New Year Publishing Opportunities and Prizes for Your Stories

Post

Subscribe

Mon 01 Jan 2024 - Wed 31 Jan 2024

TOP TEN WRITING COMPETITIONS WITH JANUARY 2024 DEADLINES
Don’t leave your stories gathering dust in the bottom drawer or decaying into obscurity on your hard drive. Start 2024 on a positive and hopeful note by hooking into one of these writing opportunities. Let 2024 be the year you take the plunge, the year you muster up the bravery to give it a go. These competitions are open for entries now! Writing competitions are great motivators. They give you a deadline to work towards and a prize to reward you for your efforts, should you be one of the winners. Enter something you’ve already written or pen something new. Remember, though, not winning might not mean your work isn’t good; some of these competitions attract more than a thousand entries, but if you would want to analyse what you might do better, look at the article ‘Why Didn’t My Story Win?’
So what are you waiting for, get those stories in before the 31st December 2023!


Before you send off your story, I recommend you go through this checklist. I cannot understate the importance of these key considerations and so I will always include them as a precursor to the competition list.

a) The following listings are summaries only and it is imperative that you always check the rules and terms and conditions on the competition website to ensure both you and your story are eligible to enter. For example, most competitions exclude previously published or awarded stories and some have regional or age limits.
b) Make sure you follow all the entry instructions, including those for formatting.
c) Proof read and edit your story before entering it. Make sure you check spelling and grammar.
d) Reading your work aloud is a helpful editing tool. Perhaps even have a friend or family member read it through; a second pair of eyes often sees what the first misses. Modern versions of Microsoft Word have a read aloud function.


e) Some competitions publish non-winning entries on their websites or in anthologies without remuneration. You may be quite happy to just have your story out there; there is nothing wrong with that, but be aware that story is then ‘published’ which prevents entry into most other competitions.
f) Read previous winning entries if they are available. They will give some insight into what they seek, although many competitions have different judges with each passing year and each will have their own likes and dislikes.
g) Prices are correct at the time of writing but may change throughout the year. Ensure you check the websites.
h) If you want to brush up on your writing skills, you find there are a plethora of free courses on almost any writing topic. You can check these out in the article 73 Free Writing Courses You Can Do at Home.


Mississippi Review Annual Contest - Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry
Full Details: http://sites.usm.edu/mississippi-review/contest.html
Country of Origin: USA
Open to: International Entries
Theme: Open
Word Count: 1,000 to 8,000 words
Open for submissions: 15th August 2023
Submission Deadline: 1st January 2024
Expected Results Date: March 2024
Prizes: USD $1,000
Publication: June 2024 issue of the national literary magazine Mississippi Review%5Entry Fees:%% USD $15
Critique Offered: No

Driftwood Press Short Story Contest 2024
Full Details: https://www.driftwoodpress.com/storycontest
Country of Origin: USA
Open to: International entries
Theme: Open
Word Count: 1,000 to 5,000 words
Open for submissions: 1st September 2023
Submission Deadline: 15th January 2024
Expected Results Date: Longlist compiled as contest progresses. Shortlist by 1 April 2024
Prizes: 1st Prize USD $400 + 5 copies, and USD $150 + 1 for each runner-up
Publication: Driftwood Magazine
Entry Fees: USD $12
Critique Offered: No

The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction
You only get 60 hours for this one, make sure you sign up for the prompts
Full Details: https://notquitewritepodcast.com/home/blog/ #register
Country of Origin: Australia
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: 2 prompts and one anti prompt given at the time
Word Count: 500 words
Open for submissions: Commences Midday 19th January 2024 – make sure you register before then
Submission Deadline: midnight Sunday 21st January 2024
Expected Results Date: by 3rd March 2024
Prizes: 1st Prize AUD $1,000, 2nd $500, 3rd $200, 4th $100 and 4 x $50
Publication: on the Not Quite Write website, email and social media platforms and may be read in full on the Not Quite Write podcast.
Entry Fees: AUD $25
Critique Offered: No


Geelong Regional Libraries and Deakin University Writing Prize
Full Details: https://www.grlc.vic.gov.au/local-word-writers-prize
Country of Origin: Australia
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 3,000 words
Open for submissions: December 2023
Submission Deadline: 27th January 2024
Expected Results Date: by 2nd March 2024
Prizes: 1st Prize $2,000 and $250 for commendeds
Publication: Geelong Libraries Web Site
Entry Fees: FREE
Critique Offered: No

Cranked Anvil Press Short Story Competition
Full Details: https://crankedanvil.co.uk/shortstory/
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 1,500 words
Open for submissions: Now
Submission Deadline: 31st January 2024
Expected Results Date: by mid-March 2024
Prizes: 1st Prize £100, 2nd prize £50
Publication: On the website and in the anthology
Entry Fees: £5 for one entry or £8 for two entries
Critique Offered: No

Fiction Factory Flash Fiction Competition 2024
Full Details: https://fiction-factory.biz/flash-fiction-competition-2024/
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 1,000 words
Open for submissions: Now
Submission Deadline: 31st January 2024
Expected Results Date: by April 2024
Prizes: £350
Publication: On Fiction Factory Website
Entry Fees: £ 6 (£11 for 2 stories, £15 for 3 stories)
Critique Offered: No


Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2024
Full Details: https://oxfordflashfictionprize.com/
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 1,000 words
Open for submissions: Now
Submission Deadline: 31st January 2024
Expected Results Date: mid-March 2024
Prizes: 1st Prize £1,000, 2nd prize £200, 3rd prize £100
Publication: In an anthology
Entry Fees: £7 (1) £11 (2) £15 (3)Critique Offered: No

Parracombe Prize 2024
Full Details: https://prize.parracombe.org.uk/
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 2,024 words
Open for submissions: 1st November 2023
Submission Deadline: 31st January 2024
Expected Results Date: by May 2024
Prizes: 1st Prize £150, 2nd prize £50, 3rd prize £25
Publication: Unknown
Critique Offered: No

Shooter Flash Monthly Rolling Flash Fiction Competition
Full Details: https://shooterlitmag.com/shooter-flash/
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 1,000
Open for entries: 1st January 2024
Submission Deadline: 31st January 2024
Expected Results Date: 15th Ferbruary 2024
Prizes: £50 and publication
Publication: Website
Entry Fees: £3.50
Critique Offered: No

Short Story Substack – Palisatrium
Full Details: https://shortstory.substack.com/
Country of Origin: USA
Open to: Anybody writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: 6 words to 10,000 words
Open for entries: Ongoing
Submission Deadline: 31st January 2024
Expected Results Date: Mid-February 2024
Prizes: USD $100 plus 50% subscriptions
Publication: On the website
Entry Fees: No entry fee
Critique Offered: No





%wnadelaide
%wnbrisbane
%wnmelbourne
%wnsydney
%wnperth
%wngeelong
%wngippsland

#arts_culture
#books_and_writing
#competitions
#win_stuff
#unusual_things_to_do
#fun_things_to_do
#writers_festivals
#bucket_list
#writing_competitions
#short_story_competition
#writing_prize
#publishing_opportunity
#writers
#authors
#fiction_writers