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Enter the Stylist and Virago short story competition

the breaking pointThis competition is now closed. Read the winning story here. 

 

In October, we publish four of Daphne du Maurier’s short story collections in brand new Virago Modern Classic jackets, so to celebrate the queen of the gothic short story, we were very excited to announce a brand new short story competition with Stylist magazine. Visit the Stylist website to find out more, and to read the definitive guide on how to craft a short story with tips from Kate Darby, Sophie Hanna, and our very own Stella Duffy.

The competition

To enter the short story competition you will need to write short story no longer than 2,000 words. The story should be original and unpublished and in tribute to the ‘Queen of the short story’, it must be gothic in theme.

The judges

The entries will be judged by an expert panel who will be looking for a story which excites, intrigues and surprises them. The panel includes:

The deadline

Entries should be emailed to shortstorycompetition@stylist.co.uk by 14 September 2016. If you would rather post your entry, please send it to Short Story Competition, StylistMagazine, Shortlist Media, 26-34 Emerald Street, London, WC1N 3QA. The deadline will not be extended under any circumstances.

The prize

The winning entry will be published in Stylist magazine and on stylist.co.uk, as well as being available to download on Virago’s website.

The winner will also receive a six-day writing course at Arvon redeemable in 2017 and worth a minimum of £600. Arvon, England’s leading creative writing charity, produces residential creative writing courses and retreats, led by highly respected authors. Choose from a tutored course across a wide range of genres (from writing a short story collection to starting a novel) or a retreat designed to allow you the time and space to focus on your writing. Visit arvon.org for more information.

The winner and two runners up will also win copies of the four new Daphne du Maurier collections.

What you need to enter

Once you have completed your submission, fill out the entry form below and email both items to shortstorycompetition@stylist.co.uk by 14 September 2016. If you would rather post your entry, please send it to Short Story Competition, Stylist Magazine, Shortlist Media, 26-34 Emerald Street, London, WC1N 3QA.

Any questions? Email shortstorycompetition@stylist.co.uk