Top 7 Writing Competitions with February 2024 Deadlines

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Thu 01 Feb 2024 - Thu 29 Feb 2024

Don’t Miss Your Chance for Publication and Prizes

Christmas and New Year are behind you now. The summer holidays are over. The year has begun in earnest. Don’t waste it! Make it your year; the year your story gets published, perhaps even wins a prize. Don’t leave your literary babies gathering dust in the bottom drawer or decaying into obscurity on your hard drive, hook into one of these writing opportunities. Be brave. Give it a go. These competitions are open for entries now!

So what are you waiting for, get those stories in before the 29th February 2024!


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.


Stringybark Open Short Story Awards 2024
Full Details: https://www.stringybarkstories.net/competitions/open---open-short-story-awards.html
Country of Origin: Australia
Open to: Internationally
Theme: Open but with a link to Australia
Word Count: to 1,500
Open for submissions: Now!
Submission Deadline: 25th February 2024
Expected Results Date: Unknown
Prizes: 1st $500, 2nd $300, 3rd $150, 4th $50 and 30 runners up $5 each
Publication: Anthology
Critique Offered: No

Cranked Anvil Flash Fiction Competition
Full Details: https://crankedanvil.co.uk/flashcomp/
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: International entries
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 500
Open for submissions: Now!
Submission Deadline: 29th February 2024
Expected Results Date: Unkonwn
Prizes: 1st £100, 2nd £50
Publication: Website
Entry Fees: £5 for one story or £8 for two stories.
Critique Offered: No

Flash 500 Annual Short Story Competition
Full Details: https://flash500.com/short-stories/
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: Internationally
Theme: Open
Word Count: 1,000 to 3,000
Open for submissions: Now!
Submission Deadline: 29th February 2024
Expected Results Date: 30th April 2024
Prizes: 1st £500, 2nd £200, 3rd £100
Publication: Website
Entry Fees: £7 (1 entry) £12 (2 entries) £16 (3 entries) £20 (4 entries)
Critique Offered: £30 per story


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 February 2024
Submission Deadline: 29th February 2024
Expected Results Date: 15th March 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: 29th February 2024
Expected Results Date: Mid-March 2024
Prizes: USD $100 plus 50% subscriptions
Publication: On the website
Entry Fees: No entry fee
Critique Offered: No

WOW Quarterly Flash Fiction Competition
Full Details: https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
Country of Origin: USA
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: 250 to 750
Open for submissions: Now!
Submission Deadline: 28th February 2024
Expected Results Date: Shortlist by April and winners in May 2024
Prizes: 1st USD $400, 2nd USD $300, 3rd USD $200 + Amazon gift vouchers
Publication: Website
Entry Fees: USD $10
Critique Offered: USD $20 per story

The Exeter Writers Short Story Competition
Full Details: https://www.exeterwriters.org.uk/p/short-story-competition-2021.html
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: Internationally
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 3,000
Open for submissions: 1st December 2023
Submission Deadline: 29th February 2024
Expected Results Date: Unknown
Prizes: 1st £700, 2nd £350 and 3rd £250
Publication: ?
Entry Fees: £7
Critique Offered: No

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