Green Stories Superhero Competition
In this competition your superhero must save the planet!
It sounds a fun brief to play around with: ‘this contest challenges you to create an uplifting short story of superheroes that respond to climate change. Imagine your target audience to be teens and young adults that enjoy watching superhero films‘.
The prize is £500 plus a scene from your story turned into a 1 page comic strip.
The competition is open to adults, and teenagers aged 14+. The deadline is 15th April 2023.
As always, don’t forget to read the full terms and conditions.
Evening Standard Stories Competition
The theme for this competition is ‘belonging’ and it’s not limited to short stories. You can submit a piece of spoken word or performance, for example a monologue, a script or a self-contained episode of a narrative podcast. Entries can be submitted as written, audio, or film.
The winner will get a masterclass with Evening Standard Stories Editor, Lotte Jeff, a one year mentorship in their chosen field by management and production company, 42, plus the chance to perform their piece and other extras!
Closing date is 12th April 2023 and it is a 1,000 word limit. Again, read the terms and conditions, they do include: Work from previously published authors or writers cannot be accepted. It doesn’t indicate what their definition of ‘published’ is.
Talking of short stories, I was delighted to be invited, last month, to talk to author Tony Riches and to give my top 6 tips on short story writing. Did I cover everything or have you got a tip to add?
Sally Jenkins 
#1 by margaretholbrook1 on March 10, 2023 - 10:16 am
A very interesting article, Sally. Always enjoy reading your posts.
Margaret ________________________________
#2 by Sally Jenkins on March 10, 2023 - 2:27 pm
Thanks, Margaret. It’s kind of you to take the time to leave feedback – always good to discover what followers think/like/dislike about the things I post. All the best with your writing.
#3 by Sharon boothroyd on March 10, 2023 - 2:26 pm
The Evening Standard one sounds great but as you say Sally, there’s no clear description of the term ‘previously published.’
Does it cover self- published work, contents of your own blog, an unpaid feature in an online project or a letter published in a local newspaper?
It would be useful to know what they actually meant by it.
#4 by Sally Jenkins on March 10, 2023 - 2:37 pm
I share your frustration, Sharon! It would help if competition organisers were clearer about clauses like this.
If you have a particular piece of writing in mind, I suggest contacting the organisers and explaining where it appeared and asking if it’s OK to enter the piece in the competition. Hassle, I know but I don’t see any other way of finding out.
All the best!
#5 by Sharon boothroyd on March 11, 2023 - 1:11 pm
I was thinking of entering a piece of drama, but I won’t bother now. I don’t fancy wasting my time and energy chasing up competition organisers. If the comp T&C’s aren’t easy to understand, for me, it’s not worth the hassle.
#6 by Sally Jenkins on March 13, 2023 - 5:41 pm
I agree, Sharon. For people who’ve previously been published and paid for their work, it’s probably better to give this one a miss and focus energy elsewhere.
But for totally unpublished writers, the Evening Standard competition is probably worth a shot.