February 2020: Competition Monthly
24 February 2020
Rights Grabs
Recently there has been much made in the writing world about ‘rights grabs’ by certain magazines that publish short stories. Magazines will normally ask for all rights for a certain time, say eighteen months, or sometimes only UK rights, so it’s possible to send a short story out again after that period, or within that period to another country. These are all reasonable rights stipulations. The same goes for granting world or various other rights to a publisher of our novels, particularly as this usually involves reasonable recompense at an agreed percentage.
Some magazine publishing companies have changed their policies to demand world rights for evermore, but only giving the writer one (not impressive) fee. Not unnaturally, this has caused a stir among short story writers (some of whom, like myself, are also novel writers), and many have boycotted these magazines. One or two publications have relented, but it’s a worrying trend that suggests they see fiction writers as no more skilled than the readers who send in letters.
The problem of ‘rights grabs’ sadly persists in the competition world. Each month when I trawl through the rules, I find myself disregarding more and more contests, sometimes as many as a third. The problem in some ways is worse than in magazines, as the competition organisers demand the right to publish either shortlisted entries, or on occasion any entries sent in, whether receivers of prize money or not.
The one area I personally would made an exception for, and indeed have, is a competition to be in a charity anthology where the money goes to a good cause.
As a professional writer, I believe it’s important to challenge the idea that writers are simply hobbyists who should be grateful to have their little piece of writing ‘out there’. I can’t imagine the winner of a tender for, say, a structural engineering job, being impressed to be told there’s little or no money involved, but the opportunity for people to see his/her handiwork! Other professionals aren’t expected to give away their services for free, so why should writers?
The best of luck in your endeavours.
Click December 2019 and January 2020 for posts detailing further competitions closing in March and April.
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Rolling Competitions
Writer’s Forum Short Story Contest
Theme: Open, 1000 – 3,000 words
Prizes: £300 / £150 / £100
Closing date: Rolling
Entry: £6 / Subscribers £3
March Competitions
Writing Magazine Timely Topic Short Story Competition
Theme: ‘Meltdown’, 1,500 – 1,700
Prizes: £100 (or critique) plus publication online
Closing date: 31 March 2020
Entry: £5
April Competitions
Writer’s Digest Self-Publishing Book Awards
Theme: For self-published books – several categories
Prizes: $1,000 in each category / $8,000 Grand Prize
Closing date: Early bird 1st April otherwise 1st May 2020
Entry: Early bird $99 / $125
Writing Magazine 750 Word Competition
Theme: Open
Prizes: £200 plus publication in magazine / £50 plus publication online
Closing date: 1st April 2020
Entry: £6 / £4 subscribers
The Martin Crawford Award
Theme: Short story 2,500 words max (also poetry)
Prize: £500
Closing date: 29 April 2020
Entry: £6
Bristol Short Story Prize
Theme: Open, 4,000 words max
Prizes: £1,000 / £500 / £250 / 17 x £100
Closing date: 30 April 2020
Entry: £9
May Competitions
ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
Theme: Open, 2,000 – 5,000 words
Prizes: $6.000 / $4,000 / $2,500
Closing date: 1st May 2020
Entry: $25
Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 5,000 words max
Prizes: $1,500 plus publication / 2 x $500
Closing date: 1st May 2020
Entry: $15
Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition
Theme: Several categories with different requirements
Prizes: Grand overall prize of $5,000 then in each category: $1,000 / $500 / $250 / $100 / $50 / 5 x $25. All first places published online.
Closing date: 4 May 2020
Entry: $30
Bath Novel Award
Theme: Any genre of adult or YA novel, first 5,000 plus 1 page synopsis, from unpublished, self-published and independently published novelists
Prizes: £3,000 / short list prize: manuscript feedback and literary agent introductions / longlist prize: online editing course from Cornerstones Literary Consultancy
Closing date: 31 May 2020
Entry: £28
Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award
Theme: Adult or YA with strong adult crossover, opening chapters up to 5,000 words, 300 word synopsis and cover letter.
Prizes: £1,000 pus agent introduction / Manuscript review and agent introduction / Agent introduction
Closing date: 31 May 2020
Entry: £20
Yeovil Novel Prize
Theme: For aspiring novelists. Synopsis and opening chapters maximum of 15,000 wrods in all
Prize: £1,000 / £250 / £100
Closing date: 31 May 2020
Entry: £12
Yeovil Short Story Prize
Theme: Open, 2,000 words max
Prize: £500 / £200 / £100
Closing date: 31 May 2020
Entry: £7
Yeovil Writing Without Restrictions Prize
Theme: ‘You write it – we’ll read it’
Prize: £200 / £100 / £50
Closing date: 31 May 2020
Entry: £5
Frome Festival Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,000 – 2,200 words.
Prize: £400 / £200 / £100
Closing date: 31 May 2020
Entry: £8
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Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Winchester Writers’ Conference, Twyford Writers, Chorley & District Writer’s Circle, Retreat West, Cordelia.net, Meridian Writing, Flash a Famous Phrase, Wells Festival, Writing Magazine and The People’s Friend serial competition. She’s had stories and a serial published in magazines worldwide and her third pocket novel is due out in March. Her first historical saga, published by Hera Books, will be out on June 10th. Apart from the RNA, she’s also a member of the Society for Women Writers and Journalists. Francesca runs a writing blog with RNA member Elaine Roberts called Write Minds.
