COMPETITION MONTHLY

Time to welcome back Francesca Burgess for the Competition Monthly Feature

In my first competition monthly, back in October, I mentioned the importance of reading the rules. Looking through some competitions recently, I realised there is another aspect to this, and that is to make sure you qualify, not just your work. Often you have to be a certain age, gender, ethnic group or to hail from a particular area of the UK. There are also competitions that have a separate prize if you live in a certain area, especially if it's connected to a festival.I've seen a competition where you have to be over forty, another for under twenty-fives. Sometimes comps require you to be unpublished, others the opposite.

Two of the competitions featured here have requirements. The Mslexia comp is only open to women (sorry to the men reading this!).  The BBC Short Story Award asks for entrants to have a history of publication in creative writing. I would assume this includes short stories.

Buona Fortuna!

**Closing soon** Felix Dennis Creative Writing Competition

Theme: 'For All Time', up to 2,000 words.

Prize: 1^st £1,000, 2^nd £300

Competition deadline: 22 February 2016

Entry: Free

Details

BBC National Short Story Award  

Theme: Open, up to 8,000 words

Prize: 1^st £15,000, 2^nd £3,000, 3 runner-up prizes of £500

Competition deadline: 11 March 2016

Entry: Free

Details

Mslexia Short Story Competition

Theme: Open up to 2,000 words

Prize: 1^st £2,000, 2^nd £500, 3^rd £250, 3 runner-up prizes of £100

Competition deadline: 14 Mar 2016

Entry: £10

Details

Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition

Theme: Open, up to 1,500 words

Prize: 1^st £800, at least 2 runner-up prizes of £100

Competition deadline: 31 March 2016

Entry: £10

Details

Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition

Theme: 'An extra day', up to 2,500 words

Prize: 1^st £100

Competition deadline: 31 March 2016

Entry: £5

Details

The Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition

Theme: Ghost story between 1,000 and 7,000 words.

Prize: 1^st £500, 2^nd £250, 3^rd £100, 3^rd £100

Competition Deadline: 31 March 2016

Entry: £8

Details

Short Fiction Journal Short Story Prize

Theme: Open, up to 6,000 words

Prize: 1^st £500, 2^nd £100

Competition Deadline: 31 Mar 2016

Entry: £7

Details

About Francesca:

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 those run by Writers' News and Writing Magazine. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

https://twitter.com/FCapaldiBurgess

Blog: https://writemindswriteplace.wordpress.com/

Thank you, Francesca!

Don’t forget to let us know about your competition successes plus any comps you are organising.

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