SA Writers College Short Story Competition 2025 : sawriterscollege.co.za
Organization : SA Writers College
Competition Name : Short Story Competition 2025
Applicable For : Emerging Writers in South Africa
Competition Deadline : 30 April 2023
Website : https://www.sawriterscollege.co.za/the-sa-writers-college-annual-short-story-writing-competition/
SA Writers College Short Story Competition
THE SA WRITERS COLLEGE 2023 Annual Short Story Competition For Emerging Writers in South Africa
The annual SA Writers College Short Story Competition is held to acknowledge excellence in creative writing in the short story form.
Who Can Participate?
The competition is open to any writer residing in South Africa who is unpublished, or has been published fewer than four times.
Theme
Theme For 2023 – You Only Live Once
Important Dates
** Closing date – Midnight 30 April 2023
** Longlist Announced – 22 May 2023
** Winners Announced – 12 June 2023
Entry Format
** Only e-mail submissions are acceptable. Stories must be copied and pasted into the body of the email, AND sent as a Word document attachment. Mark your entry clearly with the subject line: SAWC Annual Short Story Competition.
** Each story must have a unique title. Do not use the theme as your title.
** Your email must state the title of your story, as well as your name. E.g. ‘Once Upon a Time’ – by John Smith
** Your email must include the declaration: ‘I declare that I have been published in a mainstream print or online publication fewer than four times.’
** State your word count in your email.
** Do not include your name on any page of your story. All entries will be judged blind.
** Use a font such as Arial or Times New Roman, size 12 or more. Use 1.5 or double spacing between lines. We prefer a clear line between paragraphs rather than indenting.
** Make sure your story has been edited and polished according to tips and guidelines provided on our college site under “Writing Resources”, or on our webzine.
Competition Rules
** We aim to support beginner writers. We only accept stories from writers who have never been published, or who have been published fewer than four times in any genre.
This includes fiction and non-fiction, in any publication (for payment or otherwise). Journalists, copywriters or web writers must please not enter. People who made a living from writing at any point in their life (e.g. decades earlier) are also not eligible for entry.
We make an exception for unpaid articles for community or work newsletters or blogs where the circulation is under 1000.
** All submissions and enquiries can be sent to Nichola Meyer: Nichola@sawriterscollege.co.za
** Entrants must submit a story of maximum word count: 2000 words. Any entries exceeding the word count by 50 words will not be considered.
** Writers can interpret and represent the theme in any way they choose. Each story must include the phrase ‘You Only Live Once’ somewhere in the
story. Writers must produce their own title.
** Only one story per entrant is allowed.
** We only accept entries written in English.
** Prizewinners will be notified via email as well as on our web site; please ensure you supply a valid email address with your entry.
** Prize money will be paid via electronic transfer.
** Stories must not have been previously published. Entrants must own the copyright to the story submitted.
** The judges’ decision is final; no disputes will be entered into.
** If your entry has not been acknowledged within three working days, please contact us as your email may have got lost in transit.
Prizes
** First Prize – R10 000.00 and publication in an anthology of winning stories
** Second Prize – R 5 000.00 and publication in an anthology of winning stories
** Third Prize – R 2 500.00
The top three winners will receive editorial comments on their submitted works.