July, 2026

Event Details
The Ironclad Short Story Competition is run by Ironclad Creative CIC, a Brighton-based community interest company that supports writers and storytellers. The competition runs up to four times a year,
Event Details
The Ironclad Short Story Competition is run by Ironclad Creative CIC, a Brighton-based community interest company that supports writers and storytellers. The competition runs up to four times a year, with winning and shortlisted stories published in a themed anthology available in print and eBook via Amazon KDP.
Entrants must submit an original, previously unpublished short story in English of up to 6,000 words, responding in any way to the prompt word — for this round, HARVEST. Stories may interpret the prompt loosely; the organisers welcome any genre and any approach.
The competition is open to published and unpublished writers of any age from anywhere in the world. A small number of free places are available for low-income writers currently living in the UK — interested writers should email the organisers before submitting.
The first-place writer receives £100 and publication; second place receives £50 and publication; third place receives £25 and publication. Shortlisted writers are also offered publication in the anthology. Authors retain full copyright and may republish their work elsewhere.
Is this competition legit?YES! – Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any event, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work.
FAQ
If you are curious how writing competitions work, or it’s your first time entering one, we recommend reading our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page first.