Mslexia Short Fiction Competition 2017

Open to stories up to 3,000 words plus a new category for flash fiction up to 300 words, there’s even more reason to get started on some new prose. Deadline: 20 March 2017 The prize for best Short Story is an amazing £2,000 and includes two optional extras: a week’s writing retreat at Gladstone’s Library and a money-can’t-buy mentoring day with a Virago editor. Three other finalists will receive £100. The new Flash Fiction category has a first prize of £500 with three finalists winning £50. All winning pieces will be published in the June issue of Mslexia. Judging the longer stories this year is twice Booker-shortlisted novelist and short story author Deborah Levy, whose novel Hot Milk came out last year. Our new Flash Fiction category is being judged by award-winning flash fiction writer and novelist Kit de Waal, whose début novel My Name is Leon was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award in 2016. Fee: £10 per story. Short Story category entries can be between 300 and 3,000 words in length and can be on any subject. Flash fiction category entries should be up to 300 words in length and can be on any subject. See the website for full details of how to enter.