Whether writing is a casual hobby or you’re looking to make a career out of your work, writing competitions can be a great way to earn some extra cash and are a valuable entry point for publication. In the winter months especially, there’s no better way to spend your cold nights than drafting a piece of short fiction/non-fiction for an upcoming contest.
Here are some of our top picks for writing competitions in December 2019. Please note, all of these have been selected as allowing for unpublished authors.
Nobrow Short Story Competition
Deadline: 9th December 2019
Based in the UK, Nobrow has been supporting young and emerging artists since 2008, with a view to bring young talent to a wider audience. To further their mission, Nobrow has established their short story competition with up to 12 winning entries eligible for publication in their anthology.
The competition has a theme of “The Censor”, and writers are encouraged to take from this as they will. As Nobrow puts it, “it could represent censoring of the past, present and future; the self; the state; or the effects of censorship on everyday life”.
What makes this competition so attractive is that it is free to enter with a cash prize of £2,000 for the winner, and £150 for each of the 12 selected contributors. Writing should be up to 3,000 words of short fiction or creative non-fiction.
Further guidelines on formatting the submission can be read here, as well as how to submit.
Kurious Short Story Competition
Deadline: 12th December 2019
Another UK-based competition, Kurious Arts is a creative and cultural hub for writers and artists, and their winter short story competition is now open to submissions. The contest is judged by Writer, Artist, and Editor Emma Bolland, Short Story Writer Julianne Pachico, and Literary Agent Niki Chang (at The Good Literacy Agency).
The Kurious Short Story Competition accepts any genre centred around the eponymous theme “Curious”. The entry fee is £5 for each story submitted with a single cash prize of £500. 10 shortlisted stories will also be published online and in their anthology. Writing should be up to 2,000 words and entries cannot have been published elsewhere in any form.
Further guidelines on formatting the submission can be read here, as well as how to submit.
F(r)iction Winter 2019 Literary Contests
Deadline: 15th December 2019
F(r)iction is the imprint of US nonprofit Brink Literacy Project, seeking unconventional stories that challenge the boundaries of literature. Their winter 2019 literary contests encompass poetry, short stories, and flash fiction.
While pieces can be submitted in any genre, F(r)iction has specified their preference of stories “that celebrate the weird, take risks, and are driven by a strong, unique voice”.
For poetry, the fee for submission is $10 for a single entry ($12 for a “3 pack”) with a cash prize of $300. Poetry submissions are open to any genre and will be judged by award-winning Poet, Writer, and Editor Kelli Russell Agodon.
For flash fiction, the fee for submission is $8 for a single entry ($12 for a “3 pack”), also with a cash prize of $300. Flash fiction submissions are open to any genre with a word count of up to 1,000 words, to be judged by Flash Fiction Editor Tara Isabel Zambrano.
For short stories, the fee for submission is $15 per submission with a cash prize of $1,000. Short story submissions are open to any genre with a word count of between 1,000 and 7,500 words, to be judged by Writer and Author Marisa Crane.
Further information can be found here, with individual guidelines for poetry, flash fiction, and short stories.
Want to see more competitions?
If you are interested in submitting to a competition and need some editorial help, whether that’s for proofreading or developmental editing, we offer an affordable rate with a 20% discount to unpublished authors of Fiction – we will also ensure your piece is formatted and in line with the competition’s guidelines and requirements (as well as house style if applicable).
To view a full run down of our services, please click here.
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