The Bristol Short Story Prize Is Open For Submissions (Prize: £2350 + Publication)
The 2025 Bristol Short Story Prize is currently open for short stories from writers worldwide.
The Bristol Short Story Prize is an international writing competition based in Bristol, UK, which aims to publish great short stories and promote the stories and writers as much as possible. They aim to discover previously unpublished writers, and are absolutely committed to celebrating the short story form and making it accessible and available to as wide an audience as they can.
The Bristol Short Story Prize is an international writing competition founded by the editors of the quarterly cultural magazine Bristol Review of Books in 2007.
Their Aims include:
- Publishing a brilliant short story anthology every year full of fresh and original stories, and to get it stocked in as many bookshops as possible. This includes high street chains, independent shops and online booksellers.
- To inspire and encourage writers.
- To discover and promote previously unpublished writers.
- To provide an opportunity for writers to get published.
- To share our enthusiasm for short stories in as many ways and with as many people as possible.
- To establish Bristol as a short story centre.
- To raise the profile and support Bristol Review of Books magazine. (BROB magazine is not being published at the moment but they hope to be part of its return to publication at some stage in the future.)
Submission Guidelines for the 2025 Bristol Short Story Prize
- Entrants must specifically be over 16 years old on the closing date, 31st January, 2025.
- The 2025 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to all published and unpublished writers.
- Make all entries in English.
- Make all entries in a clear 12-14 point font and double spaced.
- The judges will read and judge entries anonymously. Entrants’ should attach their names and contact details only on the entry form and not anywhere on their stories/manuscripts.
- The maximum length of submissions is 4,000 words (does not include title), there is no minimum length.
- There is an entry fee for each story submitted to the 2025 Bristol Short Story Prize. However, there are 250 free online entries available to those for whom the entry fee is a barrier.
- Submit entries that are entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been previously published, in print or online (including self-published, ebook, magazines, journals, websites, blogs, social network sites), or broadcast or won a prize in another writing competition.
- Their readers will read the entries and select a longlist of 30 stories for the judging panel. The judging panel will select the 15 stories to be published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 17 and the top 3 prize winning stories for the 2025 Bristol Short Story Prize. Therefore, ensure your story is properly written and edited.
- They will not contact entrants individually about the competition results unless they are selected for the shortlist.
- Make submissions via post to: Bristol Short Story Prize, Unit 5.16, Paintworks, Bath Road Bristol BS4 3EH, and also on their website.
- Visit https://www.bristolprize.co.uk/rules to read more about their rules and submission process.
Prizes
Each of the shortlisted authors will receive one free copy of the paperback version of Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology.
Prizes for 2025 are: 1st prize £1000, 2nd prize £500, 3rd prize £250. Each of the 12 remaining shortlisted writers will receive £50.
Deadline
Enter by Friday 31 January midnight (BST) for the chance to win!
