(Mostly) Themed Competitions & Submission Calls - Winter 2020-21

WRITE Festival 2020 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Competition: For science fiction or fantasy stories up to 3000 words in length. Free to enter. Deadline: 9 December 2020. https://theworduk.org/science-fiction-and-fantasy-writing-competition/

Capsule Stories Spring 2021 Edition: Stories (up to 3000 words), poems and essays (up to 3000 words) inspired by the theme in bloom. Deadline: 15 December 2020. https://capsulestories.com/submissions/

Matchgirls Competition 2020: Poetry (up to 40 lines), flash fiction (up to 200 words) and phone films (1.5 – 2 minutes) on the theme of the Match Girls Strike of 1888. Entry fee: £2 per poem/story/film. Deadline: 31 December 2020. https://www.matchgirls1888.org/competition

Wolverhampton Literature Festival Poetry Competition: Poems on the theme of aspects of love. Entry fee: £4 for a single poem, £10 for three poems then £3 for any subsequent poems in that submission. Deadline: 31 December 2020. http://www.wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/competition.html

Fictive Dream Flash Fiction February: For stories on any theme between 200-850 words. Deadline: 31 December 2020. https://fictivedream.com/guidelines/

Seabourne Magazine: Short stories (2,000-5,000 words), vignettes (up to 300 words), and creative non-fiction (800-1,500 words) about the sea. Deadline: 1 January 2021. https://seabornemagazine.com/submission-guidelines/

Minnow Literary Magazine: Micro-poetry (up to 150 words), flash fiction (up to 500 words), and short personal essays (up to 1,500 words). Particularly interested in literary works inspired by nature. Deadline: 7 January 2021. https://minnowliterarymagazine.com/submit/

York Mix Poems for Children Competition: Poems of any length and on any topic for children of any age. Entry fee: £5 for a single poem, £10 for two or three poems, £15 for four or five poems. Deadline: 31 January 2020. https://www.yorkmix.com/write-a-childrens-poem-and-win-250-2020/

Mighty Pens Winter Short Story Competition: For short stories between 500-1000 words on the theme of winter. Entry fee: £4 for each story. Deadline: 31 January 2021. https://www.mightypens.co.uk/mighty-pens-winter-short-story-competition/

Elmbridge Literary Competition: Poems and stories (maximum 1500 words) on the theme of music. Entry fee: £5. Deadline: 5 February 2021. https://www.rcsherrifftrust.org.uk/copy-of-the-2020-elmbridge-literary

Poetry and Covid: For poems related to this or any other pandemic. https://poetryandcovid.com/poems/submit/