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THE COMPETITION
Our 2024 Open Short Story Competition is open to writers of all genres and styles. Whether you write sci-fi, historical, horror, or anything else, we want to read your story!
Word Count: Up to 8,000 words. There’s no minimum, but we suggest at least 500 words to give your story room to shine. Every story is judged on its own merits, so whether your tale is 1,000 or 8,000 words, it can succeed.
FEEDBACK EXCHANGES (Optional)
Participants can take part in two peer feedback sessions in our Facebook group:
First Feedback Exchange: 1st November
Second Feedback Exchange: 1st December
Share your story privately with other entrants and get constructive feedback to help make your submission the best it can be. Engaging with other writers is also a fun way to connect with the community!
Why Enter?
Prize: £2,000 for the winning story, £1,000 for second place, £500 for third place, and a separate £1,500 prize draw where every writer has another chance to win, no matter how their story scores!
Grow as a writer: Get feedback, polish your entry, and showcase your unique voice.
Submit a flash fiction piece of between 100 and 300 words, on any theme.
1 Winner will receive £165.00 and publication
2 Highly Commended will receive £77.00 and publication
3 Shortlisted will receive £66.00 and publication
Welcome to our second international poetry competition of 2025! We’re looking for all kinds of poetry on the theme of Hunger. As always, we encourage you to bend the rules with both content and form.
Deadline for entry: December 31st 2025
There will be one prize winner. The winning poet will receive a prize of $100 (USD), plus publication of their poem as a standalone piece on Free the Verse. Payment will be made via PayPal.
The entry fee is $3.49, and you may submit 1 poem per entry. Multiple entries are permitted. All fees are used to cover our operating costs.
All entries must be original work that is owned by the entrant. We accept poems which have previously been published, and simultaneous submissions are permitted. We do not accept poems previously published in our magazine, Free the Verse.
The winning poet will be notified by email within 2 months of the competition closing.
You will retain the copyright to your work. By entering the competition, you grant Free the Verse the right to publish your poem and name on our website and in any associated marketing materials.
This is an international competition – however, at this time, we only accept poems written in English. You are welcome to include words and phrases from other languages.
You must be over 18 years old to submit.
Past Competitions
Clever, uplifting pieces
100 words or less (including any title) according to Microsoft Word
Deadline: Nov 30, 2025.
At Intrepid, we believe every storyteller deserves access to community, visibility, and support — regardless of background or resources. The Intrepid Voices Fund aims to uplift emerging writers through an annual financial award.
Note: The Intrepid Voices Fund is currently restricted to applicants 18 years or older and who reside in the U.S. In future award cycles, we hope to expand our applicant pool
The Intrepid Voices Fund is an annual award that celebrates bold new storytelling and supports emerging writers with a one time $1,250 prize.
Each year, we invite U.S.-based writers to submit two pieces: a Personal Statement (introducing themselves, reflecting on their creative process, and how they incorporated this year’s theme) and an original short story inspired by a new theme designed to spark creativity and reflection.
Finalists are selected by a panel of judges, and the winning writer receives the award to use however they choose — whether to invest in their craft, support daily life, or fuel their next big idea.
2025 Short Story: Speculative Fiction must include one of the following themes: winter, solstice, new beginnings, renewal, or scenes reminiscent of the winter season
The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) is now an annual competition celebrating and compensating the best micro fiction and nonfiction online.
The grand prize winner of The Mikey is automatically nominated for Best Small Fictions and any other prize we deem appropriate. In addition, we will pay the grand prize winner $1000. Second place: $500. Third place $300. Finalists: $100. All finalists and placers will be published in the December ’25 issue of SmokeLong.
The competition, run by The Poetry Society, is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem.
The 2025 competition is now open, judged by Denise Saul, Ian Duhig and Susannah Dickey
Prizes: £5,000 first prize, £3,000 second prize, £2,000 third prize, £500 commendeds
Entry fee: £8 first poem & £6 subsequent poems per submission. Poetry Society members are entitled to a free second poem.
Closes: 11.59pm GMT 31st October 2025
Please consult the Rules and FAQs or email support@poetrysociety.org.uk for further information