1st Prize: £2,000
Plus two optional extras: a week’s writing retreat at Gladstone Library, and a day with an editor at Virago Press.
Three other finalists will each receive £100. All four winning stories will be published in the June issue of Mslexia.
Judge: Deborah Levy
Fee: £10 per story
Closing date: 20 March 2017
Our Women’s Short Story Competition is back for its ninth year and it’s just as fabulous as always. Not only will the winning writer get £2,000, they will also have the prestige of being published in Mslexia, a credit shared with writers like Costa winner Angela Readman and novelist Peggy Riley. In addition, there is the opportunity to spend a week in glorious isolation working on their writing at the stunning Gladstone’s Library, and a day with an editor at Virago – an experience that money can’t buy and one that could really help you take your writing to the next level.
The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country, and welcomes stories of between 300 and 3,000 words in length (not including the title). If you would also like to enter a flash fiction piece, please click here.
All genres welcome. Please include a cover sheet with your entry.
Please ensure you’ve read the rules and FAQs before entering, and please ensure you have the PDF or .doc/.docx file of your entry ready to upload immediately after payment.
For any questions about your entry, email shortstory@mslexia.co.uk, or call 0191 204 8860.
Each entry fee allows you to submit one short story. If you would like to enter more than one story, please ensure you select the correct number of entries below.