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 This is an annual writing competition held in New Zealand and is open to both unpublished writers and those authors with three or less pieces of published work.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.

Michael Terence Publishing Short Story Competition 2022

If you are a short story writer you may be interested in the Michael Terence Publishing Short Story Competition 2022 which is a short story competition open to entrants worldwide. Prizewinning stories will be published in an anthology which is to be both a print book and an ebook. The title of the anthology will be based on the title of the winning story.

General MTP Short Story Competition Details

• Entries will be accepted in the English language only
• 3,000 words maximum, no minimum. The title is not included in the word count.
• Entries will be disqualified if they exceed the word count.
• Open to ALL AUTHORS worldwide
• To be accepted, entries from any writer under 16 years old must be accompanied by a letter/email of agreement from a responsible adult that the entry is being made.
• Multiple entries are allowed. Entrants may submit any number of stories.
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed
• Entries may be in the following genres: fiction including science fiction or non-fiction (e.g. biography, memoir, true story).
• Entries will be judged based on the following criteria. Storyline, style, structure, tone, presentation.

Copyright

Worldwide copyright of each entry remains with the author. By entering you agree that MTP will have the unrestricted right to publish entries in its Anthology and on its website.

Entry Format

Online entries only.

Microsoft Word or similar readable format. No images. No tables. No charts. No footnotes. No endnotes.

Cost to Enter

EARLYBIRD ENTRY FEE £5.00 (GBP)
only for entries paid for by February 28, 2022

or

Regular Entry Fee £7.00 (GBP)

Prizes

First Prize: £1000 (GBP)

Second Prize: £500 (GBP)

Third Prize: £250 (GBP)

5 Runners-up Prizes of £50 (GBP)

Closing Date

Competition closes midnight (GMT+1, London), May 31, 2022

Results announced July 1, 2022


Further details and the full rules of the competition can be found at MTP Publishing