Judging

Writing Competitions: Judging and Adjudicating

It is a pleasure and a privilege to read new writing, and I feel honoured to be involved or to have been involved in judging or adjudicating these projects, listed in reverse chronological order.

 

Flash500’s Flash Fiction Competition (Fourth Quarter 2025)

Deadline: 31 December 2025

Word count: 500 words

Website: https://flash500.com/

The Prose Poem’s 2024 Spring Short Prose Poem Competition

Deadline: 15 May

Word Count: 150 Words

 

Website: https://theprosepoem.com/competition/spring-short-2024/

Flash500’s Flash Fiction Competitions (First Quarter 2024)

Deadline: 31 March 2024

Word count: 500 words

Website: https://flash500.com/

Oxford Flash Fiction Prize
Winter 2024

I co-judged the Winter 2024 Oxford Flash Fiction Prize alongside Nick Makoha.

Results: https://oxfordflashfictionprize.com/winter-2024-winners/

The Scottish Association of Writers

2024 Margaret McConnell Trophy Humorous Short Story Competition

Deadline: 20th January 2024

Results: to be announced at the 55th Annual SAW Conference, 22-24 March 2024

Wordcount: 1000 to 2000 words

Website: https://www.scottishassociationofwriters.com/competitions-2024/

Quantum Shorts (2024)

Deadline: January 2024

Results: will be announced soon….

Website: https://shorts.quantumlah.org/

The Prose Poem Prose Poetry Competition (2023)

Deadline: 15 October 2023 (extended to 22 October 2023)

Word count: 500 words, any theme

Website: https://theprosepoem.com/

Bimonthly: Swanwick Writers’ Summer School

I regularly judge mini competitions for attendees of Swanwick Writers’ Summer School, during the School itself and throughout the year via the Swanwick newsletter.

The Scottish Association of Writers’ Westerwood Short Story Competition (Summer 2023)

Deadline: 5 August 2023

Word count: 2000-3000 words

Theme: Any

Website: Scottish Association of Writers

Results: https://www.scottishassociationofwriters.com/summer-competition-results-2023/

Flash500’s Flash Fiction Competitions (Second Quarter 2023)

Deadline: 30 June 2023 (judging in progress)

Word count: 500 words

Judge’s Report: https://flash500.com/flash-fiction-judges-report-q2-2023/

Flash500’s Flash Fiction Competition (Quarter 3, 2022)

* You can read the judge’s report here

 

Quantum Shorts (2022)

  • Read the write-up here

Flash500’s Flash Fiction Competition (Quarter 3, 2021)

  • Read the judge’s report here

Mslexia Flash Fiction Competition (2020)

Quantum Shorts (2020)

  • Read the write-up here

Flash500’s Flash Fiction Competition (2019)

FlashBack Fiction’s Moon Microfiction Competition (2019, with the FlashBack Fiction team)

  • Read the judge’s report here

Flash500’s Flash Fiction Competition (Fourth Quarter 2018)

  • Read the winning pieces here (scroll down)

FlashBack Fiction’s WW1 Microfiction Competition (2018, with the FlashBack Fiction team)

  • Read the judge’s report here

TSS Flash 400 Competition (Summer 2018)

  • Read the winning stories online at TSS
  • Read my TSS interview here

National Flash Fiction Day Microfiction Competition 2018

  • Read the winning flash here

Hysteria Flash Fiction Competition 2017

Cambridge Writers Short Story Competition

  • Visit the Cambridge Writers here

Book a Break Short Story Competition

  • Short story competition on the theme of The Journey

National Flash Fiction Day Microfiction Competition 2017

  • Read the winning flash here

Hysteria Flash Fiction Competition 2016