March Competition Monthly!

Welcome to another competition monthly from Francesca Capaldi Burgess!

Some good news from me to begin the month. In February I got news that I'd won the Retreat West Themed Flash Competition for November. If you'd like to read my entry you can do so here. If you'd like to share any competition success on a future RNA competition blog, you can get in touch with me via Twitter. 

This month I've been thinking about the importance of competition deadlines. If you don't enter a

competition by the date stated, you'll almost certainly be disqualified. But is there an optimum time to enter competitions within the time frame? First of all you have to check whether a competition has an opening date – some do.

Let's face it, many of us enter competitions as close to the deadline as we can, whether from being overkeen editors, having too much else to do or simply putting things off. However there could be an advantage to getting our entries in sooner rather than later. 

Consider the person doing the judging, or the initial judging if the long/short list is going on to someone else. Having judged competitions myself, I know that the entries that dribble in at the beginning of the time period get more attention than those that come with the deluge at the end. Judges in that position may well be looking for reasons to reject a story, having so many others to read. If something at the start of your story doesn't appeal to them they may not even read to the end, so a wonderful denouement could be for nought. 

I realise I am also guilty of leaving competition entries to the last minute, but getting them in quickly may well increase our chances of being shortlisted. It certainly can't do any harm. 

Good luck to everyone! 

Sci-Fi London 48-hour Flash Fiction Challenge
Theme: You'll be given a title / dialogue / optional scientific idea when you register.
Prize: £500 plus publication in New Scientist Magazine
Competition deadline: You'll have between 11am on 8th April until 1am on 10th April
Entry: Free
Details


Bath Novel Award
Theme: Unpublished or independently published novels for adult or YA. First 5,000 words plus 1 page synopsis.
Prize: £2,000 / £500 / Literary agent introduction for all those shortlisted.
Competition deadline: 24 April 2017
Entry: £25
Details


NAWG 100 Mini-Tales Competition
Theme: Open. Exactly 100 words, excluding the title
Prize: £75 / £25
Competition deadline: None. It's a rolling competition. Each round ends when 100 are received. Subsequent entries go into the next round.
Entry: £3
Details


Win Your Way to Swanwick 2017
Theme: 'Escape'. 1,000 words max
Prize: Fully inclusive week at 2017 Summer School
Competition deadline: 30 April 2017
Entry: £5
Details 


Bristol Short Story Prize
Theme: Any theme or genre. 4,000 words max
Prize: £1.000 / £700 / £400 / 17x £100
Competition deadline: May 3 2017
Entry: £8
Details 


Yeovil Literary Prize: Short Story
Theme: Open. 2,000 words max
Prize: £500 / £200 / £100
Competition deadline: 31 May 2107
Entry: £7
Details 


Yeovil Literary Prize: Novel
Theme: Open. Synopsis and opening chapters, 15,000 word combined length.
Prize: £1,000 / £250 / £100
Competition deadline: 31 May 2107
Entry: £12
Details 

Thanks, Fran and good luck to everyone!

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published in May. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme and the Society for Women Writers and Journalists.

Twitter

Write Minds Blog

If you would like to write for the RNA blog, then please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

February Competition Monthly

Welcome to yet another competition monthly update from Francesca!

How's the year going so far? I hope you've made a start on this year's competitions.

I know I've mentioned themes before, but something to bear in mind is to make sure you are actually keeping to the theme.

It's tempting, if you have something you've already written that you want to use, to send out

something that has only a weak connection. Or maybe none at all. I have read entries when I've been judging short story competitions which seem to have no relevance to the theme whatsoever. It's as if the writer didn't notice there was a theme, or forgot about it.

And don't make it too subtle. At The Write Place Creative Writing School I once judged a national competition with the theme of 'Ten'. Now perhaps it's down to my lack of sporting interest, but I couldn't see the connection to the theme in a story that was essentially about a man having a bad day and being sent off the football pitch, thus decreasing the number in his team. Perhaps you've already got there. It wasn't until I mentioned it to my husband that he pointed out that eleven team members minus one is ten. Of course. It still didn't make it to the short list!

Good luck to everyone, and don't forget to let me know of any competition success you have.




**Closing Soon**
Brigend Writers' Circle Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,500 – 1,800
Prize: £1200 / £350 / £30
Competition deadline: 1 March 2017
Entry: £5 / £7.50 for 2 Details 



Words for the Wounded Independent Author Book Award
Theme: Self published works of fiction and non-fiction
Prize: Review of book and article about author published in Frost online magazine
Competition deadline: 11 March 2017
Entry: £12.50 Details 



Limnisa Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, up to 3,000 words
Prize: Week's retreat in Greece / 2 x 50% off workshops
Competition deadline: 15 March 2017
Entry: Free, as long as FB page is liked or follow on Twitter Details



MsLexia Women's Short Story Fiction Competition
Theme: Open, 300 – 3,000 words
Prize: £2,000 / 2 x £100 For winner also week's writing retreat and day with Virago Editor.
Competition deadline: 20 March 2017
Entry: £10 Details


MsLexia Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Open, up to 300 words
Prize: £500 / 3 x £50
Competition deadline: 20 March 2017
Entry: £5 Details 



Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Open, 500 words
Prize: £300 / £200 / £100 Publication on website
Competition deadline: 31 March 2017
Entry: £5 / £8 for 2 Details



Exeter Short Story Prize & Trisha Ashley Award
Theme: Open, up to 10,000 words
Prize: £500 / £150 / £100
Competition deadline: 30 April 2017
Entry: £10 Details




Good luck to anyone who enters!

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published in May. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme and the Society for Women Writers and Journalists.

Twitter
Blog



If you would like to write for the RNA blog, then please contact us elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly!

Welcome to Francesca Burgess with the first Competition Monthly of 2017!

A new year and new resolutions, so why not make one of them a pledge to enter a few more competitions?

What I'm going to say this month may sound farfetched, and I'm sure most of you will be saying, What? I'd never do that! But here's the advice anyway.

Don't be tempted to explain on your competition entry form or manuscript where the story originated

or that it's based on something funny that happened to your aunty Doris. Don't attach photos of the setting you've based it on or add illustrations. The judge doesn't want to know or see any of these things and it will make no difference to whether they like it or not. Instead it will seem rather amateurish.

As I implied, this may sound like an unnecessary warning, but competition entrants have seriously been known to do this. If you have to explain your story, then maybe it needs to be rewritten.

There's a variety of competitions this month, though mainly for flash and short fiction. The Reader's Digest one is only 100 words long. Very short pieces are a skill in themselves, but since it's free, what have you got to lose?

Good luck to everyone, and don't forget to let me know of any competition success you have.



Crimson Cloak Story Writing Competition
Theme: See the picture on the website. 1,500 - 3,000 words
Prize: $150 / $100 / $50
Competition deadline: 31 January 2017
Entry: $10 Details


Bath Flash Fiction Award
Theme: Open genre (except children's). 300 words max.
Prize: £1,000 / £300 / £100
Competition deadline: 12 February 2017
Entry: £9 Details


Reader's Digest 100 Word Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, but must be exactly 100 words
Prize: £2,000 / 2 x £200
Competition deadline: 20 February 2017
Entry: Free Details


ChipLit Fest Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, up to 2,500 or 5,000 words
Prize: £500 / £100 / £50
Competition deadline: 20 February 2017
Entry: £5 (up to 2,500 words) / £8 (up to 5,000 words) Details


Nottingham Writers' Club Short Story Competition (for new writers)
Theme: Open, up to 2,000 words. Entrants must not have earned more than £300 from their writing.
Prize: £200 / £100 / £50
Competition deadline: Opens 1st February, closes 28th February 2017
Entry: £6 Details


Artificium Short Story Prize
Theme: Open, 2,000 - 8,000 words
Prize: £300 / Prize pot of £100 minimum shared between 1to 4 runners up.
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £5 Details


Artificium 'In Brief' Prize
Theme: Open, 500 - 1,500 words (includes flash fiction and poetry)
Prize: £150 / Prize pot of £100 minimum shared between 1to 4 runners up.
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £5 Details


Flash 500 Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,000 - 3,000 words
Prize: £500 / £200 / £100
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £7 Details


Exeter Writers Short Story Competition
Theme: Open genre (except children's), max 3,000 words
Prize: £500 / £250 / £100 plus Devon prize of £100
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £6 Details 


Wundor Short Fiction Contest 2017
Theme: Novellas & short stories, 5,000 – 45,000 words
Prize: £500. Winner and two runners up will have work published in full or extract.
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £9 Details


1,000 Word Challange
Theme: Must start with 'Stop', in direct speech.
Prize: £100 / £50 / £25
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £5 Details

Best of luck to anyone taking the plunge!

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter
Blog



Thank you Francesca!

If you would like to write for the RNA Blog, then please contact Elaine at elaineeverest@aol.com


This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly December 2016

Our last Competition Monthly of 2016!


Titles are important. You need something that will catch the judge's eye and interest before they even start on the story. Long, rambling titles might seem indicative of a long, rambling story, so try to avoid them. Short, snappy titles are usually best, probably no more than five words. Make sure it's relevant to the story, not just eye catching. Often popular sayings, famous quotes or song titles are a good place to start if you're not good at making up titles.

It's also better to avoid common titles if you can, though that can be difficult if you're not sure how common your title is! One of my first published stories was called New Beginnings. I now know several people who've had stories with that title, or the similar A New Beginning, including my blog partner, Elaine Roberts. Other common titles include Lost and Found, The Homecoming, Rebirth, and The Awakening.

Neil Clarke, the editor of a science fiction magazine called Clarkesworld, put all the words from story titles he'd had submitted to him into a word cloud to ascertain their frequency. Some of the most common words used were man, time, house, last, new, moon, black, dead, death, world, one, little, life, red, day, love, night and dream. The fact it's a sci-fi mag might account for some of those words, of course. To see the rest of the word cloud visit http://neil-clarke.com/short-story-titles-meet-wordle/ 

Basically, you want a title that is neither too simple or common, nor too obscure or convoluted. Easier said than done, I know. If you get stuck, you could always try my old favourite, mind mapping.

Good luck, everybody, and don't forget to let me know of any competition successes you have.



***Closing Very Soon***
Writing Magazine Other Worlds Short Story Competition
Theme: Fantasy and SciFi, 1,500 – 1,700 words
Prize: £200 + publication in magazine / £50 + publication on website
Competition deadline: 14 December 2016
Entry: £5, £3 for subscribers
Details


Writing Magazine Open Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,500 – 1,700 words
Prize: £200 + publication in magazine / £50 + publication on website
Competition deadline: 16 January 2017
Entry: £5, £3 for subscribers
Details 


Bath Novella-in-a-Flash Competition
Theme: Open, 7,000 – 18,000, each individual flash no more than 1,000 words
Prize: £300 / 2 x £100 plus publication in one book for all three
Competition deadline: 31 January 2017
Entry: £16.00
Details


The Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition
Theme: Ghost, 1,000 to 7,000 words
Prize: £500 / £250 / £100, plus publication on website
Competition deadline: 31 January 2017
Entry: £8
Details


Mercier Press Fiction Prize (unpublished authors)
Theme: Young Adult Novel. Enter 10,000 – 12,000 words of a novel max 100,000.
Prize: €1,000 plus publication
Competition deadline: 1 February 2017
Entry: Free
Details


Bath Flash Fiction Prize
Theme: Open, 300 words max
Prize: £1,000 / £300 / £100 / 2 x £30
Competition deadline: 12 February 2017
Entry: £9
Details


How Much The Heart Can Hold Love Story Competition
Theme: Love, 5,000 – 10,000 words
Prize: Publication in anthology with award winning authors + £150 + consultation with Emma Herdman, senior editor at Sceptre (Agent Lucy Luck is also a judge)
Competition deadline: 14 February 2017
Entry: Free
Details


Jane Austen Short Story Competition
Theme: 2,017 words max based on a specific quote from Mansfield Park (see website)
Prize: £1,000 / £500
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £5
Details

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter
Blog

If you would like to write for the RNA Blog, then please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by RNA Blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly November 2016

 A new month and many more competition details from Francesca!

After my trip to Wells as a shortlister for their Children's Story competition with my YA novel, I have to report, dear reader, that I was not placed. I did have a nice day out there though and at least it's something to put on my CV.

How can you stand out in a competition against possibly hundreds or even thousands of others? Any

idea that you've come up with easily, has probably been thought of by every other competitor. I have plenty of ideas in books for open themes, but when it's a specific theme I haven't always got a readymade idea. You need to discard the first few ideas and go for some thinking outside the box. For that reason I am a great fan of mind mapping. Even if the idea seems outlandish, at least write it down as a possibility. It might fit in with something else on your list.

Settings are another area where you can be different in a competition entry and catch the attention of the judge who may have read a dozen stories set in a living room or by the sea. Traditional settings can also be made unusual with perhaps a sea mist or the roof of the living room falling in.

For those of you who like writing under pressure, why not have a go at the Write Invite competition below, a kind of writing 'open mic'? I know people who've done it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Good luck, everybody.

***Closing Soon***
Theatre Cloud 'Tell a Tale' Competition 
Theme: Making change happen. 500 words max
Prize: £300 / £150
Competition deadline: 19 November 2016
Entry: Free
Details 


***Closing Soon***
Iceland Writers' Retreat Competition 
Theme: 'Elements'. 500 words of prose or poetry
Prize: Retreat in Iceland 5 – 9 April 2017, including flights and accommodation
Competition deadline: 2 December 2016
Entry: £5
Details 


Write Invite Short Story 'Live' Competition
Theme: Three given each week
Prize: £40
Competition deadline: Half-an-hour writing online
Entry: £4
Details


Mearns Writers' Short Story Competition
Theme: New Beginnings. 1,000 to 3,000 words
Prize: £250 / 3 x £50
Competition deadline: 31 December 2016
Entry: £7
Details



Doolin Writers' Short Story and Flash Fiction Competitions 
Theme: Open. Short stories 1,000 – 3,000, Flash fic max 500 words
Prize: Short story £1,000. Flash fic £500
Competition deadline: 13 January 2017
Entry: €10 / £8
Details



Mogford Prize 
Theme: Food and drink, 2,500 words max
Prize: £10,000
Competition deadline: 15 January 2017
Entry: £10
Details



National Memory Day Creative Writing Competition 
Theme: Memories, 1,500 words max
Prize: £4,000 for short story (other categories available)
Competition deadline: 20 January 2017
Entry: £3 (£2 each subsequent one)
Details 

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter

Write Minds Blog

Thanks, Francesca, and good luck to everyone who enters!

If you would like to write for the RNA blog, then please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly with Francesca Burgess

A new month and many more competition details from Francesca!

Is it worth paying for a critique for your short story or novel when entering a competition? Some competitions offer them, but they can vary enormously in price. Some critique writers will give you more for your money than others, and often you won't know if it's worth the fee until it pops onto

your mat or up on your email. Cheaper critiques are often only a tick list, which in itself may not provide you with enough useful information.

Critiques can be invaluable in pinpointing areas to work on and can help you improve your writing. It's up to you to decide whether you're willing to take that advice. If you're going to take offence at any suggestion that what you wrote is anything but perfect, a critique may not be for you. You might wonder why anyone would pay for one only to be praised, but it happens.

If you receive a critique but disagree with some, or all, of what it says, please don't go onto social media and around all your friends to tell them what a rubbish person the critique writer is. (Yes, this once happened to me as a judge in a short story comp, and unfortunately I knew the person in real life.) Often it's better after a first read to put the critique to one side and come back to it later with a fresh perspective. If it really does fall short of what was expected, in terms of length or detail of content (or really is offensive), then take it up with the people running the competition.

Good luck, everybody.


***Closing Soon***
2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Theme: Open. 2,000-5,000 words. Entrants must be citizens of a Commonwealth country
Prize: Regional winners £2,500. Overall winner £5,000.
Competition deadline: 1 November 2016
Entry: Free Details


Writing Magazine 500 Word Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Any theme, 500 words max.
Prize: £200 / £50. Publication in Writing Magazine.
Competition deadline: 14 November 2016
Entry: £5 (£3 for subscribers) Details


Ink Tears Short Story Contest 
Theme: Open. 1,000-3,500 words. Can be previously published
Prize: £1,000 / £100 / 4 x £25
Competition deadline: 30 November 2016
Entry: £7.50 Details


The Betty Trask Prize
Theme: Romantic or traditional novel, published or unpublished. Writer must be under 35 on 31 December 2016.
Prize: Total prize money of £20,000, to be used for foreign travel.
Competition deadline: 30 November 2016
Entry: Free Details


Write Stars The Final Word Competition
Theme: Write the final 100 words of a story
Prize: £100 plus critique for of up to 1,000 words of your work
Competition deadline: 30 November 2016
Entry: £3.50 Details


The Writers Bureau Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Open. Max 500 words
Prize: £300 / £200 / £100 plus WB course for all winners.
Competition deadline: 30 November 2016
Entry: £5 (3 for £10) Details



Retreat West Themed Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: 'Success'. Max 500 words
Prize: £50 / £25
Competition deadline: 30 November 2016 (Different themes each month)
Entry: £5 Details


UK International Novel Writing Competition
Theme: Open. Unpublished or self published novels. Judged by the public.
Prize: £5,000 / £2,500 / £1,000
Competition deadline: 30 November 2016
Entry: £12 (additional entries £6) Details


1000 Word Challenge
Theme: 'Very'. Max 1,000 words
Prize: £100 / £50 / £25
Competition deadline: 30 November 2016 (There's a new comp every 3 months)
Entry: £5 (£10 with feedback) Details 


Retreat West First Chapter Competition 
Theme: All genres except children's, first chapter (up to 3,500 words) of a novel.
Prize: Review of first 3 chapters, cover letter and synopsis by literary agent Sam Copeland of Rogers, Coleridge & White
Competition deadline: 10 December 2016
Entry: £15 Details 


Thanks, Francesca! And good luck to everyone who enters.

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter

Write Minds Blog

If you would like to write for the RNA blog, then please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly with Francesca Burgess

Another month and many more new competition details from Francesca - as well as some good news!

Some more good comp news for me this since my last post went up. Firstly, I was longlisted in Frome Short Story Competition (though got no further). Soon after I had a phone call to tell me I've been shortlisted in the Wells Festival of Literature Story for Children Competition, with a Young Adult novel called How to Handle Plan B. The results of that will be announced at the festival on October 16th. I'll be heading along, and I believe a fellow short-lister and RNA member, Celia J Anderson, will also be attending. Wish us luck!

If you're placed, shortlisted, highly commended or even longlisted in a competition, be sure to take a screen capture of the relevant page on the internet and keep it safe (as well as entering the details onto your competition spreadsheet). It will be one of your 'clippings', remind you of your success and can always be used as an illustration in a blog post or web page (as you can see!).
Good luck, everybody.

***Closing Soon***
The Creative Competitor Writing Competition
Theme: Use the photo provided. Max 500 words
Prize: £500 / £300 / £200 / £100
Competition deadline: 30 September 2016
Entry: £3.50 Details 

***Closing Soon***
The Caterpillar Story for Children Prize 2016 
Theme: Any theme suitable for 7-11 year olds.
Prize: €500 / €300 / €200
Competition deadline: 30 September 2016
Entry: €12 Details

The Creative Competitor Spine Chilling Competition
Theme: Horror stories. Max 1,000 words
Prize: £500 / £300 / £200 / £100
Competition deadline: 31 October 2016
Entry: £3.50 Details

Southport Writers' Circle Annual Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, max 2,000 words
Prize: £150 / £80 / £30
Competition deadline: 31 October 2016
Entry: £3 / £10 for 4 Details

The McKetterick Prize
Theme: Novel either published in 2016 or not at all. Author to have no other novel published and be over 40.
Prize: £4,000 / £1,000 runner up
Competition deadline: 31 October 2016
Entry: Free Details 

NAWG Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 500-2,000 words
Prize: £250 / £100 / £50
Competition deadline: 31 October 2016
Entry: £5 Details

The Caledonia Novel Award
Theme: All genres, adult and YA, at least 50,000 words long.
Prize: £1,000
Competition deadline: 1 November 2016
Entry: £20 Details

The Bath Children's Novel Award
Theme: Novel for children or YA. Author must by unpublished or independently published.
Prize: £2,000. Additional £500 shortlist award
Competition deadline: 20 November 2016
Entry: £22 Details 

Times / Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition
Theme: Children's novel for 7-18 year old
Prize: £10,000 advance (subject to contract), representation from top children's literary agent.
Competition deadline: 18 December 2016
Entry: £15 Details

About Francesca:

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry 

for The People's Friend serial competition is due to be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter
Write Minds Blog




Thank you, Francesca! Good luck to anyone entering competitions this month.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

This post was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

COMPETITION MONTHLY

It’s competition time again with Francesca Burgess

There are a variety of word counts in the short story competitions this month, including two flash fiction comps coming in at 300/350 words. Where word count is concerned, don't be tempted to go even a tiny bit over unless the rules stipulate you have some leeway. Mostly they don't. Electronic entries are, of course, easy to check. Even if the judges aren't so strict that they wouldn't worry about it being, say, ten words over, if it comes down to a straight race between your story and another, and the other one's kept to the word count, it might simply be picked for that reason. Better not to take that chance

Good luck, everyone.

Frome Festival Short Story Competition

Theme: Open, 1,000 – 2,000 words

Prize: £300 / £150 / £75 plus a local prize

Competition deadline: 31 May 16

Entry: £5

Details:

Bridport Prize First Novel Award

Theme: Any adult genre, 5,000 – 8,000 of novel, plus 300 word synopsis

Prize: £1000 plus critique from The Literacy Agency / £500 / 3 x £100

Competition deadline: 31 May 16

Entry: £20

Details:

Cinnamon Press Annual Short Story Competition

Theme: Open 2,000 – 4,000 words

Prize: £500 / £100 / £50

Competition deadline: 31 May 16

Entry: £12

Details:

Cinnamon Press Annual Debut Novel/Novella Competition

Theme: 1^st 10,000 words of debut novel/novella

Prize: £500 plus publishing contract

Competition deadline: 31 May 16

Entry: £12

Details:

Wow! 1,000 Word Short Story Competition         

Theme: Open, 1000 word max.

Prize: £200 / £100 / £50

Competition deadline: 31 May 16

Entry: £5

Details:

Yeovil Literary Prize Novel Competition

Theme: Open. Synopsis and opening chapter combined maximum 15,000 words.

Prize: £1,000 / £250 / £100

Competition deadline: 31 May 16

Entry: £11

Details:

Yeovil Literary Prize Short Story Competition

Theme: Open, 2,000 word max.

Prize: £500 / £200 / £100

Competition deadline: 31 May 16

Entry: £6

Details:

The Sunderland Short Story Award

Theme: Open, 2,500 word max

Prize: £500 / £125 / £75

Competition deadline: 1 June 16

Entry: £3

Details:

The Brighton Prize Flash Fiction and Short Story Competitions

Theme: Flash: 350 words. Short story: 1,000 – 2,000 words

Prize: Flash £100 / 2 x £50. Short story: £500 / 2 x £100

Competition deadline: 10 June 16

Entry: £6 Flash, £8 short story

Details:

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Theme: 300 word max

Prize: £1,000 / £300 / £100

Competition deadline: 12 Jun 16

Entry: £9

Details:

Francesca Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, People's Friend and Writing Magazine. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

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