Creative writing competition: The Desperate Literature Prize 2025

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30 January 2025
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The winner will receive €2,000 and two runners up will each receive €1,000

The Desperate Literature Prize is inviting submissions of original, unpublished short fiction up to 2,000 words. This year's judges are Mariana Enríquez, Henry Hoke and Ottessa Moshfegh.

The winner will receive €2,000, a week's writing residency at Civitella Ranieri Foundation, a consultation with literary agent Ed Wilson from Johnson & Alcock, and a long-form manuscript assesement from The Literary Consultancy. Two runners up will each receive €1,000.

All shortlisted writers will be published in a Desperate Literature anthology and in one of Desperate Literature's partner journals: Helter Skelter, The London Magazine, Open Pen, Prototype, gorse, Tenement, Kill Your Darlings and Minor Literature[s]. They will also be invited to take part in Desperate Literature prize events.

One shortlisted writer will be invited to participate in the European Writes Salon in Brussels, and another will be offered a ten-day residency at Desperate Literature.

All longlisted writers will receive one-year access to The Literary Consultancy's Being A Writer platform.

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The entry fee is €20 for the first story and €10 for each additional story.

The closing date is 13 April.

For full details see the website.

 

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