How to Improve your Chances in Short Story Competitions

Make sure that you send a short story

A story needs to be fiction. A factual account of something that happened to you, or an article, is unlikely to make the short list.

Join your pages together 

Otherwise, the pages may come apart,  but avoid using pins. A judge who has just pricked their finger will not be in the best frame of mind when reading your entry.

Use a ‘normal’ font

Eleven is good,  twelve is better. It needs to be easy to read, but not so large that only two hundred words fit on a page. Stick to boring fonts like Courier and Times New Roman again because they are easier to read.

Read all the rules

Competitions often ask that you don’t put your name on the manuscript. This is done to make judging fairer. If you break and of the rules, however unimportant they may seem, you may be disqualified and waste your entry fee.

Check the word count

If the word count states 2000 words, a 2100 word story could be disqualified. Aim for a word count just UNDER the limit or write a shorter story. After all, there is nothing to prevent a one thousand word story winning a competition with a longer word count. It’s the quality that counts.

Check postage and payment

A great story will not win if it fails to get delivered because you haven’t used enough stamps, and if the cheque isn’t made out correctly, your entry will not even get to the judging stage.

Use white A4 paper

It may be boring, but judges prefer all the entries to be on the same colour  and size of paper as that  makes it easier to sort the entries, and to read them.