Bristol Short Story Prize | Short Story writing competition to promote great stories and writers

2021 Rules

Please read the rules for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize carefully before entering:

Closing date for receipt of entries is May 5th 2021 at midnight BST (‘midnight’ meaning the very last second of May 5th 2021).
The 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to all published and unpublished writers. There is no geographical restriction on entry – the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to everyone, whether they are based in the UK or outside the UK. Entries can be made online or by post. All entries must be in English. Online entries should be submitted via the online entry facility, usually in Word document, pdf or equivalent. Postal entries will only be accepted as printed typescripts. There are no specific formatting requirements: font type, font size, line spacing etc. Writers may format their work in the way they feel is most appropriate – we do not specify any particular format for submissions. Please send postal entry/entries to: Bristol Short Story Prize, Unit 5.16, Paintworks, Bath Road Bristol BS4 3EH
Entrants must be over 16 years old on the closing date, May 5th 2021.
Entries will be read and judged anonymously; entrants’ names and contact details should only appear on the entry form and not anywhere on their stories/manuscripts. The stories/manuscripts must be free of all personal information about the author. This includes age and address.
The maximum length of submissions is 4,000 words (does not include title), there is no minimum length. Stories can be on any theme or subject and are welcome in any style including graphic, verse or genre-based (Crime, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Romance, Children’s etc..) .
Entrants may enter as many stories as they like. There is an entry fee of £9 for each story submitted to the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize. Payment for online entries to the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize should be made via the website online entry facility. Entrants will be transferred to the Paypal website after they have submitted their story/stories to the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize to pay the entry fee. Payment for postal entries to the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize should be made by cheque. Cheque payments must be in pounds sterling and cheques should be made payable to ‘Bristol Short Story Prize Ltd.’. Each postal submission must be accompanied by a signed entry form confirming an entrant has read the rules of the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize and accepts the rules of the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize.
Entries will not be returned. Please keep a copy. No corrections or alterations can be made after receipt of an entry.
Entries must be 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 on or before October 9th 2021. Any entry found to have been plagiarised will be disqualified. Simultaneous submissions are welcome but please let us know as soon as possible if a story is to be published elsewhere, in print or online (including self-published, ebook, magazines, journals, websites, blogs, social network sites), or broadcast or has won a prize in another writing competition on or before October 9th 2021.
If entrants require acknowledgement of receipt of a postal entry they must enclose a stamped addressed postcard marked ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Online entries will be acknowledged by email. If an entrant does not receive an email acknowledgement for an online entry they are very welcome to contact Bristol Short Story Prize to confirm their entry has been received. Contact via email in the first instance is preferable: enquiries@bristolprize.co.uk
Entries will be read by our readers. They will select a longlist of 40 stories for the judging panel. The judging panel will select the 20 stories to be published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 14 and the top 3 prize winning stories for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize. The judges’ decision is final and no individual correspondence will be entered into. Judges or readers will not comment on individual stories or give feedback on individual stories.
Th2021 judging panel is literary agent, Irene Baldoni, manager of Foyles’ bookshop in Bristol, Tom Robinson, and award-winning writer, Mahsuda Snaith.
All entrants agree to have their work published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 14, in both print and ebook formats, should they be the author of one of the 20 stories that are shortlisted for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize. Authors will retain worldwide copyright on their work (including film and dramatic rights) but Bristol Short Story Prize has first publication rights to publish the 20 shortlisted stories for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 14. Tangent Books will publish the 20 shortlisted stories in both print and ebook formats on October 9^th 2021. Each of the shortlisted stories 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 on or before October 9^th 2021. Please email Bristol Short Story Prize on enquiries@bristolprize.co.uk if clarification of this is needed.
Once notified that they have been selected for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize shortlist and will be published in Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 14 (paperback and ebook), all shortlisted writers must confirm and verify that their shortlisted story has not been 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 on or before October 9th 2021.All shortlisted writers must, also, confirm and verify that their shortlisted story will not be published or is not due to be published in print or online (including self-published, ebook, magazines, journals, websites, blogs, social network sites), or due to be broadcast or due to win a prize in another writing competition on or before October 9^th 2021.
Each of the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize shortlisted authors will receive 2 free copies of the paperback version of Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 14 and will be able to purchase further copies at a discount of 50%. All 2021 Bristol Short Story prize shortlisted writers will be able to purchase any number of copies of any volume of Bristol Short Story Prize Anthologies at a discount of 50%.
Prizes for 2021 are: 1st prize-£1000, 2nd prize -£500, 3rd prize -£250. Each of the 17 remaining shortlisted writers will receive £100. An additional prize of £100, The Sansom Award, in recognition of the contribution to Bristol publishing of John and Angela Sansom, will be presented to the highest placed story by a Bristol writer. If no story by a Bristol writer is selected for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize longlist, Bristol Short Story Prize reserve the right not to present the Sansom Award. In the event of two or more stories by Bristol writers being selected for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize longlist, Angela Sansom will select the winner of The Sansom Award. The Sansom Award winning story will also be published in the print edition of Bristol 24/7 magazine in November 2021.
All prizes will be awarded at the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize Awards Ceremony on October 9^th 2021 and will be sent to any of the writers who are unable to attend the October 9^th 2021 awards ceremony. Prizes, including free copies of the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 14 as well as cash prizes, are not dependent on winners attending the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize Awards Ceremony.
Entrants will not be contacted individually about the competition results unless they are selected for the shortlist. The 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize longlist and shortlist will be announced on the Bristol Short Story Prize website. The 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize longlist of 40 stories will be posted on the Bristol Short Story Prize website on Wednesday July 21st 2021 at 2pm (BST) and the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize shortlist of 20 stories will be posted on the Bristol Short Story Prize website on Wednesday July 28^th 2021 at 2pm (BST). The top 3 prize winners of the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize will be displayed on the website within one week after the awards ceremony.
Any entrant wishing to withdraw a story from the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize before the closing date and time of midnight (BST) May 5th 2021 will receive a full refund. Please contact us by email. We will not be able to refund any withdrawn stories after the closing date and time of midnight (BST) May 5th 2021.
Entry implies an acceptance of all the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize rules. Entries that fail to comply with the entry rules and requirements may be disqualified.

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