
Waiting for my ship to come in...
Veterans of this blog will know that I liken sending out my short stories(to magazines, publishers, employers, residencies, grants, competitions and contests) to launching ships.
Some will sink without trace, others will come back home with just token cargo (such as a shortlisting) and occasionally they flow into port laden with gold (a win). I have two such golden returns this year (the HISSAC and the Molly Keane Awards) and two further publications and a host of minor treasure besides.
But over half my fleet sunk. I tell you that not to dishearten you, on the contrary. When a ship disappears, you’ve got to brush yourself off and get on with it. Send more out and the more you send, the less you’ll bother about those you’ve lost. If you keep at it, you”ll get there.
Here’s a list of end-of-year comps – go on, launch a ship!
Roanoke Review
Deadline: November 8, 2011
Entry Fee: $15
Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Roanoke Review
Website: http://www.roanokereview.wordpress.com
**
Winter Anthology
Deadline: November 15, 2011
Entry Fee: $11
Website: http://www.winteranthology.com
Prize: $1,000 and publication in the Winter Anthology
**
Writer’s Digest
Deadline: November 15, 2011
Entry Fee: $20
Website: http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions
Prize: $3,000
***
Tennessee Williams Contest
Closing Date: November 15
Prizes: $1,500
Entry fee:
Website: http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/contests
**
New Millennium Writings
Deadline: November 17, 2011
Entry Fee: $17
Website: http://www.newmillenniumwritings.com
Prize: $1,000
**
Cheer Reader
Closing Date: 30 November 2011
Prizes: €100
Entry fee: €5
Website: http://cheerreader.co.uk
**
Mary Gornall Memorial
Website: http://www.ashbywritersclub.com/
Prize: £100
Deadline: 30 November 2011
**
Ink Tears
Closing Date: 30 November 2011
Prizes: £1000
Entry fee: £4.50
Website: http://www.inktears.com
**
The New Writer
Closing Date: 30th November
Prizes: £150
Entry fee: £5
Website: http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm
**
Fish Short Story Prize
Deadline: November 30, 2011
Entry Fee: $28
Website: http://www.fishpublishing.com
Prize of 3,000 euros
**
Glimmer Train Press
Deadline: November 30, 2011
Entry Fee: $15
Website: http://www.glimmertrain.org
Prize: $1,200 and publication in Glimmer Train Stories
**
Narrative Fall Story Contest
Deadline: November 30, 2011
Entry Fee: $20
Website: http://www.narrativemagazine.com
Prize: $3,250
**
Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown Writing Fellowships
Deadline: December 1, 2011
Entry Fee: $45
Website: http://www.fawc.org
Fellowships for a seven-month residency at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown
**
Willesden Herald
Deadline: 16 December 2011
Entry Fee: £3
Website: http://www.willesdenherald.com/competition/rules.php
Prize: £300
**
Ruth Hindman Foundation H. E. Francis Short Story Competition
Deadline: December 31, 2011
Entry Fee: $15
Website: http://www.uah.edu/english/hefranciscontest
Prize of $1,000
**
Boulevard Contest
Deadline: December 31, 2011
Entry Fee: $15
Website: http://www.boulevardmagazine.org
Prize: $1,500
**
Literal Latté K. Margaret Grossman Fiction Award
Deadline: January 15, 2012
Entry Fee: $10
Website: http://www.literal-latte.com
**
Francis McManus
Closing Date: Friday 20 January 2012
Prizes: €3,000
Entry fee: None, but must be Irish or resident in Ireland
Website: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/francismacmanus/Francis-MacManus-Entry-Form.pdf
Good luck!