 is divided into 3 categories each carrying its own cash prize and conditions of entry. The writing competition is organized as follows:

• Main Award - BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards
  Minimum length 1,000 words
  Maximum length 5,000 words
  Cash Prize: $10,000
  
• BNZ Novice Writer Award
  The Novice Writer Award is only open to entrants who have not previously had creative writing published or broadcast
  Minimum length 1,000 words
  Maximum length 3,000 words
  Cash Prize: $1,500
  
• BNZ Young Writer Award
  The BNZ Young Writer category seeks to encourage entrants from New Zealand secondary school students. In addition to the individual prize a cash prize will also be awarded to the winner's school.
  Minimum length 750 words
  Maximum length 2,000 words
  Cash Prize: Winner awarded $1,500
  Winner's school awarded $2,000

Closing Date: 23 July 2010

Enter online or by post. Competition details are available from any branch of the BNZ.

BNZ Literary Awards 2010 Conditions of Entry
Download BNZ Literary Awards 2010 Entry Form

Related Links
Other New Zealand Writing Competitions

Drabble Sci-Fi Short Story Competition

Ever wanted to write Science Fiction or Fantasy? Test your short story writing skills in this very short story competition from Au Contraire, New Zealand's National Science Fiction Convention for 2010.

The Drabble Competition which closes on 31 July 2010 is open to all members of Au Contraire either attending or supporting. Entries must be 100 words exactly excluding the title. Successful entries may be printed in the Au Contraire con book or post-con book.

Submission Guidelines

• Entries must be short stories of exactly 100 words not including the title.
• The title must be shorter than the story itself
• The competition is open to all members of Au Contraire, attending or supporting.
• Up to 3 entries may be submitted
• Entrants must include a cover page that includes the short story title, plus their name and contact details.
• Emailed submissions must be in a widely recognised file format. RTF is recommended.
• Submissions may be posted but will not be returned
• Entrants name or other identifying details should not be visible on the story itself

Deadline: 31 July 2010

Send entries to:

Au Contraire
PO Box 10104
Wellington

or email submissions to: drabble@aucontraire.org.nz

More Submission Details

NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize Open to New Zealand Writers

A new writing award for 2010, the NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize worth $35,000 is up for grabs by New Zealand writers. The award which is sponsored by Pindar NZ, The New Zealand Herald, Whitcoulls and AstraPrint aims to recognize excellence in creative writing. It offers a New Zealand writer of fiction, non-fiction, short fiction and poetry the chance to submit an unpublished manuscript which will be taken through to published format and offered for sale nationwide. The winner of the NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize will have their work professionally edited, designed, printed and distributed.

Submissions for the NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize close on 30 March 2010. 5 shortlisted manuscripts will be announced a month later. As the winner will be decided through 40% reader input and 60% input from the judging panel online voting will be open throughout May. The overall winner will announced on 12 June 2010 in time for the book launch in August.

Maggie Tarver, Chief Executive of The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.) is excited about the new award which describes as "an amazing opportunity for any writer." She went on to say, “In a time when more and more manuscripts are being rejected by mainstream publishers we are confident that we will get some really exciting entries”.

The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.)
PO Box 7701
Wellesley Street
Auckland 1141
www.authors.org.nz


Submission Guidelines

• Entries are open to any unpublished manuscript of fiction, non-fiction, short fiction and poetry.
• Completed novel, non-fiction or short story manuscripts must be between 30,000 and 120,000 words in length.
• Poetry collections must be between 5,000 and 25,000 words.
• Applications must be in hard copy only.
  Closing Date: 30 March 2010
  Full entry details