ELIGIBILITY:

All genres of writing are permitted, including fiction, non-fiction, and non-academic essays.

Open to all nationalities.

Applicants must be aged 18 or above at the time of entry.

All entries must be written in English.

You can enter multiple prizes.

A maximum of 1,250 words per entry (Please note: The word count has been reduced in 2025, so previous years winners word counts are higher).

Submissions must be standalone and cannot be extracted from a larger piece.

Stories must not have been published (not including self-published), or accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time.

Submissions will be judged anonymously, so please ensure that your name does not appear anywhere on your work.

Due to the volume of applications, the judge’s decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into following the results.

The use of generative writing programmes or artificial intelligence (for example, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) is strictly prohibited.

BENEFIT:

The winner and runners-up will receive financial support in the following amounts:

First place: £3,000

Second place: £1,000

Third place: £1,000