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Current UK Writing Competitions
Ive never won a poetry competition, mainly, I like to think, because I havent entered many (4), but I did once win a cash prize for a short story, and then of course I won the Peter Pook Humorous Novel Contest with Stiff Competition, a novel that had previously been rejected by a top publisher for being too funny (see Comps Novel). I therefore speak from experience when I say that winning small, lesser-known competitions doesnt lead to overnight fame. But having
a few such successes to boast about does you no harm when approaching editors or agents, so if you do have dreams of a writing career, this could be the place to begin. Or maybe you just want to win some money. Whatever your motives, the only advice I can offer is to suggest you emulate my old friend Percy Vere, who reads, writes, reads, writes ad infinitum. Below is a list of the most interesting UK writing competitions Ive found recently
(entry is not necessarily limited to UK residents).=> Bear in mind that contests with smaller prizes, and those where you have to write for details, attract fewer entries. Such competitions are easier to win.
Below is a list of the most interesting UK writing competitions Ive found recently
(entry is not necessarily limited to UK residents).
=> Bear in mind that contests with smaller prizes, and those where you have to write for details, attract fewer entries. Such competitions are easier to win.
UK Writing Competitions (currently 77)
Updated 3.1.12
Writers Forum Short Story Competition. There is a new contest in each issue of this writers mag. All types of stories are accepted, from horror to romance, with a length of between 1,000 and 3,000 words.
Closing: Monthly. Entries arriving too late for one comp go into the next. Prizes: £300, £150, £100 in each issue. Entry Fee: £6, or £3 for subscribers to the magazine. Critique - £5 (enclose sae if entering by post). Comp Page: Click Here.
Writers Forum Poetry Competition. This
monthly contest from the glossy magazine Writers Forum is for poems of up to 40 lines. Closing: Monthly. Entries arriving too late for one month go forward to the next. Prizes: 1st - £100. Runners-up - A Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Entry Fee: £5 each, £3 each thereafter. Includes a free critique (sae required if entering by post).
Comp Page: Click Here.
Books to Improve Your Writing Skills
Hi Before I discovered your website Id never even thought of trying my luck in a writing competition. My stories were a very private part of my life, I was (and for the most of the time still am) very convinced that they are not good enough for the outside world. I dont know what made me try - call it a crazy moment of self-confidence - but here I am the October winner of the Cazart short story competition.
I havent felt so good about myself in months. It might not seem like a big deal to the world but for me it means everything. And it would not have happened if it wasnt for your wonderful website. Thank You very
much. - Dorota Nocun
Updated 17.9.14
Cinnamon Press Poetry Pamphlet Prizes. Entries for ths one should comprise 15 to 25 poems of up
to 50 lines each. Closing: Annually (end of March). Prizes: 4 x £150 plus publishing contract. Entry Fee: £10. Comp Page:
Click Here.
Updated 17.9.14
Cinnamon Press Short Story Award. This is for stories of between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Closing: annually (end of May).
Prize: £700, £150, £50, plus publication. Entry Fee: £12 (includes a free copy of the winners anthology). Comp Page: Click Here.
Cinnamon Press Debut Novel/Novella Prize. To enter this you submit the first 10,000 words of your novel or novella. Closing: Anually (end of July). Prize
: £1,000 and a pulishing contract. Entry Fee: £12. Comp Page: Click Here.
WriteOnSite Writing Competition. This, they say, could be described as literary open mic. The competition opens at 5.30pm GMT every Saturday, at which point three themes are given. You choose your theme, pay your entry fee and then write. You have just 20 minutes to complete
your story. Three entries are then chosen to be read and judged by all the other entrants during the following week. Only for the brave. Closing: Every Saturday. Prize: £40. Entry Fee: £3. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 6.7.09
Telegraph Just Back Travel writing Competition. If you are just back from somewhere a little more
interesting than the local park, the Telegraph Online would like the gripping details in up to 500 words. You can read previous winners on the website. A voyage across the Mersey is one of them - proving that you dont have to write about anywhere exotic to scoop the prize. Closing: Monthly. Prize: £200 in the currency of your choice. Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
Comp Page: Click Here.
Updated 27.6.10
The Write Place Novel Competition. This contest has now been cancelled by the promoters (The Write Place Creative Writing School) following my comments about the alleged value of the prize (publication) and the nature of the publishing firm (Pneuma Springs Publishing) supplying it. Although the promoters are blaming me for ruining a worthwhile
competition, I consider the cancellation to be their acceptance that my comments were spot on. Pneuma Springs Publishing offers services which are deemed by the book trade to be vanity publishing. If anyone is unclear about the meaning and implications of this term, they should read the free
Occasional Paper on Vanity Publishing by the Society of Authors: Click Here.
The Rules, the T&Cs, the Fine PrintWhen you submit a story or poem to a competition, you are entering into a contract with the promoter. Make sure you know the terms. It may be, for instance, that you are granting the promoter the right to publish your work without payment
even if you dont win. This is often the price you pay for entering a contest with no entry fee. If it bothers you, dont participate. But before you get sniffy about that 450-word story set in the sedate world of turnip farming, ask yourself this: Would I really be able to sell it to anyone else? Publication, even without payment, might not be a bad thing if it gets you a healthy crop of readers. And if its in a newspaper or magazine that carries some
prestige ... well, there are plenty of struggling writers who would gift wrap and hand over their very souls for the privilege of being able to put that in their cv. Only you can decide if its worth it.
Updated 1.1.13
Camp Trip Writing Contest. This recurring US contest is for camping related articles (minimum 200 words) in
which you share your tips, tricks, advice, infomative experience, etc. Note that your entry may appear on the website, so leave out the illegal stuff (such as what you were smoking round the campfire). Closing: Each time 100 entries have been received. Then a new contest begins. See website for latest count. Prizes: $100, $75, $25 - all in Visa Gift Cards. Entry Fee
: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added1.11.09Updated 12.4.11
Dear Michael,
I just wanted to tell you that I won first prize in the Charnwood Arts' miniWords Poetry Competition (£250), so thank you very much for that!
- Mary Whitsell
Hello Michael I've just won the Telegraph's 'Just Back' Travel Writing Competition, which I heard about on your site. Thank you yet again for providing this service to writers. It's a good thing I don't have to tell you about all the competitions I entered but didn't win, isn't it? But all the rejections only make the wins that much sweeter!
Mary Whitsell
Added 7.4.13
Daggerville Games Writing Competition. This monthly contest from Daggerville Games is for short pieces of writing (up to 250 words) on a different theme each month. The theme for April - and I apologise if it is no longer April and Ive forgotten
to update this - is The Perfect Murder. You have to Like the firm on Facebook to enter, but other than this requirement to be free and easy with your affections, there is no cost. Closing: End of each month. Prize: $50 Amazon voucher. Entry Fee: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Dear Michael I regularly look at your website which is very helpful. I entered my novella 'Living Doll' in the
Pageturner competition run by Contact Publlshing which you listed and it made the 10 shortlisted entries, being rated 6th overall. Not a big success but something! Many thanks for your website. Best wishes
- Suzanne Thorpe
Updated 1.6.14
Dark Tales Short Story Competition. As you may gather from the name of the competition, this is not for the sort of cheerful happy-ending story that leaves you with a warm glow inside. It is for horror and speculative fiction, the sort that leaves you afraid to turn the lights out in case something is hiding in the wardrobe. Your entry must be
limited to 5,000 words. Closing: Monthly. Prize: £100. Winner and shortlisted stories will be published in Dark Tales. Entry Fee: £5. Comp Page:
Click Here.
Hi Michael Love, love, love your site! But it should come with a word of warning to other would-be comp winners. Go straight to terms and condition page first. Just spent the last hour and a half crafting (skillfully obviously) a poem about bingo for one of the contests on
your site, only to find that (unlucky for some, or rather - me) when I went to email it, it was for UK residents only! I went to dramatically raise my hand to my forehead saying `oh s**t!` when I knocked over my glass of wine on the desk. As I went to quickly mop up everything, I knocked my phone off the table where it now lies wet and immobilised. So, to re-evaluate: 1. Check terms and conditions. 2. Don`t make any sudden, dramatic hand movements. 3. Don`t place
wine on same surface as computer. 4. Don`t place mobile phone on same surface as wine glass. And finally, 5. Make sure there`s a spare bottle of wine in fridge when you go to drown your sorrows on your time-wasted, expensive, quiet sunday evening in.
- Susan from Dublin
Added 2.5.14
Templar Quarterly Pamphlet Awards. This is for short poetry collections of between 10 and 12 pages. Closing: 1.3.15, 1.6.15. Prize: Your collection publsihed as a Templar Pamphlet with a page on the website dedicated to same. You get 25 free copies of the pamphlet and an offer of further copes
at a discount price. You also get a Templar Poetry publishing agreement with the option to submit a full collection for possible publication. Entry Fee: £10. Comp Page:
Click Here.
Dear Michael, Thank you for maintaining your informative and witty list of writing competitions. I entered loads of them last year and got precisely nowhere, but I ploughed on regardless and have just won
second prize (£100) in the Flash 500 Humour Verse contest, which would suggest that your friend Percy Vere might be onto something.
- Melanie Branton
Updated 23.7.14
Flash 500 Humorous Verse Competition. This quarterly contest from the Flash 500 website is having the last laugh as its now in its fourth year. Any kind of humorous verse is required, up to 32 lines. Closing: 31.3.15, 30.6.15. Prizes: 1st £150 and publication in Words with Jam. 2nd -
£100. 3rd - £50. Entry Fee: £3 for the first, £2.50 thereafter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Hour of Writes Competition. To enter this new weekly peer-reviewed contest from Manchester you submit a piece of writing of any type you choose running to no more than 2,000 words. There is a different theme every week. Closing: 11pm every Friday. Prize:
£50 (usually the minimum, they say; prize increases if more entries are received). Entry Fee: £3. Comp Page: Click Here.
Hi Michael Just to let you know I was a runner up in last years Eyelands short story competition. I entered it mainly because entries were accepted by email. The main prizes were very generous, as I remember they included video cameras and computers and a notebook which I took to mean a notebook computer. I didnt win any of these but I was awarded with distinction and sent
a certificate to prove it. I also received a copy of the Eyelands anthology which included my story. Only one problem its in Greek. I recognised my story because it had my name at the top in English. I advise anyone entering this year's comp to look for the automatic translation feature in google - unless of course they understand Greek! Many thanks for your website. Always interesting even if I don't enter one of the comps.
- Mary Hodges
Flash 500 Competition. This quarterly flash fiction contest, which offers higher prize money than many similar competitions, is for stories of up to 500 words on any theme. Closing: 31.3.15, 30.6.15. Prizes: 1st - £300 and publication in Words With Jam. 2nd - £200. 3rd - £100.
Highly Commended - A copy of The Writers ABC Checklist. Entry Fee: £5 each, £8 for two. Comp Page: Click Here.
Michael, I have been a follower of your excellent site for a few years, finally with some success. I usually submit poetry but I have won 2nd Prize in the Eyelands Short Story competition - a piece of Greek pottery and copy of the Anthology containing my story. I hope the Anthology copy
which I receive is not all GREEK TO ME like Mary Hodges copy last Year!
- Regards Fred McIlmoyle
Added 31.3.15
Cultured Vultures Poem of the Week. This one from American website Cultured Vultures (We eat your words) is open to all comers and is for poems of any type. To enter you submit three plus a short bio. Closing: Weekly. Prize: Publication on the website. Entry Fee
: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Dear Michael I won this year's Cinnamon Press Short Story competition. I wouldn't have known about this excellent small publishing press without your listings site. I just wanted to share with you my success (but not the prize money, obvs).
Best wishes, - Kerry Hood
Added 1.3.15
Since 9/11 - National Schools Competition
. This contest for students aged between 13 and 16 is for essays of up to 1,200 words and short films of between 3 and 5 minutes, the theme in both categories being How did 9/11 change the world? Closing: 27.3.15. Prizes (3 in each category): A trip to New York in September for the 9/11 anniversary. Entry Fee
: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Rollick Writing Competition. This freebie from new online magazine Rollick is for poetry, short stories, essays, memoir - and just about any other type of writing on subjects as diverse as television, games and critical theory. Art is also required, along with illustration, photography, film and animation. The prize goes to the most popular item in each issue, which is to say the one that
attracts the most comments, likes and interaction from readers. The theme for the soon-to-be-published first issue is Modern Ingenue. Closing: 30.3.15. Prize: $250. Entry Fee: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Fish Poetry Competition. This international contest is for poems of up to 300 words on any subject and in any style.
Closing: 30.3.15. Prizes: 1st - 1,000 euros. 2nd - A weeks residence at Anam Cara Writers and Artists Retreat in Cork, Ireland. Ten poems will be published in the anthology. Entry Fee: 14 euros for the first, 8 thereafter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Bath Novel Award. Dont worry - you dont have to
write a story about someone having a bath. The contest, which is open worldwide, takes its name from the town of Bath in Somerset and it is for novels on any subject. To enter you submit the first 5,000 words and a synopsis. Closing: 31.3.15. Prize: £1,000. Entry Fee: £20. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 4.3.15
The Short Fiction Prize
. This one from Short Fiction, a literary journal from Plymouth University, is for stories running to no more than 6,000 words. Closing: 31.3.15. Prizes: £500, £100. The 1st prize winner will be published in the journal. Entry Fee: £6. Submit two for £10 and receive a free opy of the next issue of the journal. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 1.1.15
Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition
. This contest is for stories of up to 1,500 words on any subject. They do not need to be associated with Scotland. Chair of the judges is well-known novelist Alexander McCall Smith. Closing: 31.3.15. Prizes: 1st - £800. All finalists will receive a signed copy of a novel by Alexander McCall Smith. Entry
Fee: £10. Comp Page: Click Here.
Dear Michael I wanted to let you know that I was awarded second prize, and publication in an anthology, for my entry into the Cwrtnewydd Scribblers Short Story Comp 2013. Without your wonderful website, I would never have found out about this prize! Thanks so much!
- Russell Clegg
The Henshaw Competition. This short story contest from Henshaw Press of Northampton is for fictional stories of up to 2,000 words on any subject. Closing: 31.3.14. Prizes: £100, £50, £25. Winners will be published on the website. Entry Fee: £5.
Comp Page: Click Here.
Omegas Summer Holiday Writing Competition. If you have recently had a holiday in the land of the kiwi you might be interested in entering this contest from New Zealand car rental company Omega. You might be interested even if you havent
had a holiday there but it will be a bit difficult because you have to write 400 to 600 words about your favourite places to swim, surf, eat, fish, kayak, etc, and you must also supply a couple of your holiday snaps. I went there on a working holiday in Christchurch once but I didnt have time to swim, surf, fish or kayak. I did eat however, albeit only in the guest house I was living in on Columbo Street. Fish pie on Friday nights, left in the oven for me to enjoy when I got home from working late. Crust like a paving slab. Unforgettable.
Closing: 31.3.15. Prizes: 1st - $500 NZD. In addition there are $50 spot prizes along the way. Entry Fee: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Writing Times Short Story Competition. This contest from online magazine Writing Times is for stories of between
1,500 and 2,000 words on the theme of Animals. Closing: 31.3.15. Prizes: 1st - £50 plus publication in the mag. Runner-up - £25 plus publication in the mag. Entry Fee: £4. Comp Page: Click Here.
SPM Publication Poetry Book Competition. For this international contest from Sentinel Poetry Movement you submit a
collection of poems running to 20 pages. Closing: 31.3.15. Prizes: £500, £250, £125. In addition the three winners receive publishing contracts and 20 free copies of their book. Entry Fee: £25. Comp Page: Click Here.
Updated 1.3.15
TXTLit Micro Story Competition. For this contest
you need a mobile phone. Well, everyones got one, havent they? No. Theres still one person in the UK who hasnt. Me. I dont like phones of any sort. I have one that plugs into the wall but I never answer it when it rings. I think: Theyll ring again if its important. They seldom do, and if they do I never answer it and they never ring again - which proves they were just time-wasters. Now, I may seem to be rambling a bit here, but
hey, what do you know, this turns out to be relevant because you mustnt ramble in this competition. Limit your stories to 154 characters (letters and spaces, not people), and while youre about it, refrain from using abbreviated TXT gibberish, as this is not welcome. At last - someone is fighting back on behalf of the English language! There is a different theme each month. Closing: 31.3.15. Prize: £50.
Entry Fee: £1 plus the normal cost of sending a text message (no use asking me what that is). Website: Click Here.
Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. This freebie from America is for fantasy stories running to no more than 8,000 words. Any fantasy genre is welcome, but there are Do and Dont lists that you would do well to peruse before entering (no angst-ridden teens pining over vampire lovers - but you will be
relived to learn that they have nothing against elves). Closing: 1.4.15. Prizes: 1st - $500 worth of books, an engraved award thingy and pubication on the website at industry standard rates. 2nd - $500 worth of books. 3rd - $300 worth of books. Entry Fee: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
My Dream Blog Writing Contest. This
contest from the website How to Start a Blog Online is for writing of between 300 and 700 words on one of two topics, depending on whether or not you already have a blog. If you do have one, then its Why I started my blog. If not, its Why I would love to start a blog. In both cases you can give one reason or many reasons, but you must quote a sentence from the article 29 Reasons to Start a Blog which is available to read on the website.
Closing: 12.4.15. Prizes: 1st - A self-hosted Wordpress blog with a premium theme and a professional design. 2nd - A self-hosted Wordpress blog. 3rd - Honourable mention. Entry Fee: None - free to enter. Comp Page:
Click Here.
Eyelands International Short Story Competition. This is the fifth of these annual contests from
Greece. The theme this year is, appropriately enough, On the Verge, although this is probably not meant to relate to Greeces current financial turmoil. Stories should run to no more than 2,500 words. Closing: 20.4.15. Prizes: 1st - A weeks holiday on the Island of Crete. Winner and runners-up (2) receive a Greek hand-made ceramic from the collection of Omodamos Clayart (not sure if thats a company or the
designer). The Shortlisted stories will be published in an English language anthology which will be available on Amazon. Entry Fee: 8 euros. Comp Page: Click Here.
Red Shed Open Poetry Competition. This annual contest from Currock Press is for poems of up to 50 lines written in
a shed - or indeed anywhere else. Closing: 25.4.15. Prizes: £100, £50. Wakefield Postcode: £25. A presentation event will be held in Wakefield at Mocca Moocho cafe where there will be grounds for celebration and other coffee puns. Entry Fee: £3 for the first, £2 thereafter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Bath Short Story Award.
The task in this annual contest from the famous Roman spa town of Bath is simply to write a story for adults or young adults on any theme. There is a word limit of 2,200. Entries exceeding this will be going down the plughole, rejected before the first reading. Closing: 27.4.15. Prizes: £1,000, £200, £100. Local Prize: £50.
Entry Fee: £8. Comp Page: Click Here.
One less Pedestrian ...Hi Just to let you know rather belatedly that I entered a number of prose competitions last year all from
your web site and had great fun trying a varied menu of different word lengths and genres. I won $500 in an essay writing competition in the Pedestrian magazine - entering despite your scathing comments. I got the money and bought a lovely new bike. The magazine then went bust so my entry wasnt published - so yet to see my name in print but I have the bike so hey ho.
- Rosemary Barry
Writers Bureau Limerick Competition. Heres another contest from Writers Bureau, this time for limericks. Not much more to say about it really, except that the limericks should of course be your own work. The judge is Diana Nadin, Director
of Studies at the Bureau. Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: 1st - £100 plus a choice of any Writers Bureau course (normally costs over £300). Runners-up (2) - £50 plus a subscription to Freelance Market News (worth over £60). Winners will be published in Freelance Market News and on the Internet. Entry Fee: £5 for four limericks, then £1 each thereafter. Comp
Page: Click Here.
Poetic Republic Short Story Competition. This is for stories of between 750 and 3,000 words on any subject. Entries are judged by the participants via an anonymous peer review system. An ebook containing 14 to 21 stories will be published after the second round of judging. Closing: 30.4.15.
Prizes: 1st - £2,000. Best Commentator - £250. Entry Fee: £12. Comp Page: Click Here.
Senior Travel Expert writing Competition. It doesnt matter if youre not a senior travel expert, for as long as you are 16 or over and have been to an interesting city, town or village, you can enter this contest. The city, town or village could even be the one where you live. Whatever the
case, you have to describe its virtues, its excitement, its downright irresistability, in such as way as to make people want to flock there en masse. You are allowed 750 words for this. Fortunately for those who live in a dismal, crime-infested hellhole entries can be fiction as well as fact. Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: 1st - £100. Runners-up (10) - a £10 firstwriter.com subscription voucher. Winners will
be published on the website, Entry Fee: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here
Ver Poets Open Poetry Competition. Here is another familiar face in the competitions crowd. It comes from a poetry group in St Albans. Anything goes as far as the subject is concerned, but confine your efforts to 30 lines or fewer. Closing
: 30.4.15. Prizes: £600, £300, £100. Winning and selected poems will be published in an anthology. Entry Fee: £4 each, £10 for three, £2 thereafter. Comp Page: Click Here
Postcard Poems. This contest from Sheffields Bank Street Arts, in conjunction with The Poetry Business and South Yorkshire Poetry Festival, is for poems short enough to be written legibly on the left-hand side of a
postcard. You have to actually hand-write the poem on a postcard, so those of you who have spent most of your lives sitting at a computer keyboard with a printer nearby could have some difficulty. You may have to ask your parents for something called a pen. After that its just a matter of trial and error. Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: 1st - A book, pamphlet, ebook and audiobook download from The Poetry Business.
Runners-up (10) - Back issues of The North magazine. Selected winning entries will be published in The North magazine. All entries will be featured in an exhibition to be held as part of the South Yorkshire Poetry Festival. Entry Fee: £10. Comp Page: Click Here
Tom Howard/John H Reid Fiction & Essay Contest. This annual contest from American website Winning Writers is for stories and essays running to no more than 6,000 words on any theme. Previously
published works are acceptable. Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: Best Short Fiction - $1,500. Best Essay - $1,500. In addition there will be ten Honourable Mentions with prizes of $100 each. The twelve winning entries will be published on the website. Entry Fee: $16. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 1.3.14
Hi Michael I spent a year or so reading all those comments on your website from people who, since consulting
your list, seem have won just about every competition going. I read it and thought it must be too good to be true but worth a try. Then, on my third submission, I have actually gone and won the Yeovil Literary Prize for Poetry. I am absolutely over the moon, unable to believe it, etc. Thank you so much.
- Andy Miller
Momaya Short Story Competition. Entries of up to 3,000 words are required for this annual international contest from Momaya Press of London. The theme is Treasure and you may interpret this in any way you choose, as a noun or a verb. Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: £110, £55, £30.
Winners along with seven Honourable Mentions and possibly others will be published in the Momaya Short Story Review. Entry Fee: £8. Comp Page: Click Here
Bristol Short Story Prize 2014. This annual international contest, bristoling with prizes as usual, is for stories of up to 4,000 words on any subject. It is open to published and unpublished
writers. I went to Bristol on a treasure hunt once in search of a whalebone associated with the explorer John Cabot who was based there in the late 1400s. The whalebone wasnt the prize. It was a clue, or rather it would have been if I hadnt misinterpreted earlier clues and gone hopelessly wrong (the irrelevant Cabot whalebone was in the western entrance to St Mary Redcliffe church, a fact Im confident you will one day find useful). You have probably twigged by now
that this is in no way relevant to the competition. Its just that I cant think of anything else to say about Bristol, nice though it may be. One of the contest judges, incidentally, is literary agent Sarah Davis. Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: 1st - £1,000 plus a £150 Waterstones gift card. 2nd - £700 plus a £100 Waterstones gift card. 3rd - £400 plus a £100 Waterstones gift card. Runners-up (17) -
£100. All 20 winners will be published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 8. The 20 shortlisted writers will be invited to an awards ceremony in Bristol where the winners will be announced. Entry Fee: £8. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 1.2.15
Exeter Story Prize. Stories of up to 10,000 words on any theme are eligible for this one from writing services
company Creative Writing Matters. Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: £500 + Trophy, £150, £100. Best Humorous Story - £200 + Trophy. Entry Fee: £8. Comp Page: Click Here.
Southport Writers Circle International Poetry Competition. As a child I lived for a while just up the road from
Southport. It was a cultural void back then, often referred to as the poor mans Blackpool. Not any more. These days, in addition to its renowned flower show (a horticultural hotbed) it has a writers circle and an international poetry contest. Some are now calling Blackpool the poor mans Southport, although admittedly not many. The contest requires poems of up to 40 lines on any theme. Closing: 30.4.15.
Prizes: £150, £75, £25. Humourous - £25. Local - £25. Entry Fee: £3 each, £10 for four. Comp Page: Click Here
Rubery Book Award. This international contest is for published fiction and non-fiction books of most types. These can be submitted by a publisher, or an author published by an independent publisher. They can be self-published books and they can be ebooks.
Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: 1st - £1,000, plus the wnning book will be read by a top London literary agent. At least three category winners will each receive £100. Entry Fee: £35. For struggling authors this will mean turning off the heating for a month, but they can always wait until April before entering as then it will be spring. Comp Page: Click Here
Luna Press Short Story Competition. This new contest from
Luna Press in Edinburgh is for science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy or, if you are one of those story chefs who like to throw in a dash of everything before bringing it to the boil and serving it up with a flourish, a mixture of these. Your entry should run to no more than 8,000 words. Closing: 30.4.15 and 30.9.15. Prizes: £50 for the winner from each of the two rounds. All shortlisted entries (10 from each round) will be
published in an anthology. Entry Fee: £5. Comp Page: Click Here.
Poetic Republic Poetry Competition. This one from the Poetic Republic website is for poems on any subject running to no more than 42 lines. The contest is judged by the participants through an anonymous peer review system. An ebook containing 48 poems will be published and this will include a
selection of the best or most interesting comments. Closing: 30.4.15. Prizes: Single Poem - £2,000. Portfolio Prize - £1,000. Entry Fee: £7. Comp Page: Click Here.
Hi Michael I love your website, and am completely indebted to it! I began writing poetry when I was 12, but it would appear I've become a lot better at it now at 16, since Ive
had a pretty good year thanks to your website - coming highly commended in a Poem Pigeon contest, runner-up in a Red Cross competition, and commended in the Foyle Poets Award (which made me jump up and down for...hmm...three weeks straight). None of which I wouldve ever known about without your website. Thank you so much. Youve made this young writer very happy!
- Daniella Cugini x
Red Ribbon Short Story Competition. This international contest from new publisher Red Ribbon Press is for stories of between 3,000 and 5,000 words on the jolly theme of Love at the end of the world. The publishers say they are looking for the most intriguing, the funniest and perhaps the darkest parts of human love and sex in times of hardship and
apocalypse. And it seems they are not averse to unconventional plots, bizarre settings, experimental language and weirdness. Id go easy on the experimental language if I were you. I mean, if you write your story in something like Klingon, whos going to be able to read it? Closing: 1.5.15. Prize: $100. All shortlisted entries will be published. Entry Fee
: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
The Word Hut Short Story Competition. This is the eighteenth of these contests from The Word. Open worldwide, it is for stories of up to 1,000 words on any theme and in any genre. Closing: 3.5.15. Prizes: £70, £35, £15. Winners will be published on the website.
Entry Fee: £4. Comp Page: Click Here.
Montreal International Poetry Prize. This contest, which many of you will have guessed is from the land of the Mounties, is for poems of up to 40 lines on any subject. The final judge is Evan Boland, poet and Professor in the Humanities at Stanford University, California. Closing: 15.5.15. Early entry deadline (for lower entry fee): 31.3.15.
Prize: $20,000 (Canadian). There will be anthology publication for longlisted and shortlisted entries (two separate books), with a free copy going to each contributor. Entry Fee: $25 (Canadian) for the first, $15 thereafter. Early entry fee: $20 for the first, $15 thereafter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 4.1.15
In The Margins Short Story Competition. This contest
from the Felixtowe Book Festival is for stories of no more than 1,000 words on the theme of in the margins. If that seems to be on the verge of being obscure, see the competition page for clarification. Closing: 16.5.15. Prizes: £50, £10, £10. Entry Fee: £5. Comp Page: Click Here.
Sandalle Five n Ten Competition. This one
from Wales is for four-minute monologues on the theme of The Phone Call or The Letter, and six-minute duologues on any theme. Closing: 30.5.15. Prizes: 1st - £500. Further prizes: Performance at the prestigious Gwyn Hall in Neath, and Mentoring by a Senior BBC Scriptwriter. Entry Fee: £7 for the first, £6 thereafter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Pint-sized Plays Writing Competition. Now in its seventh year, this contest, as the name implies, is for compact plays, that is plays with a running time of between five and ten minutes, and featuring just 2 or 3 characters and only the furniture youd normally find in a pub (so forget that three-in-a-bed scene youve always yearned to write). Plays neednt be set in a pub, but thats where they will initially be performed. Closing: 31.5.15.
Prizes: The six winning plays will be performed in pubs in Tenby, Pembrokshire and, along with four runners-up, at a script slam in Fishguard. Here the audience can vote for their favourite and, if they are so inclined, throw fish at the rest (prior to being ejected from the premises). The performances will also be judged by a professional theatre director. There is a mention in the rules of two prizes: Best Script and Runner Up, plus a
certificate for third place. But no coin or silverware is indicated, so one must assume this contest is all about the fame rather than the fortune. Winning scripts will be considered for inclusion in an anthology. Entry Fee: £5.50. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 7.3.15
Ninevoices Short Story Competition. This contest from the ninevoices writing group in Tumbridge Wells is in
aid of PMRGCAuk, a charity concerned with Polymyalgia Rheumatica & Giant Cell Arteritis - which Im told is linked to rheumatic conditions that can lead to sight loss as well as severe pain. PMRGCAuk is one of those charities that gets little public attention and is therefore not overburdened with donations. Cant help thinking a catchier name might help, but in the meantime you can do your bit by entering this contest, which is for stories of up to 2,000 words on any
subject. Note that you need to have earned less that £300 from your fiction writing in 2014. Closing: 31.5.15. Prizes: £100, £50, £25. A shortlist of ten stories will be published on the website. Entry Fee: £5. Comp Page: Click Here.
Frome Festival Short Story Competition. This annual contest from
Froooom (as the eccentric locals like to pronounce it) is for stories of between 1,000 and 2,200 words. Winning stories will be read by a leading London literary agent and forwarded to IPC magazines/ Frome fm radio station for consideration. The rest will presumably be read by the cleaning lady and dropped in the bin. Judging this year is novelist Samantha Harvey. Closing: 31.5.15. Prizes: £300, £150, £75. There is in
addition a prize for a local author, defined as one living within 25 miles of the local library. Damn - missed out by a mere 95 miles. Entry Fee: £5. Comp Page: Click Here.
WritersReign Short Story Competition. This annual contest from Essex writers group WritersReign is for stories of between 1,000 and 1,500 words on any theme. They want stories that are well written, they say ... so
that plotless shambles you dashed off in your coffee break probably wont do. Closing: 31.5.15. Prizes: £100, £50, £25, plus runners-up 3x£10. Entry Fee: £3.50 each, £6 for two. Comp Page: Click Here.
Bridport Prize. This international competition from the Bridport Arts Centre is one of the most prestigious
writing contests in the British literary calendar. Everyone in the trade whose mind is not addled by drugs has heard of it, and they will be impressed if you can claim to have won it. The good news is that winning it is easy. All you have to do is submit the best poem or short story, the former having no more than 42 lines, the latter running to no more than 5,000 words. For those who find 5,000 words too tiring to write there is now a flash fiction category for
stories of up to 250 words (if thats too much, consider becoming a poet). This years judges are Roger McGough Lochhead (poems), Jane Rogers (short stories) and David Gaffney (flash fiction). Writers from beyond the veil should note that the Bridport rules forbid posthumous entries. Shame: the awards ceremony would be so much more interesting with a couple of ghosts in attendance. Closing: 31.5.15. Prizes: In each of
the main categories (Short Stories, Poems) - £5,000, £1,000, £500. There are also ten runners-up prizes of £50. These are called supplementary prizes to make you feel less like an also-ran. There is in addition a special prize of £100 and a perpetual trophy for the highest placed writer from Dorset. Prizes in the Flash Fiction category are £1,000, £500, £250, plus three supplementary awards of £25. All winners will be invited to an awards ceremony in October at
the Bridport Open Book Festival. Winning entries are usually published in an anthology. Entry Fees: Poems - £8. Short Stories - £9. Flash Fiction - £7. Comp Page: Click Here.
Hi Michael, Thank you for continuing to provide so much information on your blog. Itd be a good read just for some of your coments even if I hadnt found it extremely helpful. Ive had luck with a few of the competitions youve mentioned, including getting my first novel 'Escape to the
Country' published a while back and more recently being placed in last months Spinetinglers competition.
- Patsy Collins
The Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award. This annual contest, which honours one of the founders of the Bridport Prize, is for first novels by writers who have not had a novel published (self-publishing excepted) and who do not have a literary agent. To enter, you submit the first chapters of your story (5,000 to 8,000 words), plus a synopsis of up
to 300 words. Three hundred words? Thats more a blurb than a synopsis. Deciding if youve got what it takes to be a winner will be Jane Feaver in conjunction with the Literary Consultancy and literary agents A.M. Heath. Closing: 31.5.15. Prizes: 1st - £1,000 plus mentoring from the Literary Consultancy and possible publication. 2nd - £500. Entry Fee: £20.
Comp Page: Click Here.
Speakando European Home Competition. This Euro contest from Speakando, a company involved in interpretation and translation amongst other things, is for short stories, articles and essays on the topic of A European Home. The promoters are wondering if the idea of respecting our home and feeling part of our European culture is in need of restoration. Your point of view on this is
invited. Entries should be between 300 and 1,840 words. You can write in English, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese, but not in Anglo-Saxon as abusive language is forbidden. Also forbidden is discriminatory language and anything offensive. It seems the promoters are approaching this contest with some trepidation. Closing: 31.5.15 (7pm). Prize: This depends on the number of entries received. In the unlikely
event that its only between 1 and 14, the prize is a 30-hour language course on Skype. After that the prize becomes 100 euros (15 - 24 entries) and steadily rises to as much as 1,000 euros with a second prize of 500. Entry Fee: £10 (this registration fee covers one or more compositions with no limit mentioned). Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 4.2.15
TLM Poetry Competition 2014. This
international contest from the UKs oldest literary journal, The London Magazine, is for poems of up to 40 lines on any theme. The magazine was first published in 1732, they say, and has hosted poetry from the likes of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. On the strength of this they claim it is the countrys most prestigeous literary journal, but it hasnt been graced by any of my immortal lines so I should take that claim with a pinch of salt (Ive never sent them anything, but
thats no excuse). Closing: 31.5.15 (open for entries from April 1st). Prizes: 1st - £200 plus publication in the mag. Runners-up - £150, £100, plus publication on the website. Winners will be announced at a special networking drinks reception in London to which, presumably, the shortlisted entrants will be invited. A great opportunity to meet the team, they reckon, but these events are also a great opportunity to
drink too much and make an ass of yourself, so beware. I speak from experience. Entry Fee: £5. Comp Page: Click Here
Roundel Poetry Competition. This contest from Roundel Poetry in Tonbridge, Kent, is part of the Tonbridge Arts Festival. It is for poems of up to 40 lines on any theme. If they run the contest next next year Ill be able to make a joke about it coming round again, but
right now Im stuck for anything else to say. Closing: 31.5.15. Prizes: £200, £100, £50. Entry Fee: £3. Comp Page: Click Here
Thank you, Michael, for bothering to put your website together. Encouraged by your words I sent off a piece to the Daily Telegraph Travel Writing Competition but didn't win. Third time lucky, and after considerable honing and editing, I have just been informed by the deputy editor that my piece will be published this Saturday (17th July) and I have won £200.
I am now inspired to go on to bigger things. Thanks again. - Liz Cleere
Frogmore Poetry Prize 2015. This annual contest is run by Frogmore Press which was founded in 1983 in the Frogmore tearooms in Folkestone, Kent. Well, what else can you do in Folkestone? Ill tell you what: you can fall in the sea - a feat I managed at the age of 8. Will I ever forget that day? Unlikely, for I had the misfortune to be rescued by my two sisters. No, no -
let me drown! I cried. Ill never be able to face my mates again. But I had the ice cream money in my pocket and my pleas were ignored. I later wrote a poem about the shame of it all but it would have been too long for this contest because it ran to 360 lines. The line limit here is 40. Closing: 31.5.15. Prize: 1st - 250 guineas. Classy. You also get a two-year subscription to
The Frogmore Papers. 2nd - 75 guineas and a years sub to the Papers. 3rd - 50 guineas and a years sub. Shortlisted poets will receive selected Frogmore Press publications (Frogs. More Frogs. Frog Recipes. Stop. Come back. Im joking. They publish poetry - and none of it as far as I know is about frogs). Entry Fee: £3. Website: Click Here.
David Burland Poetry Prize 2015. This international contest, now in its ninth year, is for poems of any length in free style. Closing: 31.5.15. Prizes: £500, £200, £100. The winning writers will have their work published in the Second Volume of Poetic Art. The winning poem will be published on the website. Entry Fee: £8 for the first, £4 thereafter.
Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 2.1.15
Yeovil Literary Prize. This is the eleventh of these international contests from Yeovil, the literary capital of the West Country where even the sheep appreciate poetry. There are four categories: Short Story, Poetry, Novel and Unrestricted. The stories can run to 2,000 words, while the poems should be no more than 40 lines. Novels have a
limit of 15,000 words for the opening chapters and synopsis. The final category is unusual in that its for anything you have written - as long as it has the Wow! factor (they mean Wow - thats brilliant! rather than, Wow - youve really plumbed the depths with that one!). Your entry could be a particularly creative tax return, a witty note to the milkman, or that hilariously scathing critique of your ex-best-friends new novel, etc. Closing
: 31.5.15. Prizes: Short Story - £500, £200, £100. Poetry - £500, £200, £100. Novel - £1,000, £250, £100. Writing Without Restrictions - £100, £50, £30. In addition there is the Western Gazette Best Local Writer Award for someone living in Dorset or Somerset. It isnt worth moving down there however as the prize is only £100 plus a trophy. Entry Fee: Short Story - £6. Poetry - £6 each, £9 for
two, £11 for three. Novel - £11 each. Writing Without Restrictions - £5. Comp Page: Click Here.
Wirral Festival of Firsts Poetry Competition. This is the fifth of these contests from the Wirral Festival of Firsts, an arts festival held on Hoylakes mile-long promenade in July. Entries should stretch to no more than 40 lines. Closing: 1.6.15.
Prizes: £250, £50, £50. Entry Fee: £4 each, £10 for three. Comp Page: Click Here.
Segora Writing Competition. This is the eighth of these contests from Poetry Prose and Plays, which is based in France. It is for short stories of between 1,500 and 3,000 words, poems of up to 50 lines, plays with a running time of 20 to 35 minutes, and vignettes of up to 300 words on the
theme of The Seven Deadly Sins. Not many vignette contests about these days. This is because hardly anyone knows what a vignette is. You do of course, and in fact you probably have a dozen or so already written. For the rest, Ill give by way of enlightenment a definition from Collins: A short piece of writing that clearly expresses the typical characteristics of something or someone. You can read last years winners for all categories on the website.
Closing: 15.6.15. Prizes: Short Stories and Poetry - £200, £50, £30. Vignettes - £50, £10. Play - £100 plus rehearsed reading. Entry Fees: Short Stories - £6 each, £11 for two, £15 for three. Vignettes and Poems - £4 each for the first, £2.50 each thereafter. Plays - £12. Winners will be published on the website. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 2.3.13
Dear Mr Michael I discovered your website back in
November, then, in January, finally had the guts to enter the Whidbey Writers Competition, with the 'lazy' way of judging entries: stopping reading once they found 'the one'. The January theme was Villains, and, guess what, I won. Thank goody-goody gumdrops for Prizemagic. Keep Smiling
- Hannie Duncombe (The youngest ever Student Choice winner, at 13, thanks to you.)
Curry Mallet Short Story Competition. For this one you can write about curry or you can write about a mallet - but you probably wont win any prizes, for Curry Mallet is a place in England, not the theme of the competition. The town is holding a history festival, and this contest is part of it. I dont know where the place is. In the middle of the Somerset Levels, probably. But
who cares? This literary foray will put it on the map, and then it will be as famous as Bridport. There are three categories: Adults, Children 11-and-under, and Children 12-to-16). Adults are limited to 2,500 words, while children are allowed up to 500. Adults and Children 12-16 have to use the theme of Rebellion. You could of course rebel against this restriction and write something else, but it is not recommended as the judges may miss the irony.
Children 11 and under have to write a story about a wonder horse and/or a wonder cat. Closing: 15.6.15. Prizes: Adult 1st - £100. Runner-up £10 book token. Children (in each age category) 1st - £35. Runner-up - £5 book token. Entry Fees: Adult - £5 each, £10 for three. Children - £3 each. Comp Page: Click Here.
Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year. This annual international contest from the Canterbury Festival is for poems on any subject and in any style, with a length not exceeding 60 lines. Shortlisted poets will be asked to read their poems at the Awards Evening in Canterbury on October 8. If you are prone to stage fright you may nominate/blackmail someone else to suffer the ordeal for you. Closing: 19.6.15.
Prizes: 1st - The winner will be named Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year 2015 and will receive an unspecified prize (last year it was book tokens). There will be unspecified prizes for the two runners-up, and for the Best Read Poem and the Peoples Choice. No doubt it will all be jolly good fun and well worth the effort, but I do think they could have offered the winner a trophy of some sort, something he or she could be casually cleaning when friends come to
call. All poets on the longlist will receive a free copy of the contest anthology. Entry Fee: £5. Comp Page: Click Here.
Wild Words Biannual Writing Competition. This contest from Wild Words, which runs various writing courses, is for fiction and non-fiction in prose or poetry. The theme or prompt is a quote from poet Mary Oliver: Tell
me, what is it you expect to do/ With your one wild and precious life? Do not allow your wild words to go galloping off without restraint, as you are limited to 1,000 words. Closing: 21.6.15. Prize: A place on a Wild Words online course of your choice. The winning entry may be published on the website. Entry Fee: £7. Comp Page: Click Here.
Dear Michael,
I love your website and its pertinent personal comments re the comps. I entered the Alexander Cordell one some months ago, the mini saga, and was short-listed to win. It was a 600 mile round trip with two toddlers but we had a really wonderful weekend. My husband is self employed and works really long hours so it was great to drag him away and out into the countryside. The people were lovely, the whole event was fascinating, and I was
thrilled to get two books and a book token. My little girl age 3 gets excited every time Wales is mentioned on the news now! The greatest thrill was hearing the Director of Visit Wales read out my story so reverently, and with evident enjoyment. The organisers were delighted with the world-wide entries. I dont write for money - just as well - but for the love of the medium and the message.
Keep up the good work! - Julie Noble
V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize. This annual
contest from the Royal Society of Literature aims to preserve V.S. Pritchetts warmth of feeling and mastery of narrative. It is for stories of between 2,000 and 4,000 words. Rose Tremain is one of the judges. Closing: 22.6.15. Prize: £1,000. The winner will be published in the RSL Review and Prospect online. Entry Fee: £5. Comp Page
: Click Here.
Metamorphose Science Fiction/Fantasy Competition. This one from new US online sci-fi/fantasy magazine Metamorphose has four categories: Short Fantasy, Short Science Fiction (both 3,001 to 7,500 words), and Flash Fiction Fantasy, Flash Science Fiction (both 500 to 3,000 words). The top five entries in each category will be published in the mag. Closing: 30.6.15.
Prizes: $25 for the winner in each category. Entry Fee: None - free to enter (only one entry per person per category). Comp Page: Click Here.
Battered Moons Poetry Competition. Part of the Swindon Poetry Festival, this contest is for poems of up to 40 lines on any subject and in any style. Closing: 30.6.15.
Prizes: £700, £200, £100, and 4 @ £25. Winners will appear in the Battered Moons pamphlet and on the website. Losers will simply be battered (mataphorically speaking) Entry Fee: £5 for the first, £3.50 thereafter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Added 6.2.15
Four Corners International Poetry Competition. St Cross College, Oxford, is celebrating its 50th anniversary
with this contest for poems of up to 40 lines in any style. You dont have to have any connection to the college to enter. The theme is taken from the college motto: ad quattuor cardines mundi
(to the four corners of the earth). Does the earth have corners? If so, why has nobody ever found them? A mystery. Still, it doesnt matter here because the theme is just Four Corners and this is to be interpreted broadly. The lead judge is poet and teacher Mimi Khalvati. Closing: 2.7.15. Prizes: Open category - £500. St Cross category - £250. Prizewinning and commended poets will receive a
copy of the prize pamphlet, and their poems will appear on the college website. Entry Fee: £5 for the first, £3 thereafter. Comp Page: Click Here.
Writing Times Poem Competition. Here is another contest from the online magazine Writing Times. It is for poems of up to 50 lines on any subject. Closing: 30.6.15. Prizes: 1st - £50 and
publication in the mag, with a feature article about the author. 2nd - £25 and publication in the mag. Entry Fee: £4. Comp Page: Click Here.
Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2015. Wasafiri, according to the website, is a literary magazine at the forefront of mapping new landscapes in contemporary international literature today. Try saying that
in Kiswahili, the language from which the magazines title comes. Now, you are probably thinking that the magazine itself must hail from Africa, but this is not so. It was born at the University of Kent in 1984, and as far as I know it has no African connection at all. Nor, I might add, has the contest. This has three categories (Poetry, Fiction, Life Writing) and is open to anyone anywhere in the world who has not published a complete book in their chosen category. Poetry submissions should, they say, comprise of no more than five poems. Pardon my pedantry but things do not comprise
of. They may consist of, but if they are going to comprise, then they just comprise. I learned that when I was 12 (and Ive waited all this time to find a use for it). The word limit for the Fiction and Life Writing categories is 3,000. Incidentally, wasafiri, in case your Kiswahili is a bit rusty, means cultural traveller. Closing: 24.7.15 (6pm). Prize (in each category)
: £300 and publication in the mag. Entry Fee: £6. If you enter two separate categories its £10 and for three its £15. Comp Page: Click Here.
Luke Bitmead Writers Bursary Competition. For this annual contest from Legend Press you submit the first three or four chapters of your completed novel plus a synopsis. You should also send a personal statement introducing yourself and saying why
you would particularly benefit from the bursary. Note that to be eligible you must be a UK resident and a first-time, non-published author of fiction for adults. Closing: 1.8.15. Not open for submissions until 1.5.15. Prize: A publishing contract with Legend Press and a £2,500 cash bursary. Entry Fee: None - free to enter. Comp Page: Click Here.
I is Another Short Story Competition. This one from Holland Park Press is for stories of up to 2,000 words inspired by Arthur Rimbauds famous declaration, Je est un autre (I is another). To enter you are required to write a story in the first person about someone who is not you, but which is about a subject close to your heart. Your story should be under 2,000 words. There will
be an awards ceremony in London. Closing: 31.8.15. Prize: £200. The winner and runners-up will be published in the online magazine. Entry Fee: None - free to enter. Comp Page:
Click Here.
Hello Michael Just writing to let you know that my poem was "Highly Commended" in a Poem Pigeon contest I found on your site. This was pleasing to me, but what was
even better was to become part of such a friendly, hospitable group. Every one is so supportive of and kind to each other. They put up some pretty good poems too. Best wishes
- Penny Turner
The High Sheriffs Cheshire Prize for Literature. This annual contest, which is open only to writers with some connection to Cheshire, is for short stories of up to 1,500 words. It is supported by the University of Chesters Department of English. To be eligible you must have been born, work or have worked, live or have lived, study or have
studied, in Cheshire. If you lived there for just a fortnight while on holiday in Stockport, Im afraid this doesnt count, although you might be in line for a medal of some sort. Closing: 1.9.15. Prizes: 1st - £2,000. Additional prize money of £750 will be awarded at the judges discretion and the best entries will be published. Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
Comp Page: Click Here.
L. Ron Hubbards Writers of the Future Competition
. This US contest is open worldwide and is for short stories of up to 17,000 words. They should be science fiction, fantasy or horror with fantastic elements. Closing: Quarterly. Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500. Entry Fee: None. Website: Click Here.
EARN CASHBACK at 1,500 + STORES
Added 1.9.11
Dear Michael Just to say a big Thank You for your work on the website. I have been selected for publication in the Mirador competition which ran last year and have
been awarded 3rd place in the Stringybark Speculative Fiction competition. To be published twice is like a dream for me, which the information found on your site made possible. Thanks again.
- Pat Davies
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Books for Writers - Improve your Skills
Unless otherwise stated in the rules, all poetry should be single-spaced. The rest should be double-spaced (which is to say, double spacing between the lines, not the words!). It is sometimes the case that your name shouldnt appear on the manuscript. Again, check the rules. If you put your name on there after being told not to, youre out. Dont use coloured paper or fancy fonts, and dont send your manuscript done up like the Queens dinner menu with a fancy gold-tooled leather cover. These things merely announce that you have no confidence in your submission or, worse, that you think the judges are shallow enough to judge on appearance rather than content. Plain white A4 80gsm paper is the stuff to use, with plain black typing or print. Write on one side of the sheet only (unless asked to put your address on the back).
Before you start writing, allow me to introduce you to an old friend The Typo Goblin I am the Typo Goblin, my heart is made of flint, My role in life is simply this: to keep you out of print.
I sneak into your manuscript and do my fiendish work, Adding errors guaranteed to make you look a berk. And then I cast the Careless spell: you say, Ah, what the heck! And pop your script into the post without that final check.
At length some hapless editor receives your golden wit, And after reading fifty words he writes it off as ... unpublishable.
- Michael Shenton
Finally, as you sift through the remnants of your shattered
dreams and wonder if its worth going on ... www.samaritans.co.uk/
My Humorous
This is the Prizemagic website Poem: Verse Email email@example.com
Being a
& Songs Copyright: Michael Shenton 2015 Writer
British Arts - a website for the arts in the UK
Comps Novel
Be a Winner
Skill Comps
Writing Comps
Treasure Hunt


text:
Ohio Linux – We've Got Your Number!
Wondering why you should be at Ohio Linux Fest? Because Shawn and Lydia say so.
Katherine Druckman is webmistress at LinuxJournal.com. You might find her on Twitter or at the Southwest Drupal Summit
Nutty, catchy, and effective. Perfect for Linux Journal.
Excellent vid.
If I wasn't already committed that weekend, I'd consider making the three state trek to the con.
Linux rocks!
Personal blog: zootlinux.blogspot.com
That is great. She has a
That is great. She has a future in web media.
You just Rock
That's all I have to say!! :D
My daughter will be so excited to be on the linuxjournal.com site!
Thanks Katherine. :)
Shawn Powers is an Associate Editor for Linux Journal. You might find him chatting on the IRC channel, or Twitter
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This morning I took advantage of the early (6-9am) LCM lap swim hours at the PCB Aquatic Center. Air temps were in the mid-40s and it was dark when I arrived, but the water was toasty: holiday closings meant that it had stayed under its covers for the past couple of days. The new-this-season poolside digital water temp billboard told me exactly how toastyit read 83.99 degrees before I jumped in, and 84.03 immediately after. By my exacting calculations, for my body temperature to have raised the water temp 0.04F in approximately 0.95 seconds, must have meant there was just 4.7026038 gallons of water in the pool. Nonetheless, I was able to get in a satisfying workout as I completed the following:
1000 lcm warmup (400s, 200k, 200p, 200d/s IM)
1 x 100 FR @ 1:40
1 x 50 BK @ 1:15ish
2 x 100 FR @ 1:40
1 x 50 BK @ 1:15ish
3 x 100 FR @ 1:40
1 x 50 BK @ 1:15ish
2 x 100 FR @ 1:40
1 x 50 BK @ 1:15ish
1 x 100 FR @ 1:40
100 BK easy
[The FR was all with 6-beat kick and bilateral breathing. The 50s BK were easy, and welcome, since 6-beat kicking is still difficult for me. (The ishs were due to the clocks at each end being out of sync.)]
4 x 150 FR/ST/FR, IM order, ST = build, FR = mod
4 x 150 ST/FR/ST, IM order, done as build/ez/fast
4 x 150 ST, IM order, build each 150
200 IM kick
3 x 100 FR/BK halfsie @ 2:00, desc.
3 x 100 FR/BK halfsie @ 1:55, desc.
3 x 100 FR/BK halfsie @ 1:50, desc.
Magic 700, alternating build-an-IM (strong)/FR (easy) (fr-FR-br/fr-FR-bk/br/fr-FR-fl/bk/br/fr-FR)
2x through
3 x 50 FR @ 1:00, desc.
3 x 50 BK @ 1:00, desc.
[Turkey buzzards started circling overhead during this set. I wasnt moving that slow!]
500 warmdown + play
That was it! Those last few sets I did simply because I was enjoying staying in the water, and getting out didn't seem like much fun--it was still in the 40s, and the wind had picked up, making the pool the place to be. (I couldn't read the water temp display once the sun rose, but it seemed like it had fallen a bit, for which I was thankful). Watching the sky gradually lighten during sunrise and the seeing the clouds on backstroke and kicks still seems just amazing to me, and Im treasuring my time down here where that is possible.
I mostly had the pool to myself this morningsometimes there was 1, and once 2, other swimmers in the other 7 lanes, and I dont think there were more than 6 of us altogether during the 3-hour session. Theyve reduced the morning LC hours to just twice a week during the winter, and I hope the numbers are better once the holidays or over, or it will be hard to justify opening the pool at all. For now, though, Im enjoying having my own lane (or 6)!
Weights -
Not too intense, just 4 sets of 5 (or more) reps: Behind grip dead lift, Underhand bench press, BW Pullups
Pool -
24 x 25 on 0:30 free WF (short fins)
16 increased to 15's (didn't officially reach failure, but I was the only person around and kept it safe)
12 x 25 on 1:00 free WF (short)
14 increased to 13'sbreathed 4X each initially, and 2x each as I recovered (from prior set) near the last ones
A dozen or so brief drills
USTDS (ultra-short turn drill set) 10 (not quite to failure) x 15.5 TD on 0:25
holding 9's
Left knee recently a little tender, my right is usually the temperamental one but I think it could be from a recent strength gain imbalance between the quad and hamstring. Need to work on the leg biceps more.
The 24 x 25 and USTDS was just a trial for this type of training, though I've done stuff similar to this before.
The turn drill set demanded consistent concentration to my watch to make 9 sec efforts every 25. Send-offs ended in a 0 or 5 with respective goals ending in 9 or 4. Just did 10 of them to get a feel where I am at with these. Was nothing compared to the 24 x 25 free WF.
Regarding this first set, though I was warmed up from the weights, I found myself wheezing out of control on the last few. Not sure if it was related to lack of system warm-up or the intensity of the set. Nevertheless, the effort was there and the lactate was absent, as well as with emphasis on speed and mechanics.
Tomorrow could be a good drill/recovery day, and maybe some hard AFAP kicking on Saturday, but don't know if it will be with long rested or experimental US stuff (or anything else for that matter).
My Progress for Go The Distance 2013
Total Distance
24.66 miles (=43,399 yards, =39,684 meters)
25.56 miles (=44,987 yards, =41,136 meters)
23.95 miles (=42,159 yards, =38,550 meters)
28.69 miles (=50,498 yards, =46,175 meters)
29.70 miles (=52,275 yards, =47,800 meters)
25.44 miles (=44,778 yards, =40,945 meters)
22.26 miles (=39,169 yards, =35,816 meters)
20.36 miles (=35,829 yards, =32,762 meters)
19.62 miles (=34,523 yards, =31,567 meters)
16.88 miles (=29,700 yards, =27,158 meters)
12.75 miles (=22,441 yards, =20,520 meters)
14.17 miles (=24,943 yards, =22,808 meters)
264.03 miles (=464,701 yards, =424,922 meters)
Updated December 26th, 2013 at 04:15 PM by __steve__
Thu Dec 26th, 2013 SCY
Don't know when my next meet is
did not swim yesterday
got a 400 kick for time tomorrow so I took it easy today
Lifted this morning
Whitney Coached,
Noon to 1:30 dove in on time
swam with Tyler & Jim
Beside jim, ned, max, paul and Killeen
Warm up
went around 1:00
Main Set
assigned 8 x 100 on 1:10
did 2 100's then a 50 2 100's then a 50
1:00 rest
200 IM strong
1:00 rest
assigned 8 x 100 on 1:10
did 8 x 50 K on 1:10 easy speed held 36's
1:00 rest
200 IM strong went 2:18
1:00 rest
assigned 8 x 100 on 1:10
did 8 x 50 K on 1:10 easy speed held 36's
1:00 rest
skipped the 200 IM strong
Next Meets:
not sure
probably zones
Swim @ Sewickley w/Jim, Bill, Jeremy & Jocelyn
Warm up:
-- I arrived late bc I was coaching this am at Pitt
Main Sets:
"Big Jim" @ 1:30 base
1 x 400
2 x 200
4 x 100
8 x 50
16 x 25
I did:
1 x 350 EZ
2 x 200 kick w/fins @ 3:00
3 x 50 @ 100 pace + 1 x 50 EZ @ 1:30
2 x (3 x 50 @ 100 pace + skip a 50) @ :45
16 x 25 @ :40
odds = 100 pace
evens = EZ
6 x 75, done as 50 EZ @ 1:15 + 25 fast @ :45
6 x 25 w/chute & equipment @ 1:00
Total: 3000
I felt pretty crappy today. Too much food, sugar and vino, me thinks. Swam a lot of breaststroke w/fins today. Bill told me I am diving too deep instead of diving forward. So I've been working on my pull & recovery. I can't wait for Pitt to reopen so I can work on UWs
12 more days.
Ooooh, one of my fave xmas gifts: 3 one hour massages from my masters swimmers!
Updated December 26th, 2013 at 05:27 PM by The Fortress
4 X 50 descend 1:00 1:00
Two rounds. Round 1 intervals left, 2 right.
10 X 50 kick 1:15
1 X 100 swim
12 X 50 choice 1:15
odd: easy even: fast
2 X 100 strong 1:45
1 X 200 fast 3:30
Four rounds.
Negative split each 200
WARM DOWN: 4 X 50 easy
I woke up a little sore and tight from Tuesdays 12 days of Christmas set, but felt good in the pool and loosened up during the warmup. Steve Unruh was visiting from Austin and he and I swam with our junior racer age group(11-12 year olds). He is a great swimmer and it was fun to swim with him and the kids. The workout felt good albeit a little longer than I was hoping on the first day of my taper.
8x100 free with snorkel on 1.30
Main sets
8x100 kick on 2mins best average
12x50 drill, swim on 1min
4x(2x50 free on 40, 1x50 back on 45, 100 free AFAP on 2mins, 50 free easy recovery on 1.55)
8x75 with snorkel on 1min smooth
12x100 on 1.40 descend 1-4,5-8,9-12 big descend, with at least 1 round of 4 done as stroke(back)
2x500 pull on 6mins breathing every 5
Warm down
200 easy
Total 6400scy(I feel like I missed a set in here but can't remember what it was)
I was not expecting the best average kick set so early in today's workout but worked it very hard and held, 1.17,1.18,1.18,1.18,1.19,1.20,1.19,1.19 which beat the last set I did the other week where i held 1.22 average. Today i averaged 1.18.5 or so which I was very happy with. The set with the AFAP 100 was fun and I held 30s on the 50s free and 32-33s on the 50s back, and then went 56,56,55,54 on the 100s. I was very happy with these and still did not feel speed but I felt strong throughout and did not die at all. The 75s I held 46-47s and felt smooth. The descending 100s I went 1.08,1.04,1.00,56, then I did back and went 1.15,1.09,1.05,1.02, the last round I went back to free and went 1.07,1.04,59,55. The 500s I went easy and held 1.05 pace.
It was great training with someone else and Steve is an awesome swimmer and i wish I could train with him all the time. We have a T30 tomorrow which is always tough both mentally and physically. The seniors did their T30 today so I have a target to aim for tomorrow. A long workout for my first taper workout but fun none the less.
Updated December 26th, 2013 at 12:46 PM by StewartACarroll
Spent a lot of time vacillating on whether or not to go to the pool w/the team this AM, or to go do weights & then go do a leisurely swim on my own. Original plan was to swim at lunch with my old buddies, but the city nixed that idea by making the pool only available during ATAC practice time (7:30-10:00am). Ended up going to practice for the first 90 minutes then over to the gym - was so bloomin' tired (2nd day of LCM in ~ 4 months) I had to skip a couple of stations - my right shoulder has been achy for months, and I didn't want to make things worse. Thought I would feel worse in the water today than I did - a tribute to my "amazing" base, I suppose (hahaha!)
600 back/free
3 x 200 Pull - 30 sec rest btwn each
6 x 100 stroke/free @ 2:00 (niiice!)
6 x 100 K @ 2:15
100 easy
300 pull @ 5:00 (got :40 rest)
100 quality kick @ 2:15
3 x 100 back/free @ 1:45
100 quality kick @ 2:15
2 x 50 "fly" @ 1:00
2:00 rest
300 pull @ 5:00 (got :40 rest)
100 quality kick @ 2:15
3 x 100 back/free @ 1:45
100 quality kick @ 2:15
2 x 50 "fly" @ 1:00
200 easy
Total: 4400 LCM (for me - kids had another 45 min worth of torture awaiting them)
Then home to bake bake bake - got three pies done, two kinds of sweet potatoes & the Christmas Eve Lasagne all done, all by myself, not to mention various errands & tasks around the house & last minute gift wrapping. I'm pooped. There's no rest for the weary, I'm afraid - just because tomorrows Christmas doesn't mean I'll get a break - if mom doesn't do it, it won't get done.
Lots of body aches today, especially from the waist down, for some reason
first day back at LCM, and I suspect I will pay for this tomorrow - and every day for the next 2 weeks while I get used to it again!
800 back/free
700 Pull, speed play by 100s, breathing every 3 or 5
600 reverse IM, drill/swim/drill
500 Pull, speed play by 50s
400 reverse IM
300 pull, speed play by 50s
200 reverse IM
100 choice
8 x 200 @ 3:00 & 3:10 for last 4
10 x 100 @ 1:40 & then a warm down
My arm is still sore from painting the porch on Saturday & I have to put the final coat of paint on today before the cold front comes in.... Joy.
I enjoyed a really lovely swim in the gulf today. Yesterdays cold front chased away the heavy southern winds that had stirred up waves too big for ocean swimming over the last week (at least too big for someone who doesnt enjoy getting tumbled by the surf). But last weeks relatively warm water was still out there for me to enjoyeven though the air was in the 40s at mid-morning, water temps were in the mid-60s. Getting in and out was nippy, especially since I had to wade out to waist deep water, then walk over a shallow sandbar before reaching swimmable depths--but once in things couldnt have been better. The water was extremely clear, with light ripples on the surface. I swam out a ways, then down the beach to the first beach flag and back, about a mile altogether.
On the way back I was startled by a fish swimming underneath meI think it was what the shore fishermen call a whiting, which is what theyve been catching (if anything) in the past few days. I squealed when I saw it, and it flinched at the sound and darted away. My goal for my next swim is not to frighten any fish I encounter!
Other than the fish I saw no other creatures in the gulf while I was swimming, just lots of shrimp tunnels on the sandy bottom. I did see a bald eagle soaring overhead as I was driving today, which was pretty cool. And there were pelicans and herons that flew by us at sunset. It was such a treat to spend most of this beautiful sunny Christmas Eve outdoors enjoying the glorious day.
500 warmup with fins
44 x 15.5 turn drill on 0:30
250 drills
Regarding the Turn drill 44 x 15.5. It just reoccured to me this appears to be a baseline of UST for 50 pace.
15.5M 0:09 splits are very close (just over) my 50M race pace. Hopefully the speed entering in, and fundementals of, this turn exercise translates into a race environment closely.
By adjusting the interval down respectively while maintaining the 9 sec split and failing by the 20th one, maybe I can get UST to work in this area. My turns kill me.
But since only 2 strokes are taken, this would only benefit my turn and DK systems and I should continue to train raw speed as usual since it seems to still work.
There is some method to this madness and experimentation
Updated December 24th, 2013 at 08:17 PM by __steve__
Today I swam with the senior racer group and they did there 12 days of Christmas set, which took about 3hrs to complete. At the end we did a team slip and slide across the deck with mats laid out for the slide. It was great fun and a great end to a great workout.
600 free
6x50 build
The 12 day of christmas format was
1. 1min vertical kick with the coach telling us hand position and kick type
2. 50 back spin drill
3. 3mins of sit ups, coach supplied type and pain level by making us hold certain positions
4. 100 breast 3,2,1 second glide fast
5. 5 bottom of the pool ring bubbles
6. 150 fly with six kick break outs
7. 7 rounds of alternating pull ups and 7 pulse squats with medicine ball
8. 200 free, fast, smooth, fast, smooth
9. 9 pushups
10. 250 back, fast, smooth, fast, smooth, fast
11. 11 rounds of 3 person relays out to 12.5 and back
12. 300 IM fast
I suspect these are always swum the same way but regardless the format was:
Total swimming yardage 6000scy plus at least another hour of dry lands built in.
Despite there being a lot of fast swimming for me by a long way the dry land portion was tough especially the sit ups and pull ups. Within the round it was just get it done but at the end of each round coach Walker waited for every lane to finish before allowing anyone to start again, so there was an incentive to finish pretty quickly and get some rest between sets. I dread to think how many calories I burned during this set but it was great fun.
I am training with the junior racers on Thursday as I officially start my taper.
I minimized my workout today due the the pain and pressure I felt during flip turns so after warmup not much free
1000 free as 200sw/200pull/200sw/200kick/300swim
500 free kick w/zoomers
4x200 as 50 rt/50 lt arm/50kick/50 swim #1 fly 2 back 3 free 4 breast w/zoomers
8x25@1:00 fly
500 free kick w/zoomers
Total 3000 yards
Not much to share, other than 2000yds yesterday in warm water after waiting 50 min for guard to stroll in. Cooler water this morning, 1900yds in 35min.
5 miles to 300, with 4 days left to squeak it in
200 Free
100 Kick w/ board
150 Free
100 Kick w/ board
100 Free
100 Kick w/ board
50 Free
100 Kick w/ board
2 x 125 Free Pull @ 1:30
2 x 100 Free Pull @ 1:15
2 x 75 Free Pull @ :55
2 x 50 Free Pull @ :40
2 x 25 Free Pull @ :20
8 x 50 Flutter Kick w/ board @ 1:00
400 IM (by 100s)
Fly @ 1:20 (went 1:09)
Back @ 1:40 (made it - 1:20-25ish)
Breast @ 1:40 (made it - 1:30ish)
Free @ 1:20 (went 1:07)
4 x 50 Flutter Kick w/ board @ 1:00
400 IM (by 50s) - half the intervals of the previous 400 - just make 'em
Fly @ :40
Back @ :50
Breast @ :50
Free @ :40
This one was a lot tougher to do than the 100s. Not as much rest between each stop and go I guess, even though it was 50s vs. 100s.
2 x 50 Flutter Kick w/ board @ 1:00
500 Free as:
4 x 25 Free @ :20
2 x 50 Free @ :40
1 x 100 Free @ 1:20
2 x 50 Free @ :40
4 x 25 Free @ :20
surprisingly enough, the 100 in the middle is actually a little tough, and sneaks up on you in this set.
200 Flutter Kick w/ board
8 x 25 Fly Fast w/ short fins @ :30 (went :15-:16s)
100 Flutter Kick w/ board
100 Free EZ
4250 Yards
Not a bad overall workout. I was given ideas for the 400 IMs and 500 from one of the assistant coaches who was helping with the novice level swimmers in the next lane over. He was telling me stuff the senior kids were doing the other day. Had to try it out.
Sunday 12/22
"Chesapeake Elite Meet Day 4"
Came into this morning with a wicked cough/runny nose and itchy eyes due to the air quality deteriorating at the pool. I am glad I decided not to scratch the 50 FL and deck enter the 200 FL (although I REALLY wanted to swim a good 200) because I was just too run down at this point.
Not a good race. Almost the same time I took my 100 FL out in yesterday. Too much breathing (every time my face was in the water I was coughing so holding my breath was a little tough at this point).
I was in the "three hole" on the relay. Had an OK relay start, despite a bad finish AGAIN by the person swimming in! I tried to "man up" and hold my breath despite the coughing, but my efforts fell short. I only breathed once, and BAM, it was first thing off the turn!
Total: 3000 (ish)
So I come away from this meet with 1 lifetime best out of 5 swims. Some takeaways from the meet:
1) My speed work is starting to have an effect on my racing, which is good.
2) I need to do a better job of being mentally focused when outside my comfort zone. My 200 BR was just a total lapse in concentration on all fronts, and I think letting myself check out when tired contributed to this.
3) I need to get my knee healthy again. It has really been bothering me the past two weeks, and I think I rushed too much breaststroke kick back into my training sessions too fast.
After taking a lot of time off in March, April, and May, I only had one meet this summer which showed I was WAY out of shape still! Now after 7 months of consistent training, I think I am finally back into the swing of things. I'm getting there, but I am not quite there yet! I will have high hopes for my "BIG" taper meet in early March. 11 weeks until Sectionals, which leaves 9 more weeks of hard work...time to buckle down!
Swim/SCY/Solo @ Sewickley
Warm up:
600 various
100 scull
4 x 50 fly drills
Main Sets:
4 x 25 burst + cruise
4 x 25 fly @ 100 pace @ :40
-- too sore from weights to do fly …
adapting to USD set:
3 x (6 x 25 free @ 100 pace @ :20 rest + 50 EZ)
200 EZUSD set:
20 x 25 breast @ 10 pace @ :20 rest
-- skipped # 7 & 15
Total: 2700
I am really really sore from weights. Wasn't sure I could do anything at all today, but got through a couple ultra sets. I did breast on the second one bc that doesn't use the shoulders and back as much. You really do get a large amount of race pace swimming using this method. I've been at 7 days in a row and may take off both Dec 24 & 25. Happy holidays everyone!
Updated December 23rd, 2013 at 03:51 PM by The Fortress
After going to bed on Friday afternoon I am finally on the mend. Swam t the y and 85 degrees did not feel warm to me. Does that mean I am still sick?
Anyway my first 500 was shaky but got better. Still tried to keep it slow I guess
5x100@:10 RI free
500 free kick w/zoomers
5x100@1:30 free w/strapless paddles & bouy went 1:25, 1:23, 1:22, 1:21, 1:20 this was a surprise
500 free kick w/zoomers
5x100 odds free evens drill w/snorkle
200 breast kick
100 free
100 back
100 free kick
Total 3000 yards
I woke up ahead of the alarm clock this morning feeling good. I did not feel bad in the pool but my feeling of no speed continued. I have a hard workout tomorrow and then I officially start the taper. Today was the descending 100 set and I got down to 1.03 but felt uncomfortable throughout. I dont think this was the ideal workout after a long weekend of swimming, but coach said to do it so I did it.
Warm up
400 free with snorkel
6x50 catchup on 45
Main set
Descending by 1 second 100s starting at 1.30
200 easy
10x50 drill concentrating on 6 beat kick and hand entry
5 mins of breakout drills with breakout cord(short bungee)
4x25 on 45 with fast break outs
Warm down
200 easy
Total 4400scy(plus breakout work)
I held mainly 1.05s on the descending 100s and was disappointed I did not go down to 1min.
Two rounds. Round 1 intervals left, 2 right.
1 X 500 kick + 100 swim
1 X 100-reverse IM- 1:50
4 X 25 -fast/1 of each- :40 #4 on 1:20
Three rounds
7 X 200 pull 3:20
Descend 1-3/4-6 #7 is best effort
WARM DOWN: 4 X 50 easy
Yesterday's drylands (25 min)
One superset (without rest) x 5 of:
deadlifts with rack bar held behind x 5 (135 to 275 lbs)track start incline sit-ups (arms apart and out at down / clamped together streamlined on the up) x 8haven't named it (static 90⁰ knee squat with streamlined arms while rolling the hips as reps) x 10mayurasana x 6 seconds
Been doing #1 as my power dryland tool with much success since my connecto-skeletal (esp lower back) agrees with it.
#3 teaches me to obtain lower body power from the more useful hips (rather than legs). Also stretches the ankles
Today's swim
7 x 50 FR/BK WF on 2:00
relaxed but stroke muscles felt the need of further recovery
400 flutter kick as:
(~10M AFAP Fr FK from push + mid-pool flip-turn + easy Bk FK to wall) x 20


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A Terry Gilliam cameo is the best thing about the Wachowski's space opera. Ryan Ingram review.
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Capsule reviews of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, It Follows, Housebound, Alleluia, and more.
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig play siblings grappling with mental illness in The Skeleton Twins. Thalia Stopa review.
Opening this Friday at Vancity, Coherence is a dark, twisty story about a dinner party, a comet and a mysterious box.
Review of the new Woody Allen flick, Magic in the Moonlight. By Thalia Stopa.
… scientifically proving that time is a flat circle. By Ryan Ingram.
We Are the Best! opens May 30 in Vancouver. It will kick your ass.
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Lake Bell does it all in this new comedy. Shawn Conner review.
Gaby Hoffman and Michael Cera star in an indie drug adventure set in Chile. Opens July 26.


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Originally a modification of Survival 303 by Davidii, in 2010 Survival: Apocalypse became an instant success, taking the front page by storm, and pioneering the survival game genre by bringing a post apocalyptic world into the mix. Over the years, the game has sustained its popularity through a loyal fanbase and constant updates.
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Hector Sanchez adds two more homers in bid to make Giants
Mar 12, 2012, 4:00 PM EDT
No catcher has played in 100 major league games in his age-22 season since Brian McCann in 2006. Hector Sanchez probably won't be the next — actually, Kansas City's Salvador Perez figures to pull off the feat if he stays healthy this season — but he is bidding to make the Giants as a backup catcher and pinch-hitter at age 22.
The switch-hitting Sanchez homered from both side of the plate after coming off the bench Sunday against the Mariners, giving him three homers and eight RBI in 14 at-bats for the spring.
Even before his outburst, the Giants were giving a lot of thought to carrying Sanchez. As things stand now, both of their best bench bats — Brandon Belt and Mike Fontenot — are lefties, as are the regulars they're most likely to want to pinch-hit for (shortstop Brandon Crawford and outfielder Nate Schierholtz). They definitely need a better righty stick than Ryan Theriot's to combat lefty relievers late in games.
That's where Sanchez could step in. And if he hits, then the Giants would feel a lot better about giving Buster Posey one or two starts per week at first base. The Giants have Eli Whiteside penciled in as Posey's backup, but Sanchez would be a more intriguing option to start those games when Posey slides over.
One would think that'd have to play into a decision to keep Sanchez. He's still too young and too raw to be limited to a couple of starts per month and the handful of extra at-bats he'll get as a pinch-hitter. He'd be better off in the minors if he's not occupying a significant role in San Francisco.
- dwrek5 - Mar 12, 2012 at 4:01 PM
2012's version of Jake Fox… come on down!
- firstandonlywarning - Mar 12, 2012 at 4:35 PM
Fox is 29 while this kid is 22
Crash and Burn
- stlouis1baseball - Mar 12, 2012 at 4:36 PM
I give you kudo's Dwrek. Funny stuff.
- shanabartels - Mar 12, 2012 at 6:38 PM
You think the Giants brass might give a young player a chance? That's cute. I'm prepared to watch a lot of Aubrey Huff messing up Brandon Belt's development process, and the backup catcher situation isn't much different (assuming Posey's health even allows him to catch most games in the first place). Hector Sanchez is having a good spring training, but he needs more time in the minors to develop. He seemed overmatched during his time with the big club last year, so the real question is whether the backup gig will go to Whiteside or Stewart.
- mgflolox - Mar 13, 2012 at 12:15 AM
This is a kid who needs to have regular playing time. It's an intriguing situation for the Giants, having 2 outstanding young catchers. I thing Posey's athleticism would be wasted at 1b. If Sanchez' defense is MLB quality, I might consider moving Posey to 3b, Panda to 1b, see if Belt can play LF, and get the hell rid of Huff.
- seeingwhatsticks - Mar 13, 2012 at 2:43 AM
Given how offensively starved the Giants were last year and figure to be again this year it makes all the sense in the world to give Sanchez 2-3 starts a week early in the year while the Giants figure out how often Posey can play behind the plate. Stewart and Whiteside are pretty much black holes of suck at the plate but we're already hearing stuff about how great they are with the staff so of course there's no chance Sanchez makes the team.
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Pawlenty orders state to stay out of Obama's health plan
ST. PAUL -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty, saying the government is trying to take over states' rights, has ordered state officials not to apply for federal health care funds under a 2010 law, a decision DFL'ers say will cost the state billions and thousands of jobs.
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AKC registered litter born 12/3/14. Sire and Dam are family pets. English and South African bloodlines. Dam was imported from Germany (Hot Staffs Kennel) and is AKC DNA confirmed. Excellent temperaments, athletic, intelligent and people-loving. Puppies are raised within our ...
Feb 9 -
Charleston (WV) :
Elkview - Dogs & puppies
Wanted either English bulldog, french bulldog, or bull terrier puppy for a Rehoming fee not sale price so please don't contact me saying you have one for 1k cuz that's not going to happen English bulldogs have several known health problems so I'm not paying high amounts for ...
Feb 7 -
Philadelphia :
Philadelphia - Dogs & puppies
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Eleventh Circuit Other Statutes Cases
Cable/Satellite TV Cases, Dockets and Filings
Cases filed
Cases 1 - 10 of 720
Joe Hand Promotions Inc v. Hamrick et al
as 2:2015cv00442
Plaintiff: Joe Hand Promotions Inc
Defendant: Crystal L Hamrick, Charles Y Hamrick, C&C Bar & Grill LLC
Cause Of Action: Fed Question: Fed Communications Act of 1
DIRECTV, LLC v. Cuadra et al
as 1:2015cv00691
Plaintiff: DIRECTV, LLC
Defendant: Moises Cuadra, William Vasquez, Paul Yuwachit and others
DIRECTV, LLC v. Tsegaye
as 1:2015cv00249
Plaintiff: DIRECTV, LLC
Defendant: Eskinder Tsegaye
Cause Of Action: Cable Communications Act
Beach TV Cable Co., Inc. v. Comcast of Florida/Georgia, LL
as 15-10246
Plaintiff - Appellant: BEACH TV CABLE CO., INC.
Defendant - Appellee: COMCAST OF FLORIDA/GEORGIA, LLC, d.b.a. Comcast
J & J Sports Productions, Inc. v. EL Tenampa Restaurant & Night Club, Inc. et al
as 1:2015cv00126
Plaintiff: J & J Sports Productions, Inc.
Defendant: EL Tenampa Restaurant & Night Club, Inc., Araceli Salas
Cause Of Action: Cable Communications Act
HILL v. RUSHMORE SERVICE CENTER LLC
as 5:2015cv00003
Plaintiff: MARY HILL
Defendant: RUSHMORE SERVICE CENTER LLC
Cause Of Action: Fair Debt Collection Act
Innovative Sports Management, Inc. v. Marso Corporation et al
as 6:2014cv02096
Defendant: Marso Corporation , Diego Fandino
Plaintiff: Innovative Sports Management, Inc.
Cause Of Action: Notice of Removal
Dish Network L.L.C. et al v. Letourneau
as 0:2014cv62887
Plaintiff: Nagrastar LLC , Echostar Technologies, L.L.C. , Dish Network L.L.C.
Defendant: Ernest J Letourneau, Jr.
Cause Of Action: Unauthorized publication or use of communications
J & J Sports Productions, Inc. v. ILounge, Inc.
as 14-15599
Plaintiff - Appellee: J & J SPORTS PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Defendant - Appellant: ILOUNGE, INC.
J & J Sports Productions, Inc. v. Javier Mendoza
as 5:2014cv00104
Plaintiff: J & J Sports Productions, Inc.
Defendant: Javier Mendoza
Cause Of Action: 47.U.S.C. 332(c)(7) Federal Communications Act of 1996


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The level of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) in the ambient air at a residential area in Adyar and a traffic intersection in Kilpauk during the 24-hour period ending Tuesday was 47 microgram/cubic metre and 88 microgram/cubic metre respectively. The permissible limit is 100 microgram/cubic metre, a press release from TNPCB said.
More In: TAMIL NADU | NATIONAL


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What is the difference between Proof, Brilliant Uncirculated and Bullion coins?
Designing Britain's decimal coins began in 1961, far earlier than you may imagine.
The Royal Mint came one step closer to opening the doors of South Wales
The Royal Mint has today unveiled a new coinage portrait of Her Majesty The Queen
The Royal Mint has signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Treasury Department of Thailand
The Royal Mint welcomes new recruits to graduate training programme
If you are visiting the Royal Mint, here are some simple directions on how to find us.
Turn off the M4 at junction 34, take third exit toward Llantrisant. Follow the road through two roundabouts and on the third roundabout take the 4th exit. Take the second left to arrive in the Royal Mint car park.