Writing Competitions with November 2023 Deadlines

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Fri 01 Sep 2023 - Thu 30 Nov 2023

Don’t leave your wonderful stories in the bottom drawer

Don’t dally, get pen to paper. 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. Some offer critiques for a small additional fee. I have found these are not just economical but are invaluable and impartial feedback. This is by no means an exhaustive list and if you’re really keen, a Google search will reveal many more. 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 30th November 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) Proofread 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.


1. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023
Full Details: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/short-story-prize/
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: any citizen of a Commonwealth country aged 18 and over
Theme: Open
Word Count: 2,500 to 5,000 words
Open for submissions: 1st September 2023
Submission Deadline: 1st November 2023
Expected Results Date: Unknown
Prizes: Overall £5,000 Regional £2,500
Publication: Winner in Granta Magazine, Runners up online
Entry Fees: Free
Critique Offered: No

2. The Scribble Short Story Competition 2023
Full Details: https://www.parkpublications.co.uk/competitions.html
Country of Origin: UK
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Your first line is: 'He had an uneasy feeling as he inserted the key...'
Word Count: to 3,000 words
Open for submissions: Currently open
Submission Deadline: 1st November 2023
Expected Results Date: Unknown
Prizes: 1st prize £100.00, 2nd prize £50.00, 3rd prize £25.00.
Publication: Winter 2023 edition of Scribble
Entry Fees: £5.00 per story
Critique Offered: No

3. Curious Curls Fiction Contest 2023
Full Details: https://www.curiouscurlspublishing.com/fiction-contest
Country of Origin: USA
Open to: People writing in English
Theme: Curious
Word Count: 500 to 10,000 words
Open for submissions: Currently open
Submission Deadline: 15th November 2023
Expected Results Date: January 2024
Prizes: USD 1st prize $250, 2nd prize $125, 3rd prize $100 plus a book for each
Publication: On their website
Entry Fees: USD $2.50
Critique Offered: No


4. The Marj Wilke Short Story Award 2023
Full Details: https://womenwritersqld.org.au/the-marj-wilkie-short-story-award/
Country of Origin: Australia
Open to: Australian women writers over the age of 18 years
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 1,500 words
Open for submissions: Currently open
Submission Deadline: 17th November 2023
Expected Results Date: 12th December 2023
Prizes: AUD 1st prize $350, 2nd prize $150, and The Lauren Elise Daniels Encouragement Award $50
Publication: Unknown
Entry Fees: AUD $15 or $40 for maximum of three. Financial members of the Society of Women Writers Queensland Inc may submit one entry free.
Critique Offered: No

5. Servicescape Short Story Awards 2023
Full Details: https://www.servicescape.com/short-story-award
Country of Origin: USA
Open to: Internationally
Theme: Open
Word Count: to 5,000
Open for submissions: 1st December 2022
Submission Deadline: 30th November 2023
Expected Results Date: 31st December 2023
Prizes: USD $1,000
Publication: Online in a permanent blog
Entry Fees: Free
Critique Offered: No

6. 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 words
Open for entries: 1st November 2023
Submission Deadline: 30th November 2023
Expected Results Date: 31st December 2023
Prizes: £50 and publication
Publication: Website
Entry Fees: £3.50
Critique Offered: No


7. 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 October 2023
Expected Results Date: Mid November 2023
Prizes: USD $100 plus 50% subscriptions
Publication: On the website
Entry Fees: No entry fee
Critique Offered: No

8. WOW Quarterly Flash Fiction Competition
Full Details: www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
Country of Origin: USA
Open to: Women (presumably) writing in English
Theme: Open
Word Count: 250 to 750 words
Open for submissions: Currently open
Submission Deadline: 3oth November 2023
Expected Results Date: Not specified
Prizes: USD 1st prize $400, 2nd prize $300, 3rd prize $200 + Amazon gift vouchers
Publication: On their website
Entry Fees: USD $10
Critique Offered: USD $20

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