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Theme: Unpublished or independently published novels for adult or YA.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.

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