THE WRITERS’ COLLEGE Short Story Competition

The Writers’ College are on the lookout for fresh, original voices in fiction. Open to unpublished writers or those with fewer than four publications, from any country.

Win cash prizes, industry recognition, and a chance to impress the expert judges. The top three winners receive editorial comments on their submitted works.

Theme for 2025: All the things we didn’t learn. Writers are free to interpret the theme in any way they choose. The exact phrase “All the things we didn’t learn” must appear somewhere in the story.

All genres are welcome (literary, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction). Entries must be written in English. Stories must be original and unpublished (including online).

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.

ProWritingAid
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. Visit their website and try ProWritingAid for free.