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Neil Hegarty @neilhegarty.bsky.social · 11d

A month to go! The deadline for entries to this edition of the Michael McLaverty Short Story Award is 31 October.

DerryJournal @derryjournal.com · Jul 9

Derry writer Neil Hegarty to judge Michael McLaverty award with winner set to receive £2,500

Derry writer Neil Hegarty has been named as one of the adjudicators in the Michael McLaverty Short Story Award 2025, the winner of which will be awarded £2,000.

www.derryjournal.com

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Brian Pelan @brianone.bsky.social · 5d

Linen Hall Library in Belfast launches Michael McLaverty Short Story Award 2025 - viewdigital.org/linen-hall-l...

Linen Hall Library launches Michael McLaverty Short Story Award 2025 - VIEWdigital

By VIEWdigital journalist Emily Campbell The Linen Hall Library in Belfast has announced the launch of the Michael McLaverty Short Story Award 2025, celebrating and promoting excellence in short ficti...

viewdigital.org

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SmokeLong Quarterly @smokelong.bsky.social · 23h

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest. Previously published and unpublished micros considered, fiction, nonfiction, anything in between. Send us that stunning micro published in 2002 that disappeared when the journal went defunct. Or send something new. Deadline Nov 15 www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest 2025 - SmokeLong Quarterly

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 automatical...

www.smokelong.com

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rylem @rylem.bsky.social · 2d

We do a monthly story competition over on @misseviehyde.bsky.social 's Discord. This is the story based on the prompt from last month's winner. Enjoy!
rylemsstories.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/n...

NGE

Neural Interface Testing Facility – Synexus Technologies, Tokyo – Six Years Ago The emergency lights pulsed red against the sterile white hallway, casting long shadows across the floor. Alarms echo…

rylemsstories.wordpress.com

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Bluemoose Books @ofmooseandmen.bsky.social · 5d

I won a national writing competition.

You had to send in the first 250 words of one story.

I sent in 6 - 5 under pseudonyms.

When the editor of the newspaper phoned to congratulate me I had to let her speak for a bit before I knew which story had won.

What webs we weave.

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Short Story Comps @shortstorycomps.bsky.social · 6d

Includes writing contest hints and tips...

Mandira Pattnaik @mandirapattnaik.bsky.social · 6d

A Newsletter With a View of One’s Own-06

Hi friends! I woke up today to unseasonal rains and there's an unmistakable nip in the air. Autumn might be sooner than usual, and winter, colder. Have you noticed the season changing where you are? Let me know in the comments! It is interesting how a small…

A Newsletter With a View of One’s Own-06

Hi friends! I woke up today to unseasonal rains and there's an unmistakable nip in the air. Autumn might be sooner than usual, and winter, colder. Have you noticed the season changing where you are? Let me know in the comments! It is interesting how a small change triggers a big one. Perhaps you're more intent and energetic now, perhaps you're looking to work on drafting and editing as a new season kicks in, perhaps you feel lesser so than in the summer months.

mandirapattnaik.com

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Charlie Fish & Fiction on the Web @charliefish.bsky.social · Sep 5

The Contest Calculator from Chill Subs is a genuinely useful tool to assess whether the story competitions you're entering are legit and transparently run: www.thecontestcalculator.com

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Foolscap & Quill @foolscapquill.bsky.social · Aug 24

Are writing contests worthwhile? Are they worth the entry fee? Do they help you get published? Are they a scam?
Chill Subs (think "Relaxed Submissions") has delved into this issue and created the Contest Calculator.
www.thecontestcalculator.com

The Contest Calculator

Assess the quality of writing contests. Make informed submission decisions.

www.thecontestcalculator.com

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freginold @freginold.bsky.social · Aug 20

check out the Contest Calculator from @chillsubs.bsky.social -- a very cool idea that will become exponentially more useful as we all add contests to it.

once again Chill Subs demonstrates its commitment to writers with another free tool.

preview.mailerlite.io/emails/webvi...

We need to talk about writing contests...

preview.mailerlite.io

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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 10d

Debut author Colwill Brown wins BBC short story award for ‘heartbreaking’ tale – read an extract here

Brown’s story of a teenage life ‘critically damaged in a moment’ was the ‘unanimous’ pick for the £15,000 prize

www.theguardian.com

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Oxford Flash Fiction Prize @oxfordflashfiction.bsky.social · 9d

We are thrilled to announce our long-list for the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2025!

Congratulations to all of the authors who reached the list and for all those who entered this round!

oxfordflashfictionprize.com/news/

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Oxford Flash Fiction Prize @oxfordflashfiction.bsky.social · Sep 1

We are thrilled to announce our wonderful judges María Fernanda Ampuero and Shome Dasgupta (@laughingyeti.bsky.social)!

Find out more about them here:
oxfordflashfictionprize.com/judges-2025/

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The Cincinnati Review @cincinnatireview.bsky.social · 9d

The 2025 winners of the Robert and Adele Schiff Awards are:

Robert Sorrell Bynum (fiction) for "Like a Star"
@jessicacuello.bsky.social (literary nonfiction) for "Your Life for Another"
A. D. Lauren-Abunassar (poetry) for "Three Bombardments"

See our site for more! Link in first comment.

Photos of the winners of the Schiff Awards under the heading "2025 Robert and Adele Schiff Award Winners." Each photo gets its own post page, to follow.

White text on a brick-red background: "Robert Sorrell Bynum, fiction, Robert and Adele Schiff Award winner." Photo is A white man with brown hair to his shoulders and tortoiseshell-frame glasses. He's wearing a black jean jacket over a puffer jacket and shirt, and he's standing on a beach in front of a body of water.

White text on a brick-red blackground: "Jessica Cuello, nonfiction, Robert and Adele Schiff Award winner." Photo is a black-and-white photo of a white woman with curly hair. she is wearing a dark sweater and light-colored shirt and sitting oustide.

White text on a black background: "A.D. Lauren-Abunassar, poetry, Robert and Adele Schiff Award winner." Photo is A Palestinian American woman with brown hair and hazel eyes. She's wearing a dark shirt, dangling earrings, and a necklace chain, and standing in front of a white window shade.

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Nuala O'Connor @nualaoconnor.bsky.social · 12d

FLASH WRITERS! I'm judging the Allingham Flash Fiction Comp and it's been extended!

The deadline extended to Sunday, 12 Oct at 23:59 / 11:59 pm. Applies to both on-line and postal submissions. All other competition rules and guidelines remain in effect; see www.allinghamfestival.com/fiction-poet...

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · 14d

Six weeks remain to send us your best short story! Read all details here: pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown/

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Tales to Terrify @talestoterrify.bsky.social · 18d

Just one more week to get those micro-fiction Halloween tales submitted to our contest.
You don't want to be left in the dark all alone, do you?
Guidelines and submission portal here: tinyurl.com/TTTHalloween...

Graphic shows two trick-or-treaters with grinning jack-o-lantern heads. The teeth are all sharp and the eyes look wicked. They're holding bags that say "Trick or Treat." Behind them is what looks like an abandon house or farm with a vertical sign reading, "Welcome." Text reads: "Halloween Origins: Flash Fiction Contest. Closes Midnight, Sept 30th."

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Jerboa Lit @jerboalit.bsky.social · 18d

It’s fall, and you know what that means? 🍁 Changing leaves, sweater season, and—most importantly—our 3rd Jerboa Lit 500 flash fiction contest!

If you haven't already, we'd love to have you join us! You can sign up at www.jerboalit.com/registration for all the fun. October 3-5! 48 hours, 500 words!

Registration — Jerboa Lit

Register for the Jerboa Lit writing contest! Maybe you'll win the cash prize!

www.jerboalit.com

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MoonLit Getaway @mgliterary.bsky.social · 17d

Our 2025 Short Fiction Contest is open for submissions. All genres will be considered, because a good story is a good story. #5amWritersClub #WritingCommunity #LitMag #Horror #ScienceFiction #Fantasy #Mystery #Romance #Romantasy #Dystopian

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Anna Pele @annapele.eu · 17d

Short Edition is running #shortstory contest "Money Chronicles"
short-edition.com/en/contest/p...

"Send us your fiction or creative nonfiction short stories featuring characters whose relationship to money may be on the verge of unexpected or needed change."

#WriteSky
#writingcommunity

Screenshot of the contest webpage with the timeline and prize information

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Reach Your Apex @reachyourapex.bsky.social · 16d

🎉 Congrats to Elijah J. Mears, whose flash fiction, "Scar Tissue" is a 3rd place winner in our Weird West Quick Draw contest.

Whiskey and solitude on the West Texas plains bring out more than just old wounds for cowboys Miguel and John.

Read Elijah's winning story:

reachyourapex.com/scar-tissue

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Drew Gummerson @drewgum.bsky.social · 16d

And today The Leicester Writes Short Story Prize Ceremony featuring Matt Cook, The Curve Theatre, Janine from Eastenders, a swingers club, and short story shenanigans.

open.substack.com/pub/drewgumm...

On the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize

I attended the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize ceremony this week.

open.substack.com

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Prairie Fire Magazine @prairiefiremag.bsky.social · 18d

It's contest season! Our annual writing contests are on NOW until November 30th!

Prairiefire.ca/conte...

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LRB Bookshop @londonreviewbookshop.co.uk · 18d

Our special guest judge @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social said ‘When you judge a competition you nearly always say it was hard to choose but in the end one or two jumped out. In this case, so many jumped out: it was story whack-a-mole inside my head.’ lrb.me/kg3

The Martha Mills Young Writers’ Prize 2025: the Winners! | London Review Bookshop

In this third year of the prize, we were again overwhelmed with the number of entries. And the overall standard remained very high, which made the judging terribly…

www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk

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Dr. Redfern Jon Barrett @redfernjon.bsky.social · 22d

I'm delighted to announce that I'm 1st runner up for the 2025 Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize! 🏆🎉

It's a huge honour to be placed so highly among such fierce competition.

Hurray!

An image which reads:

2025 WINNERS
YA/MG
Little Mice
by Tara Crowe

1st runner up:
The Grove of Impossible Things
by Rob Yardumian

2nd runner up:
Leo and the Chess Game of Ashoka
by Jaya Agrawal

Adult
A Summer for Moths
by Henry Rivers

1st runner up:
Broken Binaries
by Redfern Barrett

2nd runner up:
A Story for Shiloh
by Benjamin Whitis

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Neil Hegarty @neilhegarty.bsky.social · 21d

Very glad to have judged this year's RTE Short Story Competition, alongside Jan Carson and Tristan Rosenstock: the shortlist is now published. Great writing this year.

The winners are announced on 24 October.

@rteradio1.bsky.social @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social

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