Note: Length of entries has been raised to 4,000 words.

This competition is for short stories of all kinds accepted in the Rules below. We believe firmly in competitions as a way to encourage writers (a) to put pen to paper, and (b) to believe in themselves. Practice of your profession is essential, and this is one way to get people writing with purpose. Many people also love the challenge, and it drives them to produce material they might not otherwise have explored, developing them  in unexpected ways!

PRIZES: First prize  £150 second prize  £75. Third prize is two of our books. Winning and Commended entries will be included in an Anthology. Note that if there are enough entries, prizes may rise in value. If there are too few, prizes will be adjusted fairly according to entry fees received.

ENTRY :   £4.00 / US$8.00 / ZAR40.00  (special allowance for Africa) per entry. This can be paid either online (see bottom of page), by cheque/check, or by deposit into one of our bank accounts (USA, South Africa, UK) - email us for details.

Fees are NOT refundable - please ensure you read the rules carefully. If you are paying online below, this will automatically be charged at £4.00 - so if you are in Southern Africa, it will be more than we are asking Southern African entrants; we suggest that you email us for our SA bank details, and make a direct deposit - see details at bottom of page.

: We are not keen on supplying critiques, as this is very time consuming (each critique takes several hours of work). However, we understand that writers often need feedback to help them improve their work, so if you require a professional critique, please make a separate payment for this. Short story critiques are charged at £18.00 (this is roughly just £6/hr).

GUIDELINES:

• This competition is OPEN  to anyone, of all ages and levels of experience. We are also running a "Christian Writers" competition. For children aged up to (and including) 14, please see our "Young Writers" competition page.
• Please DO NOT enter stories written for children. They cannot be judged equally against stories written for adults. We do not yet run a competition for children's stories.
• Please be sure you have the rights to enter this competition; entrants take full responsibility for copyright issues. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
• Stories may be up to but no longer than 4,000 words, in any style and on any subject (except those outlined in the Rules below). Please do not be offensive in your stories, or use graphic sexual or violent detail or language.
• Please submit by EMAIL, if at all possible. If email is absolutely impossible, then hard (paper) copy submissions will be accepted, but as these have to be scanned into our system, which is very time consuming, we discourage this.
• Mark entries clearly with the competition title " Sunpenny OPEN Competition" , and submit as below.
• If you must submit hard copy, PLEASE: do not staple your work. Staples have to be removed for scanning and our fingers and our time both suffer.
• We acknowledge receipt, and notify winners,  by email, so please include an email address. If you do not have an email address yourself, please give us the email of a friend or relative through whom you can be contacted. If entering by post, we can  only let you know your entry has been received if  you include a stamped self-addressed postcard or envelope to be sent back to you.
• Paper entries can not be returned, as they have ID numbers put onto every page, and are then scanned for transfer to the judges. They are in no condition to be used again.
• Digital entries: We accept most file formats - MS Word, OfficeOrg, Wordperfect, RTF, PDF, text, and others. If you send us something we can't read, we'll contact you. Please scan for viruses BEFORE sending!

Further details here.

London Comedy Writers does not endorse any of the competitions or opportunities listed on this site and cannot be held responsible for their administration. We provide these links in good faith. You must make your own judgment and do your own research before entering any competition or partaking in any opportunity. If you have had a bad experience with any of these competitions or events listed on the website, please contact us so it can be removed.