Forward planning is required for this goal; if I looked at it next year, I would have no doubt missed the deadlines! My goal is to enter at least three writing competitions, but I think I'll be entering these five (I'm being very ambitious in 2010!):• The Bristol Short Story Prize
Deadline: March 31st
Word-count and content: 3,000 words maximum, no minimum. Any theme/subject/style.
Fee: £7
Prize(s): 1st = £500 and £150 Waterstone’s Gift Card; 2nd = £350 and £100 Waterstone’s Gift Card; 3rd = £200 and £100 Waterstone’s Gift Card. The next 17 shortlisted finalists receive £50; the top 20 entries will be published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 3.
• Vogue Talent Contest - under 25's only
Deadline: TBC for 2010 (was announced February 2009, with an April deadline).
Word-count and content: TBC. (Last year two 800 word pieces were required. The first on a personal memory, the second either a contemporary arts review, a fashion trend piece or a piece of social observation).
Fee: Free
Prize(s): First prize is £1,000 and a month's paid work experience at Vogue(!). The runner-up gets £500.
• Guardian Short Story Competition
Deadline: TBC (10th July in 2009).
Word-count and content: 2,000 words. Any subject/style.
Fee: Free.
Prize(s): Winning story published in the Guardian Weekend magazine. Five runners-up published on website.
• The Manchester Fiction Prize
Deadline: TBC (2009 deadline was 7th August 2009).
Word-count and content: Short story <5,000 words. Any subject/style.
Fee: £15
Prize(s): £10,000 first prize. Those aged 18-25, can also be entered in the Jeffrey Wainwright Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award to win a bursary to study Creative Writing at MMU.
• The Dundee International Book Prize
Deadline: TBC for 2010 (Opened July 1st in 2009; deadline November 30th).
Word-count and content: An original work of fiction from unpublished authors, around 80,000 words in length. A <500 words synopsis is also required. No children's novels.
Fee: Free
Prize(s): £10,000 royalty advance and publication of novel.
I'll keep you posted with my progress, but does anyone know any other writing competitions I should also enter? -x-
How do you find out about these competitions, Elle?
ReplyDeleteI heard about the Guardian one on Twitter and I spotted the Vogue one somewhere else online. A friend told me about Manchester; as for Bristol and Dundee, they are listed in Writer's Market 2010 (along with lots of other competitions). :)
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