The Deepings Literary Festival 2026 Short Story Competition is now open.
Submission Guidelines
- Theme: Hidden Treasures (title can be different from Hidden Treasures as long as that’s the theme)
- Open to writers worldwide
- One entry per person
- Children’s competition – 8–15-year-olds, 500 words maximum (not including title)
- Adults’ competition – 16 and over, 1,000 words maximum (not including title)
Judges: Barbara Henderson (children’s category) and Vaseem Khan (adults’ category)
Entry fee: Free to enter
Prizes: £30 book token and publication in I’d Rather be in Deeping magazine
Deadline: Friday, 6 March 2026
Please note: This is an external competition; all details, all submissions via their website.