Romantic Novelists' Association

March 2019: Competition Monthly

18 March 2019

A Bumper Crop of Competitions for Spring

 

Not only is there another abundance of competitions as we approach spring, but there’s a preponderance of short story contests to get stuck into.

Something a little different is the Furious Fiction Competition. It gives you only the weekend to write and hone your short story. If you enter this, make sure you keep an eye on the time as it starts 5pm on the Friday, Australian time (which of the three Aussie time zones I’ve no idea!). However, there is a clock on the site which will help. I’ve known people who’ve entered similar competitions and found the limited time immensely helpful in getting a project finished.

If you fancy a free week at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School in August, there are three chances to win a place. I went to Swanwick for the first time last year and I heartily recommend it.

Finally, the Creative Future Writers’ Award is for under-represented writers in the UK who find it difficult to access the literary world either because of mental health issues, disability, health or social circumstance. Anyone who wishes to enter will have to state on the form why they think they qualify.

See February 2019’s competition post for further competitions that are still open here

 

Good luck in your competition endeavours.

 

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Rolling competitions:

 

Writers’ Forum Short Story Competition

Theme: Open. 1,000 – 3,000 words

Prize: £300 / £150 / £100

Closing date:  Ongoing

Entry: Subscribers £3, non subscribers £6

Details

 

Closing Soon:

 

Gemini Magazine Short Story Competition

Theme: Open. Any length

Prize: US$5,000 / $250 / 3 x $50

Closing date:  1 April 2019

Entry: US$10

Details

 

Furious Fiction

Theme: Announced 5pm 5th April (Australian time)

Prize: Aus$500

Closing date:  7 April 2019

Entry: Free

Details

 

Tethered by Letters Short Story Contest

Theme: Open. 1,000 – 7,500

Prize: US$1,000

Closing date:  5 April 2019

Entry: US$15

Details

 

Bath Short Story Award

Theme: Open. 2,200 max.

Prize: £1,200 / £300 / £100. £50 local prize. £100 for unpublished writer.

Closing date:  15 April 2019

Entry: £8

Details

 

Shooter Short Story Competition

Theme: Open. 5,000 words max.

Prize: £500 / £100

Closing date:  21 April 2019

Entry: £7

Details

 

Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers

Theme: Open. 12,000 words max.

Prize: US$2,500 / $500 / $300

Closing date: 30 April 2019

Entry: US$18

Details

 

Glimmer Train Family Matters Short Story Competition

Theme: Families. 12,000 words max.

Prize: US$2,500 / $500 / $300

Closing date:  30 April 2019

Entry: US$18

Details

 

The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award

Theme: Any paranormal or supernatural theme. 1,500 – 10,000 words

Prize: US$1,000 / 2 x $250

Closing date: 30 April 2019

Entry: US$20

Details

 

Tamworth Literary Festival Competition

Theme: Open. 1,500 words max.

Prize: £100 / £50 / £25

Closing date: 30 April 2019

Entry: £4

Details

 

Win Your Way to Swanwick 2019

Theme: Short story or children’s fiction up to 1,000 on theme of ‘Close Call’. (Also poetry)

Prize: Fully inclusive week at 2019 Summer School.

Closing date: 30 April 2019

Entry: £6

Details

 

Tom Howard / John H Reid Fiction Contest

Theme: Open. 6,000 words max.

Prize: US$2,000 / 10 x $100

Closing date:  30 April 2019

Entry: $20

Details

 

May competitions:

 

Bristol Short Story Prize

Theme: Open. 4,000 words max.

Prize: £1,000 / £500 / £250 / /17 x £100

Closing date: 1 May 2019

Entry: £9

Details

 

Remastered Words Short Story Competition

Theme: Any fantasy sub-genre. 5,000 words max

Prize: £75 / £50 / £25 plus story entered in audio anthology from which writers receive royalties.

Closing date: 1 May 2019

Entry: Free

Details

 

Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award

Theme: All genres except children’s and non-fiction. First 5,000 words

Prize: £1,000 plus introduction to literary agent / £250 plus manuscript review

Closing date:  31 May 2019

Entry: £20

Details

 

1,000 Word Challenge

Theme: ‘Thirteen’

Prize: £150 / £75 / £50

Closing date: 31 May 2019

Entry: £5

Details

 

Early June Competitions:

 

The Bath Novel Award

Theme: First 5,000 words & one page synopsis of complete novels over 50,000 words

Prize: £2,500 plus literary agent introduction / two further prizes

Closing date: 2 June 2019

Entry: £25

Details

 

Creative Future Writers’ Award

Theme: ‘Home’. 2,000 words max.

Prize: Various cash and other prizes

Closing date: 2 June 2019

Entry: Optional donation

Details

 

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Theme: Open. 300 words max

Prize: £1,000 / £300 / £100

Closing date: 9 June 2019

Entry: £7.50 until 14 April, then £9

Details

 

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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, and Writing Magazine. She’s had stories and a serial published in magazines worldwide. Her first book, Danger for Daisy, was published by My Weekly Pocket Novels at the end of 2018. Apart from the RNA, she’s also a member of the Society for Women Writers and Journalists. Francesca runs a writing blog along with RNA member Elaine Roberts called Write Minds.

 

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