No matter the length of your story, a solid start is essential. A successful story grabs readers’ attention with an irresistible hook and doesn’t let go.

This time, we’re looking for short stories from 1,500 to 2,000 words that grab our attention from the first paragraph. Craft a complete story with a compelling hook, and you could earn anthology publication and $50, or even the $500 grand prize.

All qualified entrants will receive professional feedback from our editing team before judging, so the earlier you submit, the more time you have to revise.

We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid. They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives.