*** The competition is now closed to entries. Thank you to everyone who entered. ***
Welcome to the New Writers 1,000-Word Short Story Competition 2024. Open to writers from around the world, we’re offering a top prize of £1,000, a second prize of £300 and a third prize of £200. The deadline is midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 30th April 2024 and £1.00 from each entry will be donated to First Story (see here for details of the charity’s work).
See the details below, read our Frequently Asked Questions, check out the Q&A with Head Judge Cassandra Parkin, or head straight to the ENTRY FORM to submit your entry or entries.
Also, subscribers to the NewWriters.org.uk monthly newsletter to gain access to exclusive free-to-enter micro, flash and poetry competitions (with cash prizes), book giveaways and the latest writing competition listings: SUBSCRIBE
New Writers 1000-Word Short Story Competition 2024 – At A Glance:
- Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 30th April 2024
- Entry Fee: £10 (one entry), £19 (two entries), £27 (three entries)
- Prizes: 1st Place: £1,000; 2nd Place: £300; 3rd Place: £200
- Head Judge: Cassandra Parkin (Award-Winning Author & Poet)
- Publication: The three winning entries will be published on the NewWriters.org.uk website and in the New Writers Anthology 2024
- Word Limit: Up to 1,000 words (excluding title and line spaces)
- Charity: £1 from each entry will be donated to First Story (England’s leading creative writing charity for young people)
- Please read the full Competition Terms & Conditions before entering
- Winners and authors who have made the shortlist will be notified by email no later than Friday 28th June 2024. The public announcement of winners and shortlisted entries will also be made no later than this date.
*We want to make the competition accessible to as many writers as possible. We therefore have a limited number of free entries for low-income writers, available on a first-come, first-served basis (though no later than 15th April 2024). Please see the terms and conditions for details.
About our Head Judge – Cassandra Parkin
Cassandra Parkin is an award-winning writer based in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Her debut short story collection, New World Fairy Tales, won the 2011 Scott Prize for short stories. She’s since published eight novels including The Slaughter Man, Soldier Boy and The Leftovers, and has recently been appointed as the East Riding of Yorkshire’s first Poet Laureate.
She’s also a member of Hull’s Women of Words collective, a monthly spoken-word event that invites women from Hull and the surrounding area to create and share their work in a safe, supportive environment.
She is married with two children and two cats. Her childhood ambitions were to be a writer, and to become the Godfather and run the Mafia. She feels quite happy with progress on the first, but for obvious reasons is unable to discuss the second.
Here’s a selection of Cassandra’s novels. Click on any of the images to find out more or to buy one of her books. Check out all her published books HERE. You can also find out what Cassandra is hoping to discover in your entries in the Head Judge Q&A.
*Please note, if you click through the book links on this page and make a purchase, NewWriters.org.uk will receive a small (very small!) payment, and at no cost to the purchaser. Thank you.
