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 This is an annual writing competition held in New Zealand and is open to both unpublished writers and those authors with three or less pieces of published work.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

Frank Sargeson Prize Short Story Writing Competition 2024

Entries are now open for the Frank Sargeson Prize for short fiction 2024. This annual NZ short story competition is sponsored by the University of Waikato and was originally conceived by NZ writer Catherine Chidgey. The Chief Judge for the 2024 writing competition is Harriet Allan, New Zealand Freelance Editor and Medical Publisher.

Sargeson Prize Short Story Competition 2024

There are two divisions available to enter: the open division and the secondary school division in this writing competition. The first prize winner in the open section will receive NZ $10,000 while the first place getter in the secondary school section will receive NZ $2,000. Both stories by the winning authors will be published in the Reading Room section of the online journal Newsroom.

The Sargeson Prize Short Story Competition is open from 1 April 2024 until 30 June 2024. Entry is free. Only one entry is allowed.

Details of winning entries from 2023 are available to view and a copy of the stories may be downloaded at Sargeson Prize Winers 2023

General Short Story Competition Details

General Entry Details

• Entries will be accepted in the English language only.
• No entry fee is required.
• Preferred method of entry is online.
• Copyright remains the property of the author.
• Entries must be typed and 1.5-spaced in a standard legible font (eg Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Palatino Linotype).
• Entries must be original pieces of work and unpublished.
• To remain eligible, enries may not have been submitted to other publications, prizes or anthologies for the duration of the Sargeson Prize entry and judging period.

Open Division

• Open to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents aged 16 and over.
• 5000 word maximum

Secondary School Division

• Open to students enrolled at a New Zealand secondary school, or home-schooled students, who are aged between 16 and 18 years on the date that competition entries close.
• 3000 word maximum

Winners and place-getters will be contacted by 15 September 2024.

More detailed information and rules of entry can be obtained from the University of Waikato Sargeson Prize page and Sargeson Prize Facebook Page.

Writing Competition Prizes

The Open Division of the Sargeson Prize carries a monetary prize for the top three stories. Prizes will be awarded as follows:

First Prize: $10,000
Second Prize: $1,000
Third Prize: $500


Cash prizes will also be awarded to the authors of the top three winning entries in the Secondary School Division along with the offer of an inclusive one week residency at the School of Arts, Waikato University.

First Prize: $2,000
Second Prize: $1,000
Third Prize: $500


If you are interested in entering the Sargeson Short Story Competition don't delay in getting started on your story. This will give you plenty of time to polish it in the weeks ahead. While not everyone can be a winner just the experience of committing to writing a story with a competition in mind can be a highly rewarding one and will help you hone your craft as a writer.

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.

Unity Books Short Story Writing Competition 2010

Unity Books in association with Sport Magazine is running a short story writing competition with a difference. The writing contest entitled The Long and the Short of It is looking for short stories that "inspire, inquire, disrupt and explain our lives" and challenges writers to submit a story "worth passing on."

The writing competition is open to all New Zealand writers and residents. Only one entry per person is permitted. Winning entries will be published in a book, "The Long and the Short" which will be launched at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival 2011.

The writing contest will be judged by acclaimed authors: Elizabeth Knox, Emily Perkins and Bill Manhire. There are two categories: the short (under 1000 words) and the long (over 10,000 words). The winner of each category will receive a $1000.00 Unity Books voucher and will be published in Sport Magazine.

Submission Guidelines

1. Open to NZ citizens and residents only
2. Submission must not have been previously published or broadcast
3. Submissions should not be named and need to be accompanied by the official entry form

Closing Date: 24 December 2010

Download Entry Form or

Enter online at Unity Books Long and Short of It Writing Competition

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