Competitions

The Penstricken 1,000 Word Story Prize

Can you tell a story in 1,000 words?

The Penstricken 1,000 Word Story competition is always open. There’s no deadline for this competition, and no set theme. Every time we hit 100 entries, we pick one story that we love and award the winning author £100. Then the counter resets and the next round begins.

Prizes

There will be one winner selected in each round. Prizes will include:

  • A single cash prize of £100 (or equivalent). Payment will be made to the winner via PayPal.
  • The winning story published in the next issue of Penstricken magazine.
  • An author interview to be published alongside the winning story.

Competition rules

  • We are open to entries from writers from anywhere in the world, and of any level of experience (or none!) provided you are 18 years of age or older.
  • To ensure the competition is judged impartially, please DO NOT include any identifying information in the actual story manuscript itself.
  • The entry fee is £1.50 per entry.
  • Your story should be 1,000 words long, not including the title. Entries more than 50 words above or below this word count will be disqualified.
  • You may enter only one story per round. Multiple entries will be disqualified.
  • The judges’ decision is final. We will not enter into any correspondence regarding the outcome.
  • Entries must be original and previously unpublished in print or online.
  • All submissions must be made in English.
  • Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
  • Entries generated by AI will be disqualified.
  • The first round will be judged after we receive 100 entries. Any entries made after this time will automatically be entered into the second round, and so on.
  • By participating, entrants agree to abide by these rules. Any entry that does not adhere to the rules will be disqualified.

Judging Criteria

The winning story will demonstrate:

  • Well established story arcs (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement).
  • Well developed characters.
  • Effective use clear, succinct language and tangible/sensory imagery.

How to Enter

To enter this competition, you will need to fill in our online entry form by clicking here (note this a different form from our regular submissions form). You will be asked to click a link to pay a submission fee in this form, which opens in a separate window. Please ensure that you finish submitting the entry form once this is done or your entry may not be counted.

By submitting, you declare the work is your own intellectual property, and you have the right to grant us first publication rights. All rights revert to the author after publication.

If you have any queries, or wish to withdraw your submission, you can contact us by e-mailing admin@penstricken.com.

By entering, you agree to our privacy policy.

Current number of entries: 1 (updated 19/03/26)

Click here to enter

Finished Competitions

2025 Winter Flash Fiction Competition

Congratulations to our winner Susannah Rigg. In her story ‘In For a Penny’, Rigg made expert use of subtext to subtlety tell us everything we needed to know about the two main characters in the story, with a surprise ending that was a delight to read. I’m sure when we publish it in our winter issue, Glamour, that you’ll agree it’s a cracking piece of work.

While there can only be one winner, I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to a few other stand-out entries that deserve an honourable mention:

  • ‘Not a Bedtime Story About A Superhero, A Rabbit, and A Wolf’ by Stephanie Ross
  • ‘Shower Beer Baptism’ by Shannon Black-Youel
  • ‘Skins’ by Linda Fulton

Congratulations to all our top entries, and to everyone who entered.

‘In For a Penny’ by Susannah Rigg will appear alongside an interview with the author in our winter 2025 issue, Glamour.

This competition is now closed. Please do not try to submit a story for this competition as it will not be counted.

‘Laughter Lines’ Funny Poetry Competition

Congratulations to the winner, Ana Reisens, who tickled us pink with her poem, ‘The Translated Instruction Manual for Loving’. We loved the way the poet created a poetic guide for love by piecing together funny excerpts from badly translated instructed manuals. 

Congratulations also to our top three runners-up (in no particular order):

  • Larry Needham – ‘Marriage Bed of the Roses’
  • Max Clayton Clowes – ‘Sunset’
  • Jim Burns – ‘Tourist Trap’

All four poems will be appearing in our upcoming Autumn issue, Machinery. Congratulations to all our top entries, and to everyone else who entered.

This competition is now closed. Please do not try to submit a story for this competition as it will not be counted.

‘Let’s Stop Pretending’ Flash Fiction Competition

Congratulations to the winner, Christi Krug for her fantastic flash fiction, ‘Trailer Etiquette’. This story will appear in our summer 2025 issue, Love and Hate.

Honourable mentions:

  • Ashley Newell – ‘For The Love of Moose’ 
  • CJ Payling – ‘Decorum’ 
  • Lee Hulme – ‘Customer Service’

This competition is now closed. Please do not try to submit a story for this competition as it will not be counted.