Entries now open
For our second short story competition, we’re looking for great stories that link to a theme of ‘soul’.
Open to all Australian writers, with a national prize pf $1,000 and a local Mansfield Shire prize of $500.
Winning stories and longlisted entries will be published in our short story anthology.
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Important dates:
31 July 2023 – entries open at 9:00 am
Sunday 29 October 2023 – entries close at midnight.
Friday 24 November 2023 – long list announcement
Friday 22 December 2023 – short list announcement
Saturday 10 February 2024 – Winner announcement and anthology launch
Conditions of entry
- The MRW short story competition is open to all Australian residents.
- The MRW short story competition local writer’s prize will be awarded to a writer living in Mansfield and surrounds.
- The theme is ‘soul’. You must tell us how your story relates to the theme.
- This is a fiction short story prize, so no poetry or non-fiction please!
- Maximum word length 5000 words.
- Submissions must be unpublished (including online) at the time of submission.
- If under consideration by a publisher please supply evidence that your publisher is aware you have submitted to the MRW Short Story competition.
- You must include an entry form and entry fee of $25 with your submission. One entry form per submission. Members of Mansfield Readers and Writers can submit one entry for free.
- Your name must not appear on the submission itself (including the header or footer), as all pieces will be judged ‘blind’ (without the judge knowing the author’s name)
- The judge’s decision will be final. No discussion will be entered into.
- The two winning stories will be published in our second anthology, ‘Soul’. Authors retain copyright.
- Short listed and long listed authors and authors will also be offered publication in the anthology. Authors retain copyright.
- The authors of the stories selected for the anthology will be required to work with an editor to prepare their story for publication.
- We’ll ask the authors of shortlisted and winning stories to help amplify the news of longlist, shortlist and winning stories on social media and other channels they use.
- Entries close at midnight, Sunday 29 October 2023. Stories must be emailed to mansfieldreadersandwriters@gmail.com or uploaded using our online form. If you do not have access to email, or internet contact us and we’ll figure something out together.
- Stories should be typed in 12 point font and 1.5 line spacing.
- Any submission that does not meet these criteria will be ineligible.
Online entry form
2023 Short story competition - Soul
Mansfield Readers and Writers national short story competition. A $1000 prize for a short story to the theme of 'soul'. There's also a local prize for writers in Mansfield Shire.