2012 Spilling Ink Short Story Prize

Now Open!
Closing Date: May 31, 2012
We always make an effort to notify winners within 30 days of closing date.+++

1st Prize – £500, publication in 2012 print anthology, 1 free copy

2nd Prize – £250, publication in 2012 print anthology, 1 free copy

3rd Prize – £125, publication in 2012 print anthology, 1 free copy

Shortlisted – publication in 2012 print anthology, 1 free copy

Honourable Mentions – offer to publish in the quarterly ejournal Spilling Ink Review

Entry fee (per entry): £5 or €8 or $10

Guest Judge: Richard Beard

Richard Beard has published five novels including X 20 A Novel of (not) Smoking (1996), Dry Bones (2004) and Damascus (1999), which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.  In 2008 he was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award and in 2010 longlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award. His latest novel is Lazarus is Dead (2011).

He has also written three books of non-fiction. Muddied Oafs (2003), Manly Pursuits (2006) and Becoming Drusilla (2008).

Richard Beard is the Director of the National Academy of Writing. The next National Academy of Writing event is a 10-week evening course beginning on May 23 in London. For more details, see: 10-week course: 23 May-25 July 2012 .

Competition Guidelines

  • 1500 words max (no minimum).
  • There is no theme. All styles and genres are welcome.
  • Multiple entries are accepted but must be accompanied with an entry fee.
  • Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please let us know as soon as possible if your entry has been accepted elsewhere or won/placed in another writing competition. Entry fees will not be refunded in this case.
  • Entries may be submitted via email or post. Entries submitted via email must be attached in the form of a Word (doc) or Rich Text Format (rtf). Entries submitted via post must be printed on standard-size paper and double-spaced. Entries sent via post will not be returned (please don’t send your only copy).
  • Please be kind when formatting and adhere to general rules of courtesy (i.e. 12pt standard font, double-spaced, pages numbered).
  • Your name, email address or any other distinguishing names should not appear in the body of your story. For example, please don’t put your name and email address in the header or footer. It is fine to include the title of your submission.
  • Submissions must be entrant’s own original work and must be previously unpublished (if your work has appeared in an online workshop or a member’s only writer’s chat – etc – it is eligible for this competition).
  • International submissions are welcomed but all entries must be written in English.
  • As a condition of submitting, the author must hold the copyright of the entry. If the entry is successful Spilling Ink will have one time publication rights. Copyright remains with the author.
  • Entries will be judged anonymously and all decisions are final.

How to Enter

  • You have two options: Online and Postal

Online Entry

  • You may submit your entry(ies) via email and pay the entry fee(s) online via PayPal. You do NOT need a PayPal account to use this option. Click the appropriate button below and you’ll be re-directed to a secure PayPal shopping cart. Please notice that you have the option to pay online in GBP (£), EURO (€) and USD ($). If you wish to enter more than one submission you will be given the opportunity to change the quantity on the PayPal shopping cart.
  • If you do not wish to pay online you may still submit your entry via email and send a cheque via the post. We can only accept cheques for GBP £ from a UK bank. Please make cheques payable to ‘Spilling Ink Review’ and post to: Spilling Ink Review, PO Box 16864, Glasgow, Scotland G11 9DJ.

  • Once you have a receipt/transaction number submit your entry via email to: spillingink.email@gmail.com
  • Be sure to cut and paste your PayPal receipt/transaction number into the body of the email (or let me know that payment has been sent via post)
  • State the competition category in the subject line of your email
  • In the body of the email please include the following:
  • Name
  • Postal Address
  • Title of Entry and Word Count
  • PayPal Receipt/Transaction Number
  • Don’t forget to attach your story! Atachments must be in the form of a Word(doc) or Rich Text Format (rtf). It would also help if the document name is the title of your story.

Postal Entry

  • Entries submitted via post should be printed on standard-size paper and double-spaced. Please adhere to common formatting (such as 12pt font, Times New Roman – or similar standard font – double-spaced). We do not reject entries based on varied formatting but we do appreciate standard style.
  • Entries sent via email will not be returned. Please do not send your only copy.
  • If you do not have an email address or you wish to receive hard-copy confirmation that we received your entry, please include a SASE or postcard.
  • Postal submissions should be accompanied by a cheque from a UK bank made out to ‘Spilling Ink Review’. We can only accept cheques in GBP (£).
  • Postal submissions should be accompanied by a coversheet stating the following:
  • Name
  • Postal Address
  • Title of Entry and Word Count
  • Email address (if available)
  • If you are more comfortable using a Competition Entry Form, please feel free to click the button below, print and submit with your postal entry.

Announcement of Winners

Winners and runners-up will be notified by email after the closing date and results posted on the Spilling Ink Review website.

© 2010-2012 Spilling Ink Review / Amy Burns, Editor / PO Box 16864, Glasgow G11 9DJ, email: spillingink.email@gmail.com