Sunday 28 August 2022

Something for everyone?

I hope that everyone visiting this buffet of free competitions and opportunities to submit will find something to encourage them to write and the get their work 'out there'.

Free entry competition news

Thanks to Alyson for passing on the link to this interesting short story competition with excellent cash prizes. If I get an idea for it then I'll give it a go, but nothing has sprung to mind so far. I suspect there won't be as many entries for this one as for other free competitions offering £1,000.

Here's a poetry competition which is open to international entries and offers a £1,000 prize.

This Christmas ghost story competition is only free to under 16s although there is an adult category with a fee.

This poetry competition is also free to younger writers (under 18 this time) with another paid for adult version.


Are any of my blog readers under 18? Do any adult readers know of young writers they would pass competition details onto? If not, I won't continue including stuff for young writers.

Submission opportunities

Brilliant Flash Fiction want stories of up to 1,000 words to publish on their website. They pay $20.


The Face Project ask for poems and short stories written in response to the portraits they share each week. Those selected will be "featured in a unique art and literature publication." As far as I can see that will be the only reward.



Womag reminder


If you want to check the submission requirements for any magazine I know about which considers fiction, you can find the links and other info on my submissions database.





How did I do?

Are any of the above of interest to you?

If I've not included anything for the form or genre you write, please tell me in the comments what that is so I can look out for suitable opportunities.

How do best like to attempt to get your writing before potential readers? Magazine submissions, competitions, calls for submission, self publishing ...?

It takes time to research and write my blog posts. All I ask in return is a comment if you've found them to be useful and / or of interest.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the info Patsy, I laughed when I read the details of the digital info one. It's my nightmare that information shared unwittingly could end up in the wrong hands but not sure I could do justice to a story about it. My good news which I just have to share with my fellow writers is that I've had a short story accepted by People's Friend, my first! I'm thrilled

ados123 said...

Thanks Patsy. I hope the data story is of interest to someone. I have something to send but I don't think its quite what they want - but as you say, I'm it will be limited entry...
I'm not interested in competitions for younger writers - I don't know any, but that may just be me.
I use the womag data base all the time... thank you so much for keeping it up to date.
Congratulations to anonymous for your sale to TPF!
Alyson

Lindsay said...

Thanks for reminding me about Brilliant Flash Fiction. Evidently mine isn't brilliant enough as I've submitted a couple of time for themed subs but got nowhere. However must try again.

Your magazine guidelines are so helpful and much appreciated.

Well done to the above poster with the PF acceptance.

Sheelagh said...

Ah sorry the accidentally anonymous poster is Sheelagh P.S. I don't personally know any young writers but have no issue with info being posted equally I may not have something suitable for every competition but I really appreciate the details of competitions being posted here otherwise I would never hear about them.

Elizabeth McGinty said...

Thank you Patsy, for that delicious buffet of writing opportunities.

The first one is intriguing, would love to give it a go, hope something pops into my mind that might fit.

I don't know any young poetry writers, but still appreciate the info being posted.

Off to bowling comp now, fingers crossed I can at least win one end!!

Happy Sunday to all :)

ps well done Sheelagh on PF acceptance

Liz said...

That Secret Life of Data comp sounds super intriguing - but also super hard. I shall think about it and see if I can come up with anything.

@Sheelagh - congrats on your PF acceptance! All acceptances are exciting, but you never forget your first for a mag.

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for these markets, Patsy. I am looking for somewhere to send my "traditional" Christmas short story. Unfortunately, it was rejected by The People's Friend.

Sheelagh said...

@ unknown, you could try Ireland's Own, they usually accept them for consideration until the end of September, the more traditional the better.

Patsy said...

@ Sheelagh – That's brilliant news! Congratulations. The first one to each market is always extra special.

@ Alyson – I'm very interested in the competition. Haven't thought up an idea yet, but I'm trying to get into the right frame of mind. I'm impressed you have an entry.

@ Lindsay – Maybe they had so many brilliant entries they were dazzled and couldn't read yours properly?

@ Elizabeth – I hoped you bowled them off the pitch! (I'm not a real sports expert.)

@ Liz – Yep, that's just how I feel about that competition. I reckon that any of us who come up with any kind of entry should consider ourselves winners.

@ Unknown – Sheelagh's suggestion is a good one, if your story is of a suitable length.

New girl on the block said...

I entered the globe soup flash fiction competition from a previous post. Let's see how I get on! All competition info always very welcome.

Marian said...

Thanks for all the information - there's a lot to think about. I try to enter competitions when I can as it's good discipline for me to have a deadline - I tend to break my own!

And congratulations to Sheelagh.

Anonymous said...

A good mix of competitions there, Patsy. One of these days I’ll take the plunge and enter one, but it’s nice to have the info about them. Such a shame the Christmas ghost story competition is for under 16’s only. - I might have had a go at that one. Congratulations to anonymous for TPF acceptance. I wish I could work out their formula. Interesting pictures. Good story prompts? Will have to get my thinking cap back on.
Michael D

Fiona said...

Thanks for all the competition info Patsy. I’m busy thinking about the data one - interesting challenge, but so far my brain is blank!
Congratulations Sheelagh- lovely news!

Marguerite said...

I like the mix - sometimes it leads to an interesting website... (and then you're hooked!) Still working my way round Globe Soup but am in the process of two (paid) for £5 to Crowvus. There is also 'Weird Christmas' - free, up to 350 words. Congratulations to Sheelagh... and now for her magic formula :)

Kathrin Spinnler said...

Thank you, Patsy! I might try Brilliant Flash Fiction, since I still have a few unpublished flash pieces left. I'm also going to enter some of the competitions you mentioned in a previous post. Fingers crossed!

Patsy said...

@ New Girl – I've entered that too. With such a good prize on offer I expect they'll have loads of entries but someone has to win it, so why not one of us?

@ Marian – I find deadlines helpful too. When I meet one I like to consider myself a winner for ending up with a piece of work I wouldn't otherwise have written.

@ Michael – Go on, try one! There are lots of advantages in having a go. (You can still do the ghost one if you don't mind paying £3.)

@ Fiona – I'm not doing any better!

@ Marguerite – I checked the weird Christmas website but it doesn't seem there's anything running at the moment. I'll try to remember to look again later.

@ Kathrin – I'm glad my posts have encouraged you to enter some competitions. Good luck.

Sheelagh said...

@ Marguerite & Michael - last year I submitted one story (a winner, I thought!!) to TPF which was rejected so swiftly my fingers had barely left the send button, this year however I submitted about 6 the last of which was accepted much to my delight. So I would say persistence and the growing realisation that if I submitted to TPF & received a speedy rejection I could still submit it elsewhere before I lost heart. Good luck with it.

Eirin said...

Sheelagh! Fantastic news! I look forward to seeing your story in a future issue. Thanks as ever, Patsy, for all the work you do pulling together so much information.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's a lot of new competitions. The Christmas ghost one sounds interesting.

Marguerite said...

Thank you for the encouragement, Sheelagh :) Weird Christmas runs until November 2nd all geared to a podcast. I thought it was a bit cheeky to put the url in ;)

Patsy said...

@ Marguerite (and everyone else) It's absolutely fine to put in links to stuff that's an answer to a question in the post or a comment, or you think will help any readers of this blog.

@ Eirin – Thanks for commenting. It makes the effort of blogging seem worthwhile when people take the trouble to do that.

@ Alex – Christmas and ghost stories seem to go together, don't they?

ChrisC said...

Thanks for all the comp info Patsy. I'm always on the look out for new comps but you always seem to come up with some I haven't seen. Keep it going as it is well appreciated!

Sheelagh said...

Thanks for all the nice comments re my recent bit of good news from TPF. It's wonderful to have an online community of writer friends who understand what every little success means.

Patsy said...

@ Chris – I do my best! Thanks for commenting.

@ Sheelagh – Only other writers really understand.

Crowvus said...

Hello Patsy,

Thank you so much for including our competition on your blog. Good luck to all your readers who enter!