The Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2025 is open for entries.

 Full details 

The deadline for receipt of all entries is July 31 at 4 pm (GMT).

Entries will only be accepted through Submittable.

Entries can be on any subject, theme or genre.

Entry fee: £12 per entry. You can submit multiple entries as long as each entry is paid for individually and includes a separate entry form.

Maximum word count is 3,000 words.

All entries are judged anonymously. Please do not include your name, address, phone number, email, website, social media details, etc. on the short story document or in the file name as this will result in disqualification.

Formatting your short story:

Your story must be written in English. A maximum of 3,000 words. No minimum. Title not included in the word count.

Please submit a typed story in Arial or Times New Roman, 12pt, black. Double spaced.

Include a front page which details the title of story and the word count ONLY. The author’s name should not be included anywhere in the document or the file name.

No illustrations.

Save as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx). We also accept file types .rtf, .pdf, with the

Short Story title as the file name. Please do not include the author’s name in the file name or it will be disqualified.

Final Judge: Tyler Paterson

Tyler Paterson is a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of New Hampshire, and is a graduate of Second City Chicago. His work has appeared in over 80 publications worldwide including The Saturday Evening Post, The Forge Literary Magazine, The Delhousie Review, Brilliant Flash Fiction, and Fresh Ink.

A semi-finalist in the Aura Estra short story contest, his work has also received notable accolades from Lycan Valley, North 2 South Press, and Lumberloft. He spends most nights yelling for his cat to ‘Get down from there!’ Tyler has led writing classes for people of all ages from University students, to local communities, to remote learners.

His goal is to build the confidence in writers, give them the tools to build the stories they yearn to tell, and support them along their journey. A number of past students have gone on to get their work published.

Full Terms & Conditions here.

FAQ here.

Entries will be accepted through Submittable only. If you have questions about Submittable or are having technical difficulties submitting your work, please contact Submittable Customer Support at https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/

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