Creative writing competitions: Mslexia Fiction and Memoir Competition 2020

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07 August 2020
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This year's competitions are for flash fiction, children's and YA novels, short stories and life writing

The Mslexia Fiction and Memoir Competition 2020 is open to international entries by women writers. This year the competition includes a new memoir and life writing prize.

The 2020 categories are:

Flash fiction. Enter original, unpublished fiction in any genre up to 300 words. There is a first prize of £500 and three runners up each get £50. The judge is Ingrid Jendrzejewski. The entry fee is £5 per story.

• Children's and YA novel: Enter the first 5,000 words of a completed original, unpublished novel for children or young adults. Writers entering this category must not have had a novel published. The first prize is £5,000. The winner and finalists will receive feedback and introductions to agents and editors. The judges are Kiran Milwood-Hargrave, Amanda Craig and Joanna Moult. The entry fee is £25 per novel. There are a number sponsored entry places available for low-income women writers in this category.

• Short story: Enter original, unpublished short fiction between 300 and 3,000 words. The first prize is £3,000, a week on an Arvon retreat and a mentoring session with an editor at Virago. Three finalists will each receive £100. All four winning stories will be published in Mslexia. The judge is Sarah Hall. The entry fee is £10 per story.

• Memoir & life writing: To enter, send a 5,000 word extract from an original, unpublished memoir. Writers entering this category must not have previously published a memoir or biography. The first prize is £5,000. The winner and three finalists will receive feedback and agent introductions. The judges are Kate Clanchy, Caroline Sanderson and Isabel Dixon. The entry fee is £25 per extract.

The closing date is 21 September.

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For full details see the website.

 

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