pensouthafrica.co.za Mslexia Women’s Short Fiction Competition 2025 : PEN South Africa
Organization : PEN South Africa
Competition Name : Mslexia Women’s Short Fiction Competition 2025
Applicable For : Open to women of any nationality from any country
Competition Deadline : 20 March 2025
Prize : £2,000
Entry Fee : £10 per story
Website : http://pensouthafrica.co.za/enter-the-mslexia-womens-short-fiction-competition-2025/
Mslexia Women’s Short Fiction Competition
** Please make sure you have read the rules thoroughly before submitting your entry
Related : PEN South Africa Philosophy Through Fiction’s Short Story Competition : www.sanotify.com/5377.html
Your entry :
** Short Story category entries can be between 300 and 3,000 words in length and can be on any subject.
** Flash fiction category entries should be up to 300 words in length and can be on any subject.
** Please submit your work typed, double-spaced on A4 paper, single-sided, with pages numbered
** Your entry will be judged anonymously, so do not put your name on the pages of your entry.
** Use a separate cover page with your contact details, plus the title(s) of the work you are submitting and the word count(s).
** No alterations may be made to an entry once submitted.
** Your entry will not be returned, so please keep a copy.
** If you want confirmation that we have received your postal entry, please enclose a stamped SAE, labelled ‘Acknowledgement’.
** Sorry, but we do not send copies of the results to entrants.
** The winners will be contacted in May 2025 and the winning entries published in the Jun/Jul/Aug 2025 issue of Mslexia.
** (No competitor will win more than one prize in each category).
** Copyright of any entry remains with the author, but Mslexia has the unrestricted right to publish the winning entries in its magazine, on its website, and in any related material for PR purposes.
Eligibility :
** Entries should be in English (or English dialect) and should not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere.
** Entries that have won or are under consideration in other short story competitions are not eligible.
** Entries should not be a translation of another author’s work.
** You do not have to subscribe to Mslexia to be eligible, but you do have to be a woman. We will accept entries from women of any nationality from any country.
** Employees of Mslexia are not eligible.
How to enter :
** If entering both flash fiction and short story categories, please enter them separately.
** Send your story/flash fiction by post or enter online at .mslexia.co.uk/competitions
** The entry fee is £10 per short story and £5 per flash fiction. You may enter each as many times as you like.
** To enter by post, mark your envelope ‘Women’s Short Story/Flash Fiction Competition’ (delete as applicable) and send it postmarked no later than 20 March 2025 to Mslexia Publications Ltd, PO Box 656, Newcastle upon Tyne NE99 1PZ.
** If entering by post, you can pay by cheque (payable to Mslexia Publications Ltd.) or by debit/credit card (phone +44 (0)191 204 8860 with your details). You can also pay online via our website, but in this case you must mark your entry with the date on which you paid and the email address you used, so that we can trace your payment.
** To enter online, be sure to follow the instructions on the website carefully. Entries and cover sheets should be sent as a single attachment (the cover sheet can be at the beginning or end of the document).
** Entry fees must be in pounds sterling. If you want to use a different currency, please pay online via PayPal, which will convert your fee automatically into pounds sterling.
Prize terms :
** The Gladstone’s Library retreat and Virago mentoring session are optional additions to the Short Story first prize.
** The Gladstone’s Library retreat includes accommodation and food only; dates should be agreed between Gladstone’s and the competition winner.
** The date of the Virago mentoring session should be agreed between Virago and the competition winner.
** The winner is responsible for any other expenses involved with attending the Gladstone’s retreat and the day with a Virago editor, i.e. travel, etc. The prizes must be taken by 30 November 2018.
1st Prize: £2,000
Plus two optional extras :
** a week’s writing retreat at Gladstone Library, and a day with an editor at Virago Press.
** Three other finalists will each receive £100. All four winning stories will be published in the June issue of Mslexia.
** For any questions about your entry, email shortstory AT mslexia.co.uk, or call 0191 204 8860.