The annual Writers College Short Story Competition is held to acknowledge excellence in creative writing in the short story form.
The competition is open to any writer who is unpublished or has been published fewer than four times.
THEME FOR 2023: Words Have Consequences
The top three winners receive editorial comments on their submitted works.
We aim to support beginner writers. We only accept stories from writers who have never been published, or who have been published fewer than four times in any genre. This includes fiction and non-fiction, in any publication (for payment or otherwise). Journalists, copywriters or web writers must please not enter. People who made a living from writing at any point in their life (e.g. decades earlier) are also not eligible for entry. We make an exception for unpaid articles for community or work newsletters or blogs where the circulation is under 1000.
The competition is open to anyone, from any country aged 16 and over.
Entrants must submit a story with a maximum word count of 2000 words. Any entries exceeding the word count by 50 words will not be considered.
The 2023 theme is ‘Words have consequences’. Writers can interpret and represent the theme in any way they choose. Each story must include the phrase ‘Words have consequences’ somewhere in the story. Writers must produce their own titles.
Only one story per entrant is allowed.
We only accept entries written in English.
PRIZES:
- First Prize: NZ $ 1 000.00 and publication in an anthology of winning stories
- Second Prize: NZ $ 500.00 and publication in an anthology of winning stories
- Third Prize: NZ $ 250.00
The top three winners receive editorial comments on their submitted works.
The competition closes at midnight on 30 June 2023. The longlist will be published by 31 July 2023, and the winners announced and displayed on our website on Friday 18 August 2023.
Submissions and enquiries can be sent to Nichola Meyer:
nichola@nzwriterscollege.co.nz
Website link: https://dystopianstories.com/events/the-writers-college-annual-short-story-competition/
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