- Well look who is a sponsor of Aesthetica this year...
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2026- Closing date: September 6
- Prize: 1st place £2,500, publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual, a one-year subscription to Granta, Mslexiaand The London Magazine, a consultation with Redhammer Management, a six-week online Writing Short Stories course with Curtis Brown Creative and full membership to Litopia
- Judges: lengthy panel here
- Word limit: 2,000 words
- Theme: none, though they are particularly interested in works that reflect upon our ever-changing world
- Entry fee: January sale fee of £9 per entry until January, 12, early-bird fee of £18 up to August 31, late fee of £24 until September 6, multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- The Bedford Competition – Short Story
- Closing date: October 31
- Prize: 1st place £2,000, 2nd place £300, 3rd place £200. There is also a prize of £100 for the best entry by a writer who is resident in Bedford. And there’s the Cygnature Short Story Prize of £200, for the best entry from a writer aged 17-25
- Judges: writer Toby Litt
- Word limit: 3,000 words
- Theme: none
- Entry fee: £8.50 per story, up to three entries for £17 (there’s also a poetry category so a combination of entries is possible). Full-time students can enter one story for £6, up to three entries for £12. Open internationally
PS. If you’re new to writing and/or submitting, you might find a useful tip or two in my post 6 Things I’ve Learned About Entering Competitions. I also work on a few first-round judging panels and here’s what I gleaned about the other side in 6 Things I’ve Learned About Reading For Competitions
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