Short Fiction Contests

by Grace Tierney

‘I find the contest, you write the entry.’

If you think this issue’s list of short fiction contests is going to be short, then think again. My previous research on poetry contests led me to believe that those darn poets were on to an easy ride with the sheer quantity of contests available, but now I reckon the short fictioneers are awash with possibilities too. Good news if you relish the challenge of shorter form fiction!

As many writing experts have observed, writing shorter fiction can be tougher than penning a novel, yet often novice writers begin with short stories. If you fall into that category then it could be worthwhile reading ‘How to Write Short Stories’ by Sharon Sorenson (available from http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-
/0768910846/qid=1128026937/sr=2-1/
ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-5381574-5079323?v=glance&s=books) for the basics of the craft, or attending a creative writing group or class. If you’ve already mastered the basics then I would suggest the e-book ‘Think Outside the Square: Writing Publishable Short Stories’ by Cheryl Wright at (available from http://www.writer2writer.com), a contest-winning short fiction writer herself.

After that you just need to locate a contest, I’ve listed 35 below and believe me, I could have listed plenty more. Great sources are your local writing group, history festival, literary festival, arts festival, county or state Web site. You may well discover that there’s a short story contest being run in your own town and it is always nice to support your local arts, isn’t it?

So this month, think short, think short fiction contests. There’s a huge choice and there’s bound to be one out there that suits your style. Enjoy the chase!

Don’t forget to scroll down for my regular contest round-up for the coming month.

Happy Writing!

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Unless otherwise noted, contests are annual and open to all writers.

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A Woman's Write
http://www.awomanswrite.com/
quarterly

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eClips Contests
http://eclips.us/home1.html
quarterly

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Ramble Underground Fiction Contest
http://www.rambleunderground.org
quarterly

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JBWB Seasonal Contest
http://www.jbwb.co.uk/competition.html
Quarterly

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The Tundra Prize
http://www.emilychesley.com/contest
October 15

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The New Writer Contests
http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm
October 31

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Stickman Review Short Story Contest
www.stickmanreview.com
November 1

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American Literary Review Contest
http://www.engl.unt.edu/alr/contest.htm
November 1

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Park Publications Open Short Story Competition
http://www.parkpublications.co.uk/writingcompetion.htm
November 15

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KT Short Story Contest
http://www.writingaustralia.com
November 30

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Fish Short Story Contest
http://www.fishpublishing.com/
November 30

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Real Writers Short Story Awards
www.real-writers.com
November 30

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Glimmertrain Fiction Open
http://www.glimmertrain.com/fictionopen.html
January 15

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Prism Fiction Contest
http://prism.arts.ubc.ca/contests/fiction.htm
January 31

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Perigee Fiction Contest
http://www.perigee-art.com/
April 30

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New Letters
http://www.newletters.org/
May 18

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Frome Festival Short Story Competition
www.wordswork.net/frome
May 31

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Hidden Talents Contest at Tall Tales Press
http://www.talltalespress.com/pages/882188/index.htm
May 31

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Pebble Lake Poetry and Fiction Prize
http://www.pebblelakereview.com
May 31

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Wild Violet Fiction and Poetry Contest
http://www.wildviolet.net/fictioncontest.html
June 6

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Orchid Short Fiction Contest
http://www.orchidlit.org/
June 15

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New England Writers’ Short Fiction Contest
http://www.newenglandwriters.org
June 15

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Bridport poetry and short story competition
www.bridportprize.org.uk
June 30

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Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Prize
http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/
mainHTML.cfm?page=fictioncontest.html
July 1

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WritersWeekly Summer 24-Hour Short Story Contest
http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.html
July 23

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Wells Festival of Literature Competition
www.somersite.co.uk/storyrules.htm
July 31

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The Society of Southwestern Authors Writing Contest
http://www.azstarnet.com/nonprofit/ssa/contest.html
July 31

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The Gival Press Short Story Award
http://givalpress.com/
August 8

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Middle English Literary Group Short Fiction Writing Contest
http://home.earthlink.net/~middleenglish/
August 15

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Tallahassee Writers Short Story Contest
http://www.twaonline.org/contests.htm
August 31

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Surrey International Writers' Conference Contests
http://www.siwc.ca/contest/
September 9

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Rrofihe Trophy
http://www.opencity.org/rrofihe
September 15

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New York Stories Fiction Prize
http://www.newyorkstories.org/
September 15

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Saturday Writers Short Story Contest
http://www.saturdaywriters.org/contest.htm
September 15

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Inland Empire California Writers Contests
http://www.angelfire.com/amiga/iecwc/contest.html
September 30

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Coming Soon to the Writing Contest Department

Forthcoming features will focus on travel writing contests, writing for children, speculative fiction, contests with unusual prizes, mystery writing contests, and romantic writing contests.

I’m always looking for new contest types to research so if you’re looking for a particular type of contest for your writing, just drop me a line. I’d also love to hear from you if you win a contest you read about here or if you have a contest to suggest for inclusion. Please note that I will only include contests which are open to writers anywhere in the world as our readers are geographically dispersed.

Contest Deadlines from November 1 to 30

November 1
E-Clips Writing Contest
flash fiction and short fiction
http://eclips.us/home1.html

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November 1
Stickman Review Short story contest
short fiction
www.stickmanreview.com

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November 1
The Sue Saniel Elkind Poetry Contest
Poetry
http://opencampus.fccj.org/kalliope/k-contst.html

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November 1
American Literary Review Contest
Short fiction
http://www.engl.unt.edu/alr/contest.htm

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November 1
Briarcliff Review Contests
short fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry
http://www.briarcliff.edu/bcreview/contest.htm

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November 1
Jane's Stories Press Foundation Short Story Award
short fiction by a woman
http://www.janesstories.org/id3.html

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November 7
The Larry Corse Prize for Playwrighting
theater play
http://theatre.colstate.edu/Current%20Website/playwright.htm

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November 7
Christmas Chillers Short Story Competition
Short fiction
http://www.writelinkpro.co.uk/xmaschillers/index.html

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November 10
Automotive Poetry Contest
poetry related to cars
http://www.toweautomuseum.org/html/poetry.html

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November 11
The Roanoke Review's Fiction Contest
Short fiction
http://www.roanoke.edu/roanokereview/

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November 15
Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes
book-length literary poetry collection, short fiction collection, novel, and creative non-fiction
http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/blwc/

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November 15
Horses as Angels in Disguise Contest
true story / personal essay about a horse who performed an act of compassion, protection, healing, or courage
http://www.angelanimals.net/awards.html

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November 15
Park Publications Open Short Story Competition
Short fiction
http://www.parkpublications.co.uk/writingcompetion.htm

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November 15
The Countryside Tales Magazine Winter Poetry Competition
Seasonal poetry
http://www.parkpublications.co.uk/writingcompetion.htm

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November 15
Ramble Underground Fiction Contest
Short fiction
http://www.rambleunderground.org

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November 15
The Coast Poetry Award
Poetry
http://www.wmich.edu/thirdcoast/Contests/
Third-Coast-Poetry-Award-2006.htm

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November 17
New Millenium Awards
fiction, poetry, and non-fiction
http://www.mach2.com/books/NewMillenniumWritings/awards.html

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November 18
Night Train's Richard Yate's Short Story Award Competition
Short fiction
http://www.nighttrainmagazine.com/home.html

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November 24
Random House Contest - Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers: The Best New Voices of 2006
Non-fiction personal essays by writers between the ages of 20 and 29
http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/20by20contest/index.html

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November 30
Fandango Virtual's Fiction Contest
literary short fiction
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/fandango.virtual/
gator/fv_contest_2005.htm

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November 30
Country Mouse Winter Contest
Poetry
http://www.poetrycmouse.com/contest.html

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November 30
A Woman's Write Contest
short fiction, essay, memoir or book chapter
http://www.awomanswrite.com/

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November 30
Premier Libbon short story competition
Short fiction
www.libbon.co.uk

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November 30
Write a Gripe Contest
short non-fiction of the complaining variety
http://www.writeagripe.com/

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November 30
KT Short Story Contest
Short fiction|
http://www.writingaustralia.com

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November 30
Fish Short Story Contest
short fiction
http://www.fishpublishing.com/

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November 30
Real Writers Short Story Awards
Short fiction
www.real-writers.com

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November 30
True Life Story Contest
creative non-fiction
http://www.truelifestorycontest.com/

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November 30
James W Hackett International Haiku Award
Haiku
http://www.haikusoc.ndo.co.uk/comp.html

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November 30
Soul-Making Literary Competition
poetry, short fiction, essay and/or creative non-fiction, novel excerpt, prose poem, flash fiction, lyric
http://www.soulmakingcontest.us/

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November 30
Praire Fire Writing Competition
poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction
http://www.prairiefire.ca/contests.html

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Grace Tierney is a freelance writer who lives in Ireland. When she’s not researching writing contests, she enjoys gluttony, reading, gardening, and travel. Her short stories have been published internationally in magazines, books, and online media. Her non-fiction has been published in Ireland, the UK, America, and Australia. She is a staff writer with Writer Online, and Netsurfer Digest. Contact Grace via www.gracetierney.com