Thanet Writers Short Story Competition 2020

The first ever Thanet Writers Short Story Competition is now open for entries, and offers a grand prize of £1,000 in cash!

Do you have a short story to tell?

The judges are looking for short stories set somewhere in Thanet, and they must be weird, strange, or unusual in some way. Stories should be between 500 and 5,000 words in length, and previously unpublished. The closing date is just before midnight on Sunday 31st May 2020. This competition is absolutely free to enter.

To take part you will need to set up an account on thanetwriters.com and provide a link to Thanet. Longlisted entries will all be paid £10 via PayPal for print rights and will be published online. The shortlist will also be published in a print anthology which will be launched at the winner announcement at the Thanet Writers Conference 2020, where the winning writer will be presented with the £1,000 grand prize!

Judging the entries will be Thanet Writers Editorial Team, along with a Guest Judge, who this year is writer and journalist Catherine Law.

Catherine is the author of five romantic novels set during the first half of the 20th century, in and around the First and Second World Wars. She started her career as a secretary at the BBC before moving into the world of glossy magazines, where she worked as a sub editor for over thirty years. “Ever since I can remember,” Catherine says, “I’ve had my nose in a book and written my own stories. In 2015, with three novels under my belt, I took the plunge to give up my day job to concentrate on writing full-time, and I haven’t looked back!”

© Catherine Law

Catherine Law’s fourth book, Map of Stars, was set in and around Thanet during the Second World War. It was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists Association Historical Novel Award in 2017. She has recently completed her sixth novel and lives in Margate.

“I can’t wait to take my seat on the judging panel of the Thanet Writers Short Story Competition 2020 and read what writers connected to Thanet have to offer. I’m expecting diverse tales of drama, comedy, and everything else in between, inspired by our unique and extraordinary Isle.”

Catherine Law, Guest Judge

The other judges include Alice Olivia Scarlett, Fiction Editor for Thanet Writers and editor of Shoal, the first anthology published by Thanet Writers. She said: “I am so excited to be helping judge the Thanet Writers Short Story Competition 2020. I’m hoping to see stories with humour and daring that aren’t afraid to get weird. I want stories that go deep into Thanet’s strange side for the perfect piece of location gothic.”

Also on the judging panel are Poetry Editor Kirsty Louise Farley, Reviews Editor Nic James, Features Editor Zoe Davies, and Managing Editor Melissa Todd.

“Short stories may be my favourite form of literature. The best examples can be exquisite masterpieces in miniature, whose intense passionate punch can linger, thrill or disturb: quick to read yet life-changingly powerful. I can’t wait to see what gets submitted. There are so many unheard stories and voices that are thoroughly deserving of a hearing, and it’s an absolute privilege to be allowed to read and enjoy some emerging talent. I’m excited and honoured to be on the judging panel for Thanet Writers Short Story Competition 2020. It’s a tremendous opportunity, free to enter, with all the shortlisted submissions made into a book, and a jolly decent cash prize for the winner too.”

Melissa Todd, Managing Editor

Entry is online at thanetwriters.com/competition where the full Terms and Conditions of Entry are stated. The longlist will be announced on 18th July 2020 and the shortlist will be announced on Saturday 19th September 2020. The winner will be announced at the Thanet Writers Conference 2020 and will receive a grand prize of £1,000 in cash.