This is a competition dedicated to skillful writing that is brief, humorous and engaging. The emphasis is on wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense. Whether your work is designed to raise a smile or a belly laugh, we want pieces that are a refuge from the relentless barrage of negativity, angst, war and climate catastrophe that dominates the web.

We’re looking for fiction, nonfiction and poetry that is founded on wit, humour, puns, absurdity and irony. Put away the sledgehammer, the cliches, the tired tropes and the nastiness.

Entries must be a minimum of 200 words and a maximum of 1,000 words of fiction, nonfiction or poetry. For poetry only, you may include more than one piece, all in a single document, in order to reach the minimum requirement.

Three prizes will be awarded (payable via PayPal only): First US$250, Second US$100, Third US$50.

Prize winning works will be published on Witcraft shortly after the competition ends, along with entries awarded an Honourable Mention by the judges.

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.