If you're always missing deadlines, this list of monthly/quarterly closing comps might be just the ticket. Most of the comps will hold on to 'late' entries into the next month, so your entry fee is never wasted.
Page Last Updated: 14 November 2011
Monthly Competitions
Closes end of every month starting June 2009
Story: 5000 wds max. Fee: £3 (£6 with tick sheet critique). Prize: £200/£100/£50. Details: Web
Closes last day of every month
Story: 2000 wds max. Fee: £5. Prizes: £100/£25. Details: Web
StoryFeedback.com Monthly Short Story Comp
Closes monthly
Story: 3000 wds. Fee: £5 per entry. £8 for 2 entries, £11 for 3 entries. Prizes: £100/£50/£25. Details: Web post: StoryFeedback.com Short Story Contest, 7 Offley Street, Worcester WR3 8BH, UK.
Closes Monthly but for 10 months only, starting 30th April 2010
Story: 2000 wds. Fee: FREE. Prize: £300. Rules: One story will be posted on the website each month, then at the end of the comp, a winner will be chosen. Details: web
Closes monthly
Story: 160 characters. Theme: keyword set monthly. Fee: £1 plus normal text charge (billed through mobile phone) Prizes: at least £50 Details: web
Closes monthly
Story: 5000 wds max (will accept up to 5,100 words but prefer under). Fee: FREE. Prizes: £100/£50/£25. Details. Online Rules: You must register with Spinetinglers in order to enter. Registration is free.
Story: 1000-3000 wds. Poem: 40 lines max. Fee: £7 subscribers £10 non-subscribers (story) £5 subscribers £7 non-subscribers (poem). Prizes: Prize fund totalling £800. Details: Web (please note that Writing Calendar webmistress Sally Quilford is not involved with the organising or judging of the Writers Forum comps)
Story/Poems: various lengths and themes. Fee: various for Writing Magazine, FREE for Writers News, but subscription required. Details: Web
Quarterly/Periodical competitions
Closes: March 31st, June 30th, September 30th, November 30th each year
Stories: 8000 words max (must be speculative fiction). Judge: Ian Watson Fee: €7. Prizes: €1000/€200/€100. Details: Web: email: mailto:aeonaward@albedo1.com Post: Aeon Award, 8 Bachelor's Walk, Dublin 1, Republic of Ireland
Brighton COW Free to Enter Comp
Closes: 30th Apr, 31st July, 31st Oct.
Category: See website for details of each quarter's category (story, non-fiction etc) and word length. Theme: Different each time, so see website for details. Fee: FREE. Prizes: 3x£10. Details: Web
Brighton COW Short Story Comps
Closes: 28th Feb, 31st May, 31st Aug, 30th Nov
Story: 3000. Fee: £4. Prizes: £100/£50/£25. Details: web
Cheer Reader Quarterly Humorous comp
Closes: 31st May, 31st Aug, 30th Nov, 29th Feb (the latter date in 2012).
Story: 2500 wds. Theme: must be humorous. Fee: 5 euros. Prizes: 50 euros/30 euros/20 euros. Details: web
Debut Magazine Quarterly Comps
Closes: Ongoing, no closing date
Story: 3000 wds. Fee: £3 cheque payable to Park Publications. Prizes: £75/£25/£15 Details: web Park Publications UK,
Closes: Quarterly
Story: 500 wds. Fee: £5 or 2 for £8. Prizes: £250/£100/£50/ Details: web
Flash Fiction World Flash Fiction Contest
Story: 1000 wds. Fee: FREE. Prizes: £25/£15/£10. Details: web
Jacqui Bennett Writer's Bureau Short Story and Poetry comps.
Quarterly
Story: 2500 wds. Poem: 30 lines max Theme: story entries may use picture prompts on website. Fee: Story £4 per entry. Poem £3 per entry. Prizes: Stories up to £150; Poem £100/£50/£20 plus 'chuckle bonus' of £20 for amusing poems. Details: web
Closes: 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December
Story: 3000 wds. Fee: £5 Prizes: £100/£50/£25 and First Writer Vouchers. Details: web
Scribble Magazine Quarterly Short Story Competitions
Closes: Ongoing, no closing date
Story: 3000 wds. Fee: £3 cheque payable to Park Publications. Prizes: £75/£25/£15 Details: web Park Publications UK,
Words Magazine Short Story Comps
Closes: Last day of April, June and December
Story: 2000 words Theme: Check Website. Fee: FREE. Prizes: £100 Details. Web
Closes: January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, October 1st each year
Stories: 17000 wds max. Theme: SF/Fantasy/Dark Fantasy. Fee: FREE. Prize: $5000 Rules: Entrants cannot have sold more than 3 stories in any medium with a circulation of 5000+ Details: web Post: L. Ron Hubbard's, Writers of the Future Contest, P.O. Box 1630, Los Angeles, CA 90078
Quarterly: 31st March, 30th June, 30th September, 30th November
Story: 4000 wds max. Poems: 20 lines max. Fee: 7euros per story, 7 euros for up to ten poems (min 4 poems). Prizes: 1000 euros/200 euros/100 euros in each category. Details: web post The Writing Spirit Award 2010, Spade Enterprise Centre, North King Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Republic of Ireland