Claret Press Short Story Competition
Guidelines
We're looking for stories that reflect today's politics.
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This is a big topic and can encompass a lot of themes, for example:
- Healthcare
- The right to protest
- Freedom of speech
- LGBTQ+ issues
- Feminism
- Housing
- Global politics
The deadline for entries is 1st February, 2026.
Entry Requirements
- You should keep your story below 5,000 words. If your submission runs over the word limit, it will be discarded unread.
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- We are looking for creative prose only. Please do not submit essays or poems.
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- Your story should be submitted as a .docx file. Submissions will be judged anonymously, so please do not include your name anywhere on the document or in the file name.
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- You should be subscribed to the 'A Sip of Claret News' mailing list. We send out a newsletter once a month with special offers, news, events and updates.​​
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- Your story should be your own, and can not have been published elsewhere.
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All genres and styles of writing are welcome—you can write anything from horror to slice-of-life, and your tone can be as earnest or satirical as you’d like.
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Please note that no critical feedback will be supplied.
How to Enter
Send your story in the form of a .docx file to claretcompetition@gmail.com. You should also attach proof that you have paid the entry fee. This could be a screenshot of the completed payment or your unique transaction ID.
Please note that all submissions that do not include proof of payment will be discarded unread.
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The entry fee for this competition is £5. To pay, click here.
What happens after I submit my story?
Three judges will oversee the selection process. Claret Press’s publishing assistant, Tessa Glover, will narrow all submissions down to a shortlist which will be judged by Katie Isbester, founder of Claret Press, and Ann Whitehead, lawyer, political activist and author of Vote for Honesty and Get Democracy Done.
Three winners will be chosen. All three stories will be published on the Claret Press website and in the Sip of Claret News newsletter, which has an audience of over 700 highly-engaged subscribers.
Each winner will also receive a cash prize:
First prize - £50
Second prize - £30
Third prize - £20