Deadline of entries is on 30 June 2013.

The Cinnamon Press is holding a mini competition with the subject “The Sonnet.” Xlibris authors may send in works on any theme but must follow the rules governing sonnet-writing (e.g. the employment of iambic pentameter or not, and other traditional and creative sonnet variations).

For more information on the mini-competition, please visit http://www.cinnamonpress.com/competitions/mini-competitions/.

Deadline of entries:
11 May 2013 for Children's Short Story entries
18 May 2013 for Adults' Short Story entries

You are invited to send in entries to the Curry Mallet History Festival. The festival is holding a short story competition on two categories, Children's and Adults' Stories. Entries shall be judged by esteemed writers Angie Sage and Amelia Carr.

For more information on competition rules and how to enter, please visit http://www.currymallet.org/short-story-competition.

Deadline of entries on: 31 May 2013.

The Bridport Prize competition is now considering submissions of poems, short stories, and flash fiction. The competition is open to writers of any nationality, aged 16 years and above. Entries submitted must be written in English and must not have been previously published either in print or online.

For more competition details, please go to http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/content/competition.

Deadline of entries on: 30 May 2013.

The Barbara Pym Society is holding a short competition to commemorate the centenary of writer Barbara Pym's birth. The foremost rule of the competition is to have an entry with the same style as a Barbara Pym story. Entries can be up to 2, 200 words in length on any subject. Stories submitted should not have been previously published nor in consideration of another award.

More details regarding the competition can be found on the Barbara Pym Society homepage at http://www.barbara-pym.org/Homepage.html.

Deadline of entries: 8 June 2013

The Segora International Writing Competitions is open to entries falling into four categories: Short Story, Poetry, and Vignette. The deadline for entries is at midnight of 8 June 2013.

Read more about the competition on http://www.poetryproseandplays.co.uk/competitions/competitions_index.html.

Deadline of entries: 13 June 2013

The V. S. Pritchett Memorial prize was founded by the Royal Society of Literature to commemorate the birth centenary of Sir Victor Sawdon Pritchett, a British writer and critic well-known for his short stories. This year's prize will be judged by award-winning short story writers Adam Foulds, Jackie Kay, and Helen Simpson. The winner of the prize will receive £1,000 and will be published in the Prospect magazine online and the RSL Review.

Visit the RSL website for more information about the prize: http://www.rslit.org/v-s-pritchett.

Deadline of entries on: 30 June 2013.

The Cowley Literary Award is a global short story competition open to anyone of any nationality. It is comprised of two categories, fiction and the nonfiction. The award has no specific subject or theme for entries. Each month until the end of June, 4 stories will be chosen to complete the roster of 24 finalists.

Learn more on how to enter the competition in http://www.australianartsales.com.au/cowley-award.

Deadline of entries on: 30 June 2013.

The Leaf Books is inviting authors to submit their entries to its Open Competition programme. The best part? There is no theme or subject set, there is no word limit, and the best entries will be included in the January 2014 issue of the Leaf Writers' Magazine.

To learn how to enter this competition, please visit http://www.leafbooks.co.uk/competitions.html.

Deadline of entries:
30 June 2013
30 September 2013
31 December 2013

The Flash 500 Competition is now considering entries for its quarterly open theme writing contest. The competition has no set theme and participating writers may send in more than one work. Winning pieces will be announced within six weeks of the competition's closing dates and published on the Flash500 website.

For more details on how to join the competition, visit http://www.flash500.com/index_files/flashfiction.htm.

Deadline of entries on: 15 July 2013.

The 2013 Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition is now considering entries and invites you to take part in this annual contest with all profits benefiting the Severn Hospice. Organised by the Wrekin Writers Group of Shropshire, England, the short story competition has no set theme and is open to writers of any age and nationality. Xlibris authors may submit more than one work and all copyright remains with them. Winning entries shall be published in the Wrekin Writers 2013 Anthology and on the Wrekin Writers website.

To learn how to enter your entries, please go to https://sites.google.com/site/wrekinwriters/Home/competitions-1/doris-gooderson-2013-competition.

Deadline of entries is on 30 July 2013.

Now in its third year, the Eyelands International Short Story contest is once more considering entries with themes “Dream” and “Getaway.” Entries may be in short story form (any genre), previously unpublished in a book, magazine, or online journal, written in either English or Greek languages. The contest is open to writers of any nationality, but you must be 18 years old (no later than 1 March 2013) to send in your entries. All copyright remains with the authors; you may submit more than one entry to the competition.

Learn more about the contest rules in the website, please visit http://www.eyelands.gr/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1255:eyelands-3nd-international-short-story-contest&catid=82:story&Itemid=144.

Deadline of entries: 31 July 2013

Xlibris authors are invited to submit entries to the 2013 Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition. Sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland, the competition is open to writers of any nationality and has no set theme. Entries submitted must be original and unpublished in a book, magazine, or online journal. The author of the winning entry will receive €2,000, have his or her story published in the literary journal Southword, and take part in a week-long residency at Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat.

Learn more on how to enter the competition on http://www.munsterlit.ie/SOF%20Page.html.

Deadline of entries: 31 July 2013

The Highlands & Islands Short Story Association (HISSAC) is now considering entries to its annual short story competition. For this year, the competition has not put down any theme and encourages writers to send in 'both conventional and unusual story lines'. The word limit for entries is 2,500 and is open to writers from Scotland and of any nationality. Prizes include £400 for the first prize, £50 for second and third prizes, and recognition for the highly commended entries. Winning and highly commended stories will also be featured on the HISSAC website. Founded in 2004 by award-winning short story writer and novelist Clio Gray, the HISSAC organisation intends to encourage and inspire new and emerging writers through its annual competition and its writing mentorship programme.

Read up more on the details for the competition by visiting the competition webpage on http://www.hissac.co.uk/CompetitionDetails.

Deadline of entries: 30 June 2013

The Northampton Literature Group, a member of the National Association of Writers' Groups, invites you to its inaugural flash writing competition. Your entries may be on any theme you wish to write about and must be limited to only 500 words (or risk forfeiture of your submissions). Entry fees are £2 per story or £5 for three stories. Fictionist, podcaster, and prolific writer Morgen Bailey will head the judging panel.

Look at NLG's competition page for more information: http://www.northamptonliteraturegroup.org.uk/flashfiction.html.

Deadline of entries on: 7 July 2013.

You are invited to participate in the Ledbury Poetry Competition. This awards program is part of the Ledbury Poetry Festival (5-14 July 2013) and gives out £1,000 and a week-long stay at Ty Newydd, Wales' National Writers' Centre to the first prize winner. Additionally, winners in all the categories will get the opportunity to read their poems at the 2014 Ledbury Poetry Festival. The competition will be judged by poet Esther Morgan, 1998 recipient of the Eric Gregory Award and winner of the coveted 2001 Aldeburgh First Collection Prize for her collection, Beyond Calling Distance.

Read more on the competition's guidelines on http://www.poetry-festival.co.uk/poetry-competition.html.

Deadline of entries is on: 30 October 2013

The chase for the next crime writing mastermind is on. If you are the type to bring out bloodcurdling screams out of your readers for your characters' ingenious crimes, then entering your 5,000-word crimes story to Blood Ink Crime Writing Competition is a must. Sally Spedding, writer of Wringland, will judge how hair-raising the stories sent in are.

Find more clues about sending in your entries by visiting this competition webpage: http://www.chapteronepromotions.com/competitions/blood-ink-crime-writing-competition-2.htm.

Deadline of entries is on: 31 October 2013.

Enter the prestigious National Poetry Competition and get a chance to read your winning piece at the Ledbury Poetry Festival in July 2014. A cash prize of £5,000 will be awarded to the first prize winner, £2,000 for second place, and £1,000 for third place. Seven commendations will also be given, each with a £100 cash prize. Entries must be previously unpublished with a fee of £6 for the first poem and £3.50 for each succeeding entry submitted. The competition will be judged by recognized poets Jane Yeh, Julia Copus, and Matthew Sweeney.

Learn more about the rules on http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/npc/.

Deadline of entries on: 31 August 2013.

Bring out more of your creative prose and poetry and showcase your writing talent to an international audience. There are two categories for the competition: Poetry and Fiction. Whether you're a master of one or both, this is a great opportunity to exercise your craft. Entry fee is £10 + VAT, which shall cover for the submission of two works into one category.

Read more on the Aesthetica website on http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/creativewriting.

Deadline of entries: 30 September 2013

Fiction and creative non-fiction submissions are now being considered for the 2013 Prolitzer Prize for Prose Writing. There is no set theme but entries must be no more than 2,500 words, must br engaging, entertaining, and should resonate with readers. Short story writer Jaki McCarrick will be judging the competition. The winner shall receive £140 and have his or her work included in the Prole 12, a collection of short stories, to be published in December 2013.

Read more about the competition on http://www.prolebooks.co.uk/page8.html.

Registration closes on 27 May 2013
Masterclass is on 22 June 2013

Do you want to write a thriller that can match the works of today's greatest crime writers? Attend the Crime Writing Masterclass by Baroness Ruth Rendell, acclaimed crime fiction novelist and creator of the iconic police detective character Chief Inspector Wexford. The Masterclass will be on 22 June 2013, Saturday, 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Somerset House on Strand, Westminster, London. Learn how to write page-turning crime fiction that will keep your readers riveted till the end. Seats are limited, so please send your applications by e-mail to Lucy Clouting at lucy@rslit.org (please use “Ruth Rendell Masterclass” as your subject line). This writing class is a part of the Royal Society of Literature Masterclass programme in partnership with the Booker Prize Foundation.

For more information, visit http://www.rslit.org/crime-writing.

Conference will be on 21 – 25 June 2013.

The Winchester Writers' Conference offers you the opportunity to participate in any of the Masters' classes, talks, workshops, and one-on-one meetings with literary agents and publishing professionals available during the event. The festival and book fair shall run from 21 to 23 June at The University of Winchester followed by the in-depth workshops on 24 to 25 June, featuring an impressive list of speakers from the industry of book publishing.

To learn more about the conference and on how to book tickets, visit http://www.writersconference.co.uk/index.htm. .

Writing retreat stretches from 14 to 24 August 2013

Experience a different kind of writing retreat and immerse yourself in the incomparable and enthralling beauty of the Scottish Highlands at The Writer's Journey. The writing retreat will be at the Newbold House on St. Leonard's Road, Forres, Morayshire, UK. Conceived and organised by novelist Laura Davis, this writing programme offers you the opportunity to travel and be inspired by the beautiful Scottish setting and develop your stories through dynamic interaction with your fellow writers. To arrange for your participation, please call Robyn Randolph on 07449-944-544. You may also send an e-mail through rawsomerandolphs@gmail.com. Bookings close quickly for the summer season, and applications shall be accepted on first-come, first-served basis. Find out more by visiting the website on http://lauradavis.net/roadmap/cometoscotland.

Festival stretches from 15 – 19 June 2013

What makes this particular festival different from others is that it will be held not in event halls, but in various libraries throughout the North Yorkshire county town of Middlesbrough. Held from 15 to 19 June, the Middlesbrough Literary Festival presents a variety of free and paid author events, writing workshops, activities for children, as well as music and spoken word performances.

Find out more by visiting the festival's website: http://www.middlesbroughlitfest.co.uk/.

Festival is on 24 – 30 June 2013

Experience history in new ways in the countryside of Wiltshire. History, from the Roman ages to the Second World War, comes alive in the festival with Have-a-Go Archery, Sword School, an interactional First World War trench experience, and a reenactment of the Battle of Vitoria during the Peninsular War.

Seminars, lectures, debates, and discussions will be given by leading historians Max Hastings, Neil Oliver, Dan Snow, and many others in the festival about topics ranging from Ancient Rome to the Iron Curtain.

Learn more about the festival and book tickets for yourself, friends, and family on http://www.cvhf.org.uk/.

Festival is on 5 – 14 July 2013.

One of the UK's most prestigious literary festivals, the Ledbury Poetry Festival once again returns this year with an eclectic mix of live poetry readings, musical performances, author talks, family events, and writing workshops.

Make your bookings on the festival webpage: http://www.poetry-festival.co.uk/index.html.

Festival is on 15 – 16 June 2013.

This June, the seaside town of Felixstowe will launch the Felixstowe Book Festival for the first time. With the theme 'A Sense of Place', the festival will feature writers whose writings clearly evince their settings. Four speakers will appear in four different venues, and even children will have their own niche in the festival.

Take a look at the festival's programme on http://www.felixstowebookfestival.co.uk/.